Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

This week, we step into the highly competitive world of Television Marketing. Between Netflix, Amazon and Crave, the marketing of TV shows has become a rat-race. And in a world where we can watch any thing  any time,  luring viewers back each week calls for some  outside the box  marketing. We know you want to listen to all...

This week, it’s the final episode of our 2019 season: Ask Terry. And as we do every year, we’re turning this show over to you, our listeners, and answering your questions on the air. From whether subliminal advertising exists, to if my career has made me a cynical consumer, to which of the Beatles was the best marketer, this year’s questions were fun and insightful. Oh - and you’ll get a chance to...

This week, we look at banned commercials. The majority of the time, ads are banned for being sexist or too suggestive. But many commercials are banned for other, more fascinating reasons. Sometimes bans cripple a campaign, other times they’re puzzling, but more often than not, they’re rocket fuel. Hope you’ll join us.  We know you want to list...

This week, we unpack the nuanced world of Advertising Disclaimers. We’ll look at the most absurd product disclaimers of all time, why a shocking disclaimer on a brand of Lays chips sparked a 50% drop in sales and the Presidential attack ads that changed political disclaimers forever. It really puts the “risk” in asterisk. Hope you’ll join us.  We know y...

This week, it’s our annual Bookmarks episode - where we tell fascinating stories from our research that didn’t make it into the regular season. Like - the shocking reason Beatles producer George Martin first met the Fab Four. Why an episode of Mary Tyler Moore was considered to be so morbid that a brand new director had to be brought in to handle it tastefully. And why there were bl...

This week, it’s our annual look at brands I admire. They may not be the coolest or the biggest brands – but they’re fascinating studies in marketing. From a record store with a sense of humour to a cartoon with virtually no dialogue, this year’s list gives me a mean case of Brand Envy.  We know you want to listen to all the ads in this sh...

This week, we look at the use of profanity in marketing and the resulting upsurge in Vulgar Trademarks. Four-letter words aren’t just sought out by small, feisty companies looking for attention anymore, but by some of the largest advertisers in the world. Is it obscene, or is it free speech? These days, I swear it’s hard to tell. We...

This week, we look at the fine art of selling the dream. The world of Real Estate Marketing has its own rules, its own techniques and its own unique breed of sales people. We'll tell the story of how the word "Realtor" was reluctantly blessed by Merriam-Webster, why so many real estate agents use photos of themselves as a marketing tactic and what happens when the real estate business tries entici...

This week, I’ll be sharing some of the major influences in my life that helped inform my thinking and shape my career. Including a snowplow ad from my childhood, the sound effects from one very specific cartoon, hilarious actors I worked with and seeing the corner of a billboard flapping in the wind. It’s a little lesson in who’s had  me  under the infl...

This week, we look at celebrities with their own brands. From a small town general store owned by a comedian to a cosmetics empire started by an 18-year-old to a winery that was funded by the  Godfather  movies - a few of them are even billion-dollar enterprises. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance yo...

This week, we explore Word of Mouth Advertising. Most businesses hope good products and excellent service are enough to encourage positive recommendations. But the smartest companies actually have strategies to ignite word-of-mouth chatter. It’s the oldest form of advertising, but it’s the most effective by far. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance yo...

This week, we explore roadside attractions as marketing. Interesting and often quirky landmarks that put small towns on the map. We’ll look at one town that leveraged its name to bring in thousands of TV fans, one that built a giant animal statue to get highway drivers to take a detour and another that built a monument to attract both human and non-human visitors. We know you want to lis...

Do you know which mascot is the most recognized but least liked on TV? This week, we look at disgusting but effective advertising mascots. Fun, cuddly characters that personify our bodily functions the way human actors never could. But they all have one thing in common: they’re disgustingly lucrative. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you&nbsp...

This week, we explore the world of law firm advertising. Some of it good, some of it bad, but a handful of it highly creative. We’ll break down the lawyer advertising laws   that get some firms in trouble, we’ll look at the controversial billboard that got one lawyer death threats and the YouTube campaign that went viral - earning a divorce firm over 90M impressions.  We know y...

This week, we listen to the innovative ways marketers are using  sound  around the world. We’ll explore how the words of an anthem in South Africa were altered to send a powerful message about abuse, why Romanian radio stations switched over to mono to save lives and why some journalists are using music as a censorship loophole. Join us as we assess the current air quality. We know...

This week, we explore the world of distress purchases. Distress purchases are the things we need in life, but quietly resent having to pay for like insurance, car tires, laundry appliances and batteries. But the psychology marketers employ to  steer  you toward those purchases is fascinating. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  do...

This week, we explore the world of unwitting endorsers. Sometimes a celebrity is featured in an advertising campaign without his or her knowledge or permission. There’s no denying the pull of celebrity, but a brand is a legal property. And if you trespass, you risk trouble. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you&nb...

This week, just in time for the Oscars, we look at some of the most innovative movie marketing. From advertising an R-rated superhero to marketing a silent horror film with virtually no dialogue, today’s movies aren’t just breaking records - they’re breaking all the rules. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On th...

This week, we tell the story of the most interesting adman in the world - Albert Lasker. Lasker had a hand in influencing professional baseball, Planned Parenthood, North American breakfast and not one, but two presidential elections. And he just happened to change the world of advertising in the process. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,&n...

This week, we look at the use of brand names in  songs.  Sometimes lyrical mentions lead to major brand success. Other times, to lawsuits and bans. But the stories behind each are fascinating. And our list may even include some of your favourite songs. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hoste...

This week, we look at products made by  monks.  Monks create a myriad of merchandise that is sold to the public. Some sing and sell CDs of their chants. Others brew their own beer. A few even deal in  cannabis . But in almost all cases, the products sell well and sell  fast . And the reasons why…are fascinating. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On th...

This week, we explore the fascinating world of  vending machines . Vending machines aren’t just soft drink dispensers, they’re marketing machines. They’re portable, branded on all sides and are becoming smarter and smarter. The list of wacky items you can find in vending machines around the world may surprise you.   We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. O...

This week, we look at the history of commercial lengths. From the very first 10-minute radio commercial in 1922, to five-second commercials today, the length of ads has changed dramatically over the decades. But it’s not the changing  length s of commercials that’s so fascinating. It’s the reasons why. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you&nbs...

This week on Under The Influence, we look at unusual and unexpected advertising placements. As the world of marketing gets more and more cluttered every day, it’s forcing advertisers to get  creative . From urinals and sheep to foreheads and armpits, welcome to the world of wacky ad spaces. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t , ...

This week, we look at spokesperson disasters. Hiring a celebrity spokesperson is an advertising strategy many brands can only dream of. But famous names don’t come cheap. From Oprah Winfrey, to Gilbert Gottfried and Eric Clapton, celebs attract a lot of attention. But so do their mishaps.    We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don...