Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

This week, we look at some of the strangest brands that exist in the world. Some are the result of odd licensing deals - like WikiLeaks, which is now licensing its brand out to other manufacturers. Others are the result of unusual marketing opportunities - like a Burger King body spray. We kid you not. From Mandela wines to Motörhead Shiraz, we explore how these strange products came about, the th...

Well, this is the final episode of Under The Influence for the 2014 season. As as we do every year, we turn this show over to our listeners. Terry answers all the marketing and advertising questions listeners have sent in, and this year, the questions are better than ever. Terry will trace the history of how Kool-Aid/Lemon-Aid stands came to be, he’ll give a first-hand report on how the very last...

This week on Under The Influence, we look at brands that mock other brands. It’s a risky strategy, as one company has to ridicule another brand to make a point - and mocking a rival always fuels retaliation. We’ll talk about how Miller High Life mocked Anheuser-Busch during the Super Bowl, how Jaguar mocked Mercedes, how Samsung mocked Apple, how Apple mocked Samsung, and how Apple kind of perfect...

This week, we search for companies that offer 100%, no questions-asked, no fine print lifetime guarantees. They're hard to find, as not many companies are willing to offer that unlimited return policy. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at 21st Century Brands. Only 14 years into a new era, and it's astounding to look at all the new brands and categories that have changed our world. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at how companies sell death. While death is usually a forbidden word in advertising, the subject of death is slowly becoming more mainstream. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we discuss what happens when founders are the face of a company. No one can relay the passion of a company like the founder - but while they may be the heart and soul of a company, should they be the face? We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the subtle art of "nudging." Schools, marketers and even governments are now using small nudges to gently steer people toward making more positive decisions in their lives. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Under The Influence, it's Terry O'Reilly's annual episode where he features four brands he admires. It might be because the brand broke new ground, or has managed to stay #1, or just because it has been a part of our lives for so long. With that in mind, he'll celebrate a certain mac & cheese that has been with us since 1937, a TV show that broke ground in 1969, a condiment that h...

This week we air our annual book show. The research for Under The Influence requires a lot of reading, and listeners always ask for more information about the books we mention. So we take the opportunity every year to talk about the research books we've read, and tell additional stories from those books. In this year's show, we'll talk about how Bobby Orr met Gordie Howe's elbow, how the Romans tu...

The marketing industry is a business of short, concise messages. Be it the confines of 30 seconds, the space in a print ad or the restrictions of twitter or a website. The true test of an idea is whether or not it can be explained in just a few words. An elevator pitch forces that discipline - if an idea can be explained in the time it takes an elevator to go from the first floor to the second flo...

This week, we explore how the weather affects marketing. With 75 years of climate data cross-referenced with reams of shopping research, marketers can now use the weather to predict sales. Sears Automotive knows that 5-year old car batteries die after three consecutive days of sub-zero temperatures, so they advertise on day four. The busiest day of the week at Harley-Davidson dealerships is exactl...

In this episode, we look at famous people who began their careers in advertising. Many of the people who have gone on to shape popular culture cut their teeth in the world of marketing. From Dr. Seus, Salman Rushdie and Bob Newhart, to Sir Alec Guinness - yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi himself - they all spent their formative years writing copy. Each learned some valuable skills on their way to the top....

In this episode, we look at the wild and crazy world of Viral Videos. Some brands spend big money on videos and nobody watches, meanwhile a cat video is viewed by millions. It’s a world with no rules, fuelled by luck and timing. We’ll look at the most viewed videos ever, including a video a woman made when she quit her job that attracted almost 10 million views, the Evian bottled water video that...

After a 100 years of Mass Production - where one size fit all - 21st century marketing is moving to Mass Customization - letting you custom-design everything you buy. From cars, to clothes, to shoes – to your own breakfast cereal. This week on Under The Influence, we’ll explore how companies profit from personalized products, how they market those products, how consumers are drawn to companie...

This week, we look at Ambush Marketing. It's a form of marketing where a brand tried to connect itself with an event like the FIFA World Cup - but WITHOUT paying sponsorship fees. It merely ambushes the festivities. Or one brand intrudes on another brand's advertising to gain attention. Either way, it's uninvited advertising, it's very controversial - plus the stories are riveting. And the Olympic...

Just in time for the Sochi Olympics, we take the opportunity to look at the big-money world of Olympic advertising.  From the very first Olympic sponsors in 1896, we'll track the ever increasing presence of advertising in the Games - from the marketing milestones to the resulting controversies - including the year the IOC approved Olympic cigarettes!  We'll also analyze how the IOC deals...

Unlike public service announcements or corporate philanthropy, Cause Marketing is when a Not-For-Profit organization teams up with a For-Profit company to further a good cause – but the For-Profit partner makes a profit while helping.   It’s a contentious strategy – as most people don’t like to hear the word “profit” in the same breath as “charity.” But this new marketing strategy  depen...

In this episode, we explore how we're all influenced by pricing. Like how the price of a bottle of wine has an enormous affect on how much you enjoy that wine. We’ll analyze how restaurants design menus to steer you toward the most  profitable  dishes, and how retail stores use psychology to persuade you to spend more.  We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the...

In our first episode of Season 3, we explore #1 Brands. We'll look at popular categories and identify the runaway best-selling brands and analyze why they are #1. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our last episode of the season. And every year, we turn our annual season finale over to listeners and answer their questions about advertising. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This penultimate show of the season features the various lessons I've learned over the course of my 30-year advertising career. From the fact small brands need big personalities, to the reason why committees aren't creative, to the truism that all marketing is theatre, to six tips for presenting ideas that have never proven me wrong, to a secret my car mechanic taught me about presenting invoices...

It’s become a $2 billion dollar industry. And the marketing of dead celebrities not only attracts lots of big brands, but lots of controversy. We’ll trace the use of dead celebrities in advertising, we’ll analyze “Dead Q Scores,” we’ll list the top-grossing dead celebrities, and we’ll tell some amazing stories about ads that featured Audrey Hepburn, Michael Jacks...

This episode explores the arrival of real-time advertising. Over the past 100 years, advertisers could never respond to an event or opportunity in minutes. But now with the Internet and social media, advertisers can. This clip talks about two of the most talked-about instances of Real-Time Advertising with Oreo Cookies and AMC Theatres. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On th...

Most pilots, lawyers and doctors roll their eyes at the way Hollywood depicts them, and ad people are no exception. From the 1947 movie  The Hucksters , to the Rock Hudson/Doris Day film  Love Come Back , to Darrin Stephens in  Bewitched,  to Dudley Moore in  Crazy People , to the Tom Hanks movie  Nothing In Common,  all the way to  Mad Men.   We'll rat...