brick by brick

A division of advertising agency Ogilvy & Mathers Worldwide, OgilvyOne Worldwide, has conceived an interesting concept to bring advertising back to its roots. OgilvyOne has created the "Search for the World's Greatest Salesperson", a that honors the company's namesake David Ogilvy, by having contestants resort to their most basic sales skills in order to sell a basic product - a standard red brick.
David Ogilvy made a name for himself selling kitchen stoves door to door in Scotland in the 1930s, he relied on salesmanship and connecting with a customer, and lived by the motto, " No sale, no commission. No commission, no eat."
OgilvyOne is conducting the contest to counteract the modern reliance on technology and art used in advertising, and focusing on replacing it with a repetoire between product and customer.
Contestants from 12 countries will submmit a 2 - 3 minute ad on OgilvyOne's YouTube channel advertising the standard red brick - chosen because of it's universality. Winners will earn a 3 month fellowship at OgilvyOne, along with an opportunity to speak to some of the world's most influential ad-execs at the 2010 Cannes Advertising Festival.