Under the Influence with Terry O’Reilly

This week, we go back in advertising history and take a look at the ads and commercials that could never, ever, EVER run today. They are either so politically incorrect, so sexist, or so inappropriate, you won’t believe your ears. From doctors recommending cigarettes, to 7-Up advertising to babies, to everyone singing about the joys of DDT,[...]

Almost every movie and television show needs cars, and auto companies are happy to supply them – because it helps sell a lot of cars. We’ll look back at James Bond and Starsky & Hutch, and explore auto partnerships with movie franchises like Transformers and Marvel. We’ll also tell a crazy story of how the most sought-after car from a Steve McQueen movie[...]

Take a walk down any busy main street, and you’ll probably see one of the oldest forms of advertising: The sandwich board. They have been around for over 200 years. Cities try and ban them.Storekeepers love them. They can make you smile.They can make you angry.They can attract a lot of attention. They are the pop-up ads of the physical[...]

Customers often lie to companies in surveys, polls and focus groups. Yet advertisers rely on that flawed and false feedback to market brands and create advertising campaigns. So what are advertisers to do? One solution is Google. What we type into the Google search window is like a truth serum. We all pour our most intimate, honest questions into[...]

80% of all advertising is ignored. That’s why some advertisers employ cheeky advertising. It’s usually bold – outrageous – and sometimes even rude – but always with a playful undertone. We’ll talk about a fruit company that printed an open letter to the Pope. An airline campaign that told you to “keep it in your pants.” And a product that[...]

Most tourism marketing aims at the largest audience possible. This week, we look at a sub-category aimed at the smallest audience possible: Billionaire Tourism. The super wealthy get bored easily. That means luxury tour planners dream up extreme vacation ideas. From outer space, to the bottom of the ocean, to secretly getting the key to the Sistine Chapel, it’s a[...]

There are some time-honored honorifics in the world of marketing. “Honorifics” are titles like Mr., Mrs., Doctor, Captain or Colonel.  Like Colonel Sanders, Dr. Scholl’s, Mr. Clean and Mrs. Butterworth’s. They’re usually leaders in their category. Is it because those products are the best? Or – is it because those brand names give the products a sense of respect and authority? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

Arkells is a band that likes to have fun.They are also a very smart band that understands the critical mix of artistry and marketing in a competitive industry. Frontman Max Kerman tells Terry the inventive ways they market their music, the creative ideas Arkells use to launch new material, and what marketing from other bands[...]

As Oscar night approaches, we head to theatres to figure out why movies about brands are so popular.“Barbie” is breaking box office records. “Air” tells the story of Nike signing Michael Jordan.“Blackberry” explains the spectacular rise and fall of the first smartphone – and is getting great reviews. And a movie about the origins of McDonald’s –[...]

Last week, we talked about the best historic demonstration commercials of all time. This week, we feature some of the most recent.Like an air freshener commercial that tricked blindfolded people into thinking a filthy toilet smelled like flowers.And a stunt where an ad agency put $3 million dollars between the glass of a bus shelter[...]

This week, I ask a dozen of the top creative directors in the advertising business to tell me the best “demonstration commercials” they have ever seen.Because there is nothing more powerful than a dramatic product demonstration.We’ll talk about a famous Krazy Glue commercial.And a Volvo ad where the ad writer risked his life to demonstrate[...]

This week, we look at the most creative audio ideas from around the world. Including a podcast for runners that only works if you’re actually running, a police recruitment campaign that capitalized on the popularity of True Crime, and a very ambitious alternative audio track created to be played over Disney’s Pocahontas movie – that tells[...]

Recently, we produced an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it’s a brand-new, challenging marketing category.As a result of that episode, I asked the Ontario Cannabis Store to introduce me to an actual cannabis producer.I wanted to know how a cannabis producer becomes licensed, how a craft cannabis company competes with the big companies,[...]

This week, we analyze the remarkable marketing skills of one of the top music artists in the world – Taylor Swift.She has challenged the status quo at every turn – she regained ownership of her master recordings. She convinced Apple and Spotify to pay artists in a more equitable way. She defied Hollywood. She markets[...]

This week, we go one toke over the line and look at the emerging world of cannabis marketing.We start with the question - just how does a plant become illegal?We’ll explore the history of cannabis.We’ll talk about which celebrities have their own brands (Hello Willie Nelson!)Which high-end retail stores are now selling expensive cannabis paraphernalia.And[...]

This week, we look at copycat brands.Even though they walk a razor’s edge legally, copycat brands seem to pop up all over the world.You may like Walmart here, but there’s a Wumart in China.You may like North Face apparel, but did you know there was a South Butt brand?And, we’ll tell the story of a[...]

To kick off our 2024 season, we look at a strange phenomenon happening in Canada. Well-established brands are suddenly leaving the country. Kleenex is leaving after nearly 100 years. Skippy Peanut Butter has skipped the country after nearly 90 years. And KFC actually held a funeral for their terrible-tasting French fries. What’s happening up here? Find out.  Hosted on Acast. See[...]

Happy New Year. We have a fun 2024 season planned for you. Here'a a sneak peek at what's in store... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every once in a while, we drop an interesting show into our feed that we think you’ll like.This week, it’s “Twenty Thousand Hertz” - a show about the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds.The show’s title comes from the highest frequency that can be perceived within the human hearing range.In this episode, host Dallas Taylor[...]

This week, we turn the show over to listeners. It’s our annual “As Terry” show. We asked you to submit any questions you had about the advertising world, and you responded with a record amount of very interesting, very insightful ones that touch on subjects like negative political advertising, why there are so many bad[...]

This week, we invite you to our Book Club. We'll be telling stories from Terry's favourite advertising books, and will examine the incredible lessons they contain that have served him well for his entire career. By the way, a few of those books aren’t even about advertising. In fact, one is a book about science, and[...]

As you might know by now, the team behind Under The Influence has more podcasts executive produced by Terry. More on the Apostrophe Podcast Network can be found here.One of the podcasts we are very proud of just started its second season with Apostrophe. It's titled Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe. Backstage welcomes listeners into[...]

This week we’re going shopping. The topic is “Three Foot Marketing.” Research shows that 75% of shopping decisions are made in the store, and they are all made within the last three feet – meaning that critical distance between your shopping cart and the shelf. We’ll examine how stores use design, technology and psychology to[...]

This week we look at “Dynamic Duos”  - those rare ad agency/client relationships that resulted in some of the most famous advertising of all time. We’ll examine the relationship between Nike founder Phil Knight and his ad agency creative director Dan Wieden, Apple’s Steve Jobs and Creative Director Lee Clow, tempermental winery owner Julio Gallo and[...]

This week we look at how smart marketers use Speed Bumps to generate greater sales. While modern marketing loves a friction-free fast transaction, smart marketers know that a perfectly-placed speed bump can slow the selling process down Plus, we reveal why Van Halen wanted all those brown M&Ms taken out of the bowls. You may[...]

In case you missed it, the team behind Under the Influence has more podcasts. Five, to be exact. Executive produced by Terry O', meet the Apostrophe Podcast Company.Apostrophe brings you Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, Surviving Life with Survivorman Les Stroud and We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast – where we tell stories of how the world’s most celebrated[...]

This week, Under The Influence listens to the sounds of persuasion. Advertising has used sound to sell for decades. But sound can be used for more than painting pictures on radio – sound can be carefully created to persuade. The stories behind those sounds are fascinating - from the earliest recorded sound, to the first use of[...]

This week, we look at the concept of “Genericide” – when brand names become generic. Many of the pioneering brands in our world risked losing their trademarks – as courts would rule that their names had become generic. Zipper, escalator and refrigerator were all trademarks at one time. The board game Monopoly just lost its[...]

This week, Part 2 of how Madison Avenue invented… the housewife. Over 100 years ago, the advertising industry realized they had thousands of household products to sell. All they needed was a customer. So they invented the Happy Homemaker, and for the next 25 years, encouraged women to be stay-at-home moms. That strategy created the biggest business in the world: Housekeeping.The rest[...]

This week, we look at how Madison Avenue invented… the housewife. Over 100 years ago, the advertising industry realized they had thousands of household products to sell. All they needed was a customer. So they invented the Happy Homemaker, and for the next 25 years, encouraged women to be stay-at-home moms. That strategy created the biggest business in the world: Housekeeping.The rest[...]

It’s our final episode of the season already.And as always, we throw the show open to our listeners.And answer your questions.We’ll explore why jingles have disappeared, how old jingles are being used to help Alzheimer’s patients, we’ll talk about Eddie Shack and his Pop Shoppe commercials, why the biggest companies have the dullest ads and[...]

 So many things in our world are influenced by marketing. This week, we look at various aspects of our lives influenced by marketing. – but you wouldn’t know it. It’s marketing hiding in plain sight. Like the concept of jaywalking – born of marketing. How marketing created the 10,000-steps-a-day health goal. And how marketing was the inspiration for one of[...]

This week it’s our annual Bookmarks episode.I read a lot of books to research Under The Influence. But every season, there isn’t enough room to include all the great stories I find.So this episode is dedicated to those stories that didn’t fit into our regular episodes. But are so good, they are worth telling.We’ll tell an amazing story[...]

 20th century movies and TV shows were dominated by the traditional “hero.” With high morals and an ethical code of honour. The 21st century has a different take. Today, we cheer the antihero. Like the Sopranos, Dexter and Breaking Bad. Antiheroes are liberated from that line in the sand that holds the rest of us back. They do things we are[...]

For over 100 years, “free” has been one of the most powerful words in the marketing world.And believe it or not, companies love freebies as much as their customers do.Because giving away free products generates a lot of goodwill. And goodwill generates free press.We’ll talk about a ketchup company who gave a man a free[...]

Marketing contests can be tricky business.On one hand, contests can be designed to help companies achieve certain business goals.On the other hand, companies can lose control over them pretty quickly.This week, we look at some of the most interesting – and hilarious – marketing contests.Including one about a city that held a contest to name[...]

Jesse Brown, founder of Canadaland Podcast Network, and Terry O'Reilly have a fun conversation about the business of podcasting, the line between journalism and advertising and how Terry had to get used to being touched by strangers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Billboards are one of the biggest creative challenges in the marketing world. They need to be seven words or less. They need to contain an idea. And they need to communicate quickly as people speed by. This week on Under The Influence, we look at the most creative billboards from around the world. We’ll talk about a car maker that[...]

This week, we take a look at four brands that have found a way to survive for decades.One company has been entertaining crowds with wax for 200 years.One restaurant has been topping their ice cream cones with a unique swirl for over 80 years.Another company teamed up with a certain debonaire spy 60 years ago.And[...]

You’ve probably seen those Red Bull Mini Coopers driving around town with the giant Red Bull can on their roofs.This week on Under The Influence, we look at the wild and wacky world of marketing mobiles.They’ve actually been around for over 100 years.We’ll crack open the story behind the Planters Peanut Nutmobiles.We’ll take to the[...]

There are some very interesting loopholes in the world of marketing.Because businesses are always looking for an upper hand in a competitive category, loopholes can offer legal advantages.A loophole can help a company overcome barriers in the marketplace. Sometimes, the way a product is marketed can give customers a loophole they can take advantage of.And sometimes a 20-year-old[...]

Even though brand names are often protected by trademarks and copyrights, it’s remarkable how many times companies end up with the same names.And they either get along – or they sue each other into oblivion.This week, we look at “Brand Twins.”We’ll talk about when Guns N’ Roses sued Guns and Rosé.We’ll explain why there used[...]

This week, we look at the ways libraries market themselves. If you think libraries are quiet, you’ve got another thing coming. We’ll talk about a library video series that played like a TV cop show - and - we’ll look at library wars - when libraries battle each other on social media. Hosted on Acast.[...]

“What player has won the most Wimbledon singles titles,” Google will tell you it’s Roger Federer with 8 wins. But that’s incorrect. Martina Navratilova has 9. This week, we look at remarkable ideas that promote gender equality. Including an idea called Correct the Internet.com. And one that challenged menstruation taboos with a program called “Touch the pickle.” Hosted on Acast.[...]

This week, we talk about hotel marketing. Specifically, how some hotels attract guests by advertising specific rooms.Some of those rooms are decorated like TV shows, some are inspired by movies, and some hotels advertise the fact something famous – or infamous – happened in their rooms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re talking about the creative ways Hollywood markets films. We’ll talk about how a low-budget horror movie got a ton of press just by asking people to smile. And we’ll examine the marketing of Top Gun: Maverick – the Tom Cruise sequel that Steven Spielberg says single-handedly saved the theatrical industry. Hosted on Acast. See[...]

This week we look at horror in advertising.We’ll talk about why the Red Cross produced a horror commercial for blood donations. How Nike had a horror commercial yanked off the air. And a water company that actually cast its product as the villain in a 45-minute horror film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

In this episode, we talk about one of the legends of the advertising business – George Lois. Out-spoken and fearless, he launched Xerox, helped elect Robert F. Kennedy, designed famous Esquire magazine covers and even once climbed out onto a window ledge to convince a client to buy an idea.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

This week, I ask my advertising colleagues for their most outrageous ad stories. The advertising business is a big money, high stress industry. And so much can go sideways. Sometimes film shoots go horribly wrong, sometimes clients make the most ridiculous demands, sometimes celebrities refuse to say their lines and sometimes even a James Bond[...]

With multiple ways to skip commercials at our fingertips, advertisers have found a new way to reach the public. They’re jumping out of commercial breaks and into the storylines of television shows. This week, we look at a list of popular TV shows that aren’t just entertainment. They’re big marketing vehicles for companies.  Hosted on[...]

This week, we take a look at the most creative “help wanted” ads in the world. We’ll talk about how IKEA recruited new workers without needing to buy an ad. How VW found new mechanics by posting ads in the most unusual place. And the amazing ways the intelligence community recruits spies and code breakers.[...]

This week, we take a look at church signs. With congregations declining, churches are using their signs as marketing tools to attract new members. And they’re using humour to do it. We’ll look at the history of funny church signs, we’ll examine how effective they are, we’ll talk about some of the funniest ones we’ve seen, and a[...]

This week, we look at companies that have spent decades advertising to only one gender - then suddenly decide to approach the opposite sex. L’Oreal is now marketing makeup to men. Scotch distillers are now targeting women. And lingerie companies are now designing intimates for men. It’s a brand new, gender-bending world. Hosted on Acast.[...]

This week, we look at candy bar advertising. Millions are spent marketing candy bars every year. We’ll talk about how the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was owned by a candy company. And we’ll reveal whether it really was Phil Collins inside that gorilla costume in that famous Cadbury Dairy Milk commercial. Hosted[...]

We are very excited to welcome Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe to the Apostrophe Podcast Network.Each episode will feature two Dave and Morley stories as told by Stuart McLean. And for the first time ever, his longtime producer, Jess Milton, will tell you the backstories behind those stories.I have a story, too. The first time I met Stuart.Enjoy. [...]

To kick off our 2023 season, we look at how the Queen’s death affects the marketing world. Over 600 companies had been granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth,giving them prestige and enviable marketing power. But with the monarch’s death – all Royal Warrants become null and void. It’s now up to King Charles to[...]

Happy New Year. We have a fun 2023 season planned for you. Here's a sneak peek at what's in store... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we feature our annual look at Five Remarkable Brands: A certain scientist who is such a powerful brand that he has displaced other great thinkers, a company that makes our world a little more colourful, a comic book that has enthralled teenagers for over 70 years, a honey of a product that was[...]

This week, we look at the Great Women of Advertising. The Hall Of Famers who broke the rules, kicked open the doors and created some of the most famous advertising of our times. We’ll meet the first advertising woman ever, the woman who created the first images of wives as Happy Homemakers, the woman who[...]

This week, it's Part Two of "Marketing Rock and Roll." As the 1980s unfold, technology changes rock and roll marketing forever, with the arrival of MTV.The launch of MTV is one of the great marketing stories of all time, and it almost went under before it began – but was saved by Mick Jagger and[...]

This episode looks at the concept of “Risk.” We tell the stories of the marketers who took the biggest risks, and reaped the greatest rewards – including how one of the best loved movies of all time only survived because the producer risked his career on it, a board game that dared break the conventions[...]

This episode is about how the advertising industry covets the 18 to 49 year-old consumer. Almost all advertising is aimed at that demographic, because the conventional wisdom is they have the most disposable income and are most willing to try new brands. But the big surprise is people 55+ are the ones with the most[...]

One our favourite episodes from our sister podcast, We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast is the inspiring story of Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and how he overcame unbelievable rejection. It’s hard to imagine that he was rejected over 1,000 times (!) and still continued to persevere. This week, we wanted[...]

This week, we talk to baby boomers and take a look at the commercials they grew up with. From the toy and game commercials that inspired your lists to Santa, to the soft drink ads you can still sing along to 40 years later, to the ad for your first underarm deodorant, to the commercial[...]

In part one of a two-part series, we’ll trace the marketing of rock all the way back to its origins with Elvis Presley and his wily manager Colonel Tom Parker. We’ll tell the story of how the Beatles lost millions by not following Elvis’s blueprint, and how the Rolling Stones borrowed a page right out of the[...]

This week, Age of Persuasion Goes To The Movies. Just in time for the Oscars, we look at great movie marketing, and talk about the landmark movies that completely altered the way Hollywood sells its films (Yes, one of them involves a shark, but the movie that made the shark possible has a little karate in[...]

In this episode, we look at the Marketing Pioneers who created products that created industries. We talk about the first company to link diamond rings to engagements, how alcohol inspired the very first travel agent, how a brainstorm while ice-fishing ignited a $97 billion dollar industry, how a traveling salesman and his date led to the first[...]

The advertising industry has a long history of using real people in advertising. It may be a testimonial, a hidden camera, a man-on-the-street interview, a prank phone call or a blind taste test. The results are often hilarious and memorable.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Terry O'Reilly looks at the ever-changing world of Green Marketing. He'll look back at how the green movement started, how it's evolved, how marketers navigate the shoals of green marketing today - and what it all means to everyday consumers. One thing for sure... it's not easy being green. Hosted on Acast. See[...]

Luxury Marketing is a category that is completely different from traditional brand marketing – because it is in the business of selling fantasy. We’ll look at the top 10 most powerful luxury brands in the world and we’ll delve deep into our collective psyches to examine why we all desire expensive products in our lives[...]

We're re-releasing all the episodes from the last season of Age of Persuasion in 2011.All episodes have been remastered to fit our Under The Influence format.Episodes drop every two weeks from now until November. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s our annual Ask Terry episode – where I answer listener questions. This year, someone wants to know which advertising category does the worst advertising, which celebrities were the most fun to work with and why the roads in car commercials are always so darn wet. You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Hosted[...]

This week, we look at some of the biggest arch rivalries in the marketing business. We’ll tell a story about how Burger King figured out a way to offer Whoppers at McDonald’s, how Wendy’s threw a mixtape at their rivals and how the CEO of a pizza company set fire to a cease & desist[...]

This week it’s our annual Bookmarks episode – where we tell the great stories that didn’t fit into our regular episodes. Including a story about Frankenstein, one about the waffle iron that inspired Nike and a very funny story about a presidential campaign billboard that mistakenly featured the wrong candidate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

This week, I tell the stories of four of my favourite brands. One holds the record for the most Oscar wins, one was a kid’s animated show produced by a church, another became one of the best-selling toys of all time and one found a way to cut through late-night TV. And all lasted for[...]

This week, the topic is rule breakers. It takes a courageous advertiser to flout the rules. The results can either be a goldmine or a landmine. We’ll talk about a burger chain that dared show moldy food in its advertising and a rule-breaking stunt involving the NRA that you won’t soon forget. Hosted on Acast.[...]

This week, we look at boring products. There is a truism in the marketing world - boring sells. And in some of the biggest categories, boring products are the runaway best-sellers. Why do we overwhelmingly choose white cars, gray wall paint and beige carpets? And what does that say about us? Hosted on Acast. See[...]

In case you missed it, the team behind Under The Influence started a podcast network. We wanted to bring you a bonus episode this week from one of our other podcasts titled, "We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast." This episode is about how the Rubik's Cube faced endless rejection as a toy -[...]

This week, we look at how books are advertised and marketed. Over 2.2 million new books are published every year - so how do books get noticed? One bookstore uses movies to sell books, another gets prison inmates to write book reviews and one grocery store breaks all the rules by putting books in the[...]

This week, we look at the history of animated commercials. One of the very first hit the air in 1941 - for “crinkle-proof ties.” Next came Reddy Kilowatt, to quell the public’s fear of electricity in the home. Then Esso’s Put a Tiger in Your Tank tangled with Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger - and that’s[...]

This week, I ask my advertising colleagues for their most outrageous ad stories. The advertising business is a big money, high stress industry. And so much can go sideways. Sometimes film shoots go horribly wrong, sometimes clients make the most ridiculous demands, sometimes celebrities refuse to say their lines and sometimes even a James Bond[...]

This week on Under The Influence, we tell the surprising origin stories of some famous products and brands. Because sometimes, backstories have backstories.We’ll tell a surprising tale about Coca Cola and the Civil War. We’ll delve into the bootlegger background of NASCAR.And we’ll tell the story of how the Lamborghini supercar began with a tractor… and an[...]

This week, we look at cities and towns that are actually named after companies. We’ll talk about one town named after a shoe company, one named for a chocolate bar and another town that’s even named after a dish soap.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate Canada Reads on CBC this week, here is the first chapter of Terry's latest book, "My Best Mistake". Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the most outrageous Hollywood Publicity Stunts. The crazier the stunt, the better. From sneaking a full-grown lion into a hotel room, to convincing women to throw panties at Tom Jones to spending $8 million dollars on a single stunt for a movie - wild publicity stunts were catnip to the[...]

This week, it’s Part Two of our “Don’t Do It Advertising” episode. Last week we looked at ads that asked you NOT to do something. This week, it’s ads that ask you NOT to do something, but really want you to DO something. It’s reverse-psychology at work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at a category of advertising that doesn’t try to sell you something. As a matter of fact, tries to get you to STOP doing something.Like littering. And smoking. And drinking & driving.And spilling secrets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the reasons why successful companies suddenly change their names. Sometimes those name changes are for legal reasons, sometimes it’s because the old name has too much negative baggage, sometimes it’s to boost a stock price and sometimes a name changes because of a tornado. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

This week, we look at powerful hospital marketing. Hospitals need marketing to generate much-needed donations. We’ll look at how one hospital uses celebrities, how another uses riveting patient stories and how one hospital threw away the rulebook and created advertising that looks like Nike commercials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we dive into the Super Bowl. The broadcast not only attracts the biggest viewing audience of the year, it is one of the biggest marketing machines. It affects beer companies and supermarkets and even record sales of the halftime performers. And we’ll also revisit some of the most outrageous Super Bowl moments.[...]

This week, we tell the story of one of the most colourful characters in the history of Canadian advertising - Jerry Goodis. He founded a legendary advertising agency and created some of Canada’s longest-running ad campaigns. And while doing that, he attacked the ad industry for producing terrible ads. He was loved and hated but[...]

This week, we explore how dating agencies Sell Love. We’ll talk about the very first dating service in history, we’ll explore one app that is more about lust than love and we’ll talk about how heartthrob Reynolds created one of the best dating commercials of the last 10 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

This week, we look at the ways libraries market themselves. If you think libraries are quiet, you’ve got another thing coming. We’ll talk about a library video series that played like a TV cop show - and - we’ll look at library wars - when libraries battle each other on social media. Hosted on Acast.[...]

In this episode, we talk about the most unexpected ads of 2021. Quite a few commercials made eyebrows rise last year. From a fast-food restaurant that created outrage on International Women’s Day, to a Christmas ad that generated the most complaints of the year, to a Super Bowl commercial that was nearly derailed by a DUI charge.[...]

We’re back with our new season and the first episode is all about Bottle Cap Marketing. A bottle cap is a tiny thing but offers big opportunities. We’ll talk about how Coke figured out a way to help sophomores make friends, why a beer let other brands advertise on its bottle tops and how Pepsi[...]

We’ve got a fun 2022 season planned for you. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our annual Ask Terry episode where we answer listener questions. We’ll delve into why creative advertising agencies have such boring names, to what has changed most - and least - since the Mad Men Era to why the wrong people are put into marketing departments so often. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

This week, we talk about fake Hollywood brands. Whenever directors need a prop and there is no paid product placement, they have to use fake products. From Morley Cigarettes to Heisler beer to that wily ACME Corporation, these pretend brands have been around for decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we explore cemetery tourism. Before the pandemic stopped travel in its tracks, graveyards were becoming tourist hotspots. Millions of people are choosing vacation spots based on the final resting places of famous people. And cemeteries are using marketing to attract those tourists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we head to Broadway. Every Broadway show is mounted with incredible risk and very few shows earn back their investments. But there are huge hits and the marketing behind these shows is often bold and outrageous. And sometimes, the marketing is just plain fun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we trace the history of trading cards. For over 150 years, companies have used trading cards to entice customers to buy their products. From cigarette cards to bubble gum cards for Batman, sports teams and even the Gulf War, trading cards are big business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s our annual Bookmarks episode - where we tell you the fascinating stories that didn’t fit into our regular episodes. Including a little-known backstory on the 1972 Canada/Russia hockey series and a moving story about a hockey game that was cut short by tragedy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we profile the remarkable career of, arguably, the most successful women in advertising - Mary Wells. She was a woman of firsts - the first woman to found and run a major advertising agency, the first female CEO to take a company public and the first women to intimidate the boys club of[...]

This week, we explore the use of nostalgia in advertising. For decades, advertisers have tapped collective memories in commercials, hoping those warm feelings wash over their products. From resurrecting Wayne’s World for Uber Eats commercials to Macaulay Culkin revisiting Home Alone for Google, nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

This week, we tell crazy stories from the world of advertising. High pressure, big money and impossible deadlines makes for some hilarious situations. Including a TV shoot where a hot air balloon towing a new car goes missing in the wind and a cat food company who insists the ad agency eat the cat food[...]

This week, we dive into the world of Fan Clubs. They are huge marketing tools for celebrities. We’ll track some of the earliest fan clubs, then compare them to the fan clubs in the digital era. We’ll also explore the big shift in power that swung from celebrities over to their fans. Hosted on Acast.[...]

This week, we talk about companies and products that turn 50 years old this year. Back in 1971, some of the best-selling products were created that are still best-sellers today. There were also a number of famous advertising campaigns launched that year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at televised award shows and how they are very effective marketing for movies, Broadway plays and recording artists. We’ll explore whether Oscar nominations sell more tickets than Oscar wins, how Grammys can make a career and how the Tony awards can rescue a play overnight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

This week, we listen to the most creative radio advertising from around the world. It’s the toughest medium to write for - but it’s also the most creatively freeing. We’ll hear commercials for a hair removal product, a fast-food series created for these confusing times and a student audio idea that attracted Taylor Swift. Hosted[...]

This week, we explore famous products named after their inventors. Some products are so cemented in our minds we forget those names once belonged to people. Shrapnel was invented by Henry Shrapnel, nachos were invented by Nachos Anaya and the leotard was invented by a Jules Leotard.We’ll even look at some inventors who wish their names had been forgotten… Hosted on[...]

This week, it’s our annual Brand Envy episode. This season, we look at four unique companies. One completely changed a sport forever. One became the best-selling toy of all time. Another has influenced the music business since 1894. And one had a heavenly idea. All achieved something that had never been done before. Hosted on Acast. See[...]

This week, we look at famous animals in advertising. The ad industry has a long history of using animals in commercials. From Spuds MacKenzie the original party animal to the majestic Budweiser Clydesdales to Morris the finicky cat, they all have fascinating stories to tell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at one of the oldest advertising mediums - skywriting. From its beginning back in the early 1920s, skywriting was once the most sensational advertising medium in the country. We’ll look at the most famous skywriting campaigns, the most recent billboards in the sky and some of the most amusing spelling errors.[...]

This week, we explore how the pandemic is affecting the world of marketing. Some products are tanking while others are setting sales records. We’ll tell the story of how one airline has started selling airplane food in grocery stores. And why lipstick sales have tanked but plastic surgery is booming. Who wins and who loses[...]

This week, we explore superheroes in advertising. Superman was the archetype of the modern superhero and he was the archetype for how superheroes were used in ads. From Supe promoting Kellogg’s commercials in the 1950s to Batman hawking savings bonds to Batgirl advocating equal pay for equal work, stoic superheroes became the ultimate spokes-characters. Hosted[...]

This week, we look at the most famous movie posters of all time. The movie poster is the beginning of the story - often the first piece of marketing created for a new film. We’ll look at how posters are designed and we’ll analyze how the best posters of all time influenced ticket buyers. Hosted on Acast.[...]

This week, we learn about famous female brand icons. In a marketing world full of Mr. Cleans, Ronald McDonalds and Mr. Whipples, there are female brand characters that were just as successful - and some even lasted longer. Join us as we draw a direct line from Josephine the Plumber and Madge the Manicurist to Flo from[...]

This week, we explore what happens when an established spokesperson switches brands. We’ll tell the story of how the Verizon “Can you hear me now?” guy ended up pitching Sprint, how “The Most Interesting Man in the World” went from Dos Equis to tequila and how a spokesperson for a hamburger chain got fired when[...]

This week, we explore how this new era of racial reckoning is affecting the world of marketing. Several of the leading brands have their roots in racial stereotypes, like Aunt Jemima - which took its imagery from the slave era. Some brands, like Eskimo Pies, have announced they are now re-naming their products and acknowledging their old names[...]

We’ve got a fun 2021 season planned for you. Here’s a sneak peek at what's in store... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, this week it’s our annual show where we answer listener questions. Like - why the most popular Super Bowl commercial chose to replace their lead actor, why Gatorade’s famous Be Like Mike campaign called Michael Jordan “Mike” when no one ever called him that before and we’ll answer the age-old question - why are there so[...]

This week we’re talking about the Mandela Effect. It is defined as “collective false memory.” That means many of us remember things incorrectly and we all remember them incorrectly the same way. From famous movie lines to song lyrics to details of traumatic events and even to famous commercials, we all think our memories are time-stamped[...]

This week, we explore the branding of diseases. Over the course of history, diseases have been named after people and countries with devastating effects. Names have stigmatized entire regions, decimated industries and have even caused diplomatic crises. And countries have weaponized diseases for political purposes. As with all branding, words matter. Hosted on Acast. See[...]

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. We’ll talk about a book that maintains if you build a better mousetrap, the world will NOT beat a path to your door. And we’ll tell a story from a biography of Bruce Lee[...]

Some people call Under The Influence UTI for short. It’s not a good nickname. But some brand nicknames are positive and extremely valuable - like Coke and Chevy - and some nicknames like “Whole Paycheck” don’t make Whole Foods happy. Join us this week as we explore the implications of brand nicknames. Hosted on Acast.[...]

Every episode of Under The Influence begins with an opening story. And after more than 300 episodes, we’ve told over 300 opening stories. This week, we look back at the ones that generated the most listener feedback - from a story about a one-armed martial artist to the unorthodox ways lovers communicated in the Victorian[...]

80 to 90% of new product launches fail. So to lower the risk, companies do trial runs. This week, we explore Test Markets - where companies launch new products in small towns to see if shoppers pay attention. We’ll tell the stories of successful product launches as well as a few notable product disasters.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

This week, we explore how business can be won or lost with spontaneous off-hand remarks. Not all advertising business is conducted in a boardroom or in commercials. Sometimes somebody says something in an elevator, or in a speech or in a doorway that leads to winning an account - or losing it. Talk ain’t cheap.  Hosted[...]

This week, it’s our annual Brand Envy episode, where I tell the stories behind some of the brands I admire. We’ll talk about a romance novel company that was started by a fur trader, an empire created by a cartoonist and a certain cream cheese with its very own spokes-angel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

This week, we explore the world of torture tests. Torture test commercials are one of the advertising industry’s most powerful techniques - because when a product can survive a dramatic test, it can convince a lot of people to buy the product. Unless, that is, the torture test goes very wrong… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we explore the world of online reviews. These days, you can leave a review for anything - from a cup of coffee to your dentist. 90% of us read online reviews before buying a product - that’s why those reviews are so influential. Yet how do you tell fake ones from the real[...]

This week, we explore the quiet world of ASMR marketing. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It’s a new form of marketing that creates a calming feeling often accompanied by a tingling sensation. Marketers create that experience using sound effects and whispers. Everything from beer brands to fast food restaurants are using it - hoping that tingling sensation leads to a[...]

Dum dum da dum. This week, we explore the lucrative world of Wedding Marketing. Weddings are big, big business. As a result, the wedding industry is a big marketing category. From invitations and flowers to dresses and cakes, weddings are an $80 billion-dollar industry. And planning the perfect wedding day is a lot of pressure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we explore how airports are now becoming brands. You may not know it, but airports compete against each other for business. That intense rivalry has led to the complete transformation of airports - they now have movie theatres, skating rinks, rooftop pools and top retail stores. These days, airports are destinations unto themselves. Hosted on[...]

This week, we explore the surprising ideas companies use to attract new customers. Like “Finger Lickin’ Good” nail polish from KFC. Or NASCAR’s partnership with Harlequin romance novels. The search for new customers is endless. And the resulting marketing is endlessly fascinating. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we explore why companies change valuable brand names when expanding to other countries. Sometimes the reason is a language issue. But other times, the reasons are far more interesting. For example, Mr. Clean is called Meister Proper in Germany and Maestro Lindo in Italy. And the reason it’s hard to find a Burger King in Australia[...]

This week, we look at the phenomenon of Set Jetting. That’s when tourists flock to a city to see the sets and locations where their favourite TV shows and movies are filmed. Some towns have embraced set jetting as new-found tourism marketing. Other towns absolutely resent it. It’s a fascinating love/hate relationship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s Part Two of our Album Covers As Marketing episode. In the 1980’s, album covers shrunk down for the first time to accommodate CDs. And in the 2000s, the advent of iPods shrunk them again to the size of a postage stamp. Forcing album artwork to become highly creative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Under the Influence, we analyze album covers as marketing. We’ll look at a world famous record cover that was almost ruined by a zipper, why flights at Heathrow Airport had to be grounded for one band’s cover art and which album jacket is considered to be the worst of all time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the fascinating ways sports teams market themselves. We’ll unpack why one stadium replaced its ushers with librarians, why another encouraged fans to wear “awful" clothes and how a grammatical error put Toronto on the map. It all comes down to a strategic…game plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

This week, we analyze how small brands outsmart their giant counterparts. We’ll look at a snack food company with a cult-like following that outsells Frito-Lay in Baltimore. A tiny soda brand that obliterates Coca Cola in Scotland. And a bubble gum-flavoured drink that beats all the big boys only in Peru. Goliath, meet David. Hosted on Acast.[...]

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 anything anytime, luring viewers back each week calls for some outside the box marketing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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[...]

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

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[...]

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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[...]

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 influence... [...]

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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[...]

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 -[...]

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[...]

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast.[...]

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.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 lengths of commercials that’s so fascinating. It’s the reasons why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s our annual Ask Terry episode - where we answer listener questions on the air. From the inspiration behind our theme song, to why some commercials overstay their welcome, to whether lawn signs really affect elections, this year’s questions were fun and insightful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at how self-driving cars affect the world of marketing. While it may seem like a bit of a novelty these days, the era of the autonomous car is fast approaching. And the implications for business, marketing and everyday life are astounding. Fasten your seatbelts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at how tourism survives a tragedy. When a city experiences a massive crisis, it must find a way to restore its tourism. All cities rely on tourism – it is often one of the top revenue-generating industries and employs one of the biggest workforces. From Toronto’s SARS outbreak to Hurricane Katrina, it all[...]

This week, we look at the ad industry’s place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The aim of all advertising is to create selling ideas that are impossible to ignore. From the world’s largest coupon, to the most expensive commercial ever made, to the first ad visible from outer space, breaking a record can be[...]

This week, we look at products invented by the military. The military has influenced more technology than any government, agency, business or organization in history. From the appliances in your kitchen, to the big screen in your living room, to the car you drive, you’d be surprised how much of your world is military-inspired.  Hosted on Acast. See[...]

This week, we explore the art of door-to-door sales. From encyclopaedias, to make-up, to vacuum cleaners, many corporations were built on the shoe leather of direct sales. It was a tough way to make a living. But the best salespeople never met a door they couldn't open. We’ll even look at the famous names in Hollywood that[...]

This week, we look at brands that aren’t afraid to celebrate their weaknesses. As a rule, no company ever wants to point a neon sign at its flaws. But there are a few brave advertisers out there who know there can be incredible power in a negative. Like a brand that advertises the fact that its product[...]

This week, it’s our annual look at brands I admire. They may not be the hippest, the latest or the coolest, but I envy them for a reason. Like the most iconic studio in rock history, the first casual shoe ever invented or the world’s most timeless sunglasses. Join us for a peek at a few of my favourite things…[...]

This week, it’s our annual look at brands I admire. They may not be the hippest, the latest or the coolest, but I envy them for a reason. Like the most iconic studio in rock history, the first casual shoe ever invented or the world’s most timeless sunglasses. Join us for a peek at a few of my favourite things…[...]

This week, we look at commercials that made the unlikely leap…to Hollywood. Some became big hit movies, others inspired popular songs. One even became a TV series that was voted one of the worst sitcoms of all time. But that’s what can happen when an ad hitchhikes to Hollywood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it’s part two of our Jingles episode. Jingles had a great run until the late ‘80s, then songs overtook them. But a few big jingles have beaten the trend in recent years – one in particular has even made one company billions of dollars… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we explore the use of jingles in advertising. So many brands were built on the backs of jingles. From the Big Mac, to Smarties, to Wheaties cereal. Successful jingles stay lodged in our minds forever. Once you hear them, learn the melody and start singing the lyrics, you become the advertiser.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we explore famous products named after their inventors. Some products are so cemented in our minds we forget those names once belonged to people. Shrapnel was invented by Henry Shrapnel, nachos were invented by Nachos Anaya and the leotard was invented by a Jules Leotard.We’ll even look at some inventors who wish their names had been forgotten... Hosted on[...]

This week, we look at products that went from worthless to priceless. Products someone created out of something everyone else ignored. It might be scraps on the ground that people stepped over, or useless waste destined for the scrap heap. But in each case, the resulting product was a masterpiece of instinct and insight… Hosted on[...]

This week, we explore the world of celebrities in advertising. We’ll tell the story of a super shy mega star at one of her very first gigs, how Alan Arkin defied all advertising norms and why an afternoon behind the mic makes Alec Baldwin sweat. Celebrities cost big money, have big opinions and make big[...]

This week, we debunk urban brand myths. Myths that live on as assumed facts in marketing textbooks, MBA courses, endless business seminars and dinner parties. It's easy to accept rumours as truth because they're usually dramatic and juicy. But many of the myths you’ve heard and maybe even passed along are actually...untrue.    Hosted on Acast.[...]

This week, we explore the fascinating world of Comic Book Advertising. A world where Sea-Monkeys could be trained, X-Ray Specs saw through clothes, Charles Atlas taught bodybuilding secrets and one-day karate courses could be yours for just a dollar. You probably spent your allowance on one or two in your day... Hosted on Acast. See[...]

This week, we explore how marketers solve difficult problems. We’ll look at how Monty Python stopped piracy by giving away content for free, how a wardrobe change transformed Steve Martin’s career and why the president of Bogota replaced police officers…with mimes. Sometimes the only solution is a wild and crazy idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

This week, we explore how marketers saved certain foods from oblivion by changing…their names. Many foods you enjoy started out life with very unappetizing names. Some so off-putting, I’m willing to bet you would have never gone near them. But you probably have one or two in your fridge today… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we delve into the emerging world of subscription marketing. Did you know you could have underwear sent to your door every month? How about joining the Salami of the Month club? Or maybe your cat needs a regular toy top-up. You can subscribe to just about anything these days - and some of the items[...]

This week, we explore the advertising campaigns that had everything stacked against them and yet went on to become hugely successful. The resistance may have come from clients who hated the idea, focus groups that gave the thumbs-down, apprehension within the agency or even that the initial research declared them failures. But they survived and[...]

This week, we analyze how old school products survive in the 21st century. Many brands can’t keep up with the digital age, but others have found a way to succeed – some doing even betterbusiness today. We’ll look at how one company makes money by retiring its products, why another partnered up with its biggest competitors to stay relevant and[...]

This week, we explore how some of the craziest fads are marketed. We'll look at how one student's school project changed the way we sleep, why a single toy made Tyco the subject of bomb threats and how a popular piece of jewellery was inspired...by doctors.From the Thighmaster to the Pet Rock, we'll break down what[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week marks the final episode of the 2017 Under The Influence season. And as we do every year, we're turning this show over to you, our listeners. We’ll be answering the marketing and advertising questions you've sent us thro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it’s our annual Bookmarks episode. The research team at Under the Influence does a lot of reading over the year and finds a lot of great stories - many of which don't fit into our regular season. But that doesn't mean Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we journey to Cannes, France for the Cannes International Advertising Festival. It’s the most revered advertising competition in the world, with 90 countries submitting over 40,000 ads. We’ll analyze the entries and an Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore how some of society's biggest taboos were broken by marketers. We’ll look at why toilet paper was a hush-hush product in the 19th century, which publication was the first ever to print an ad on its front pag Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we analyze how marketing affects the sports world. We’ll look at the massive influence that comes with owning the rights to the Olympic games, how the recent uptick in gambling sponsorships affects athletes and what ha Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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 elect Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it’s our annual episode where we explore brands I admire. And in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, this year’s brands are all Canadian. We’ll look at what may be the most successful global retailer Canada Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore how brands are becoming political for the first time in history. We’ll look at what happens when major retailers decide to “Dump Trump,” the controversial Super Bowl ad that challenged an immigration policy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it’s part two of our Gender Marketing show. In this episode, we’ll look at how companies that have historically marketed to one gender switch gears to target another. We’ll analyze how Harley Davidson got women on two Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we delve into the controversial world of Gender Marketing. How did it all start? Why are aisles and products separated by gender? Why do some companies charge women more than men for identical items? Marketing differen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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 salespeople. We'll tell the story of how the word "Realtor" was relucta Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we peek into the emerging world of Influencer Marketing. Today, the most popular social media influencers aren't celebrities, they're regular people. Bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTube stars and Snapchatters have amassed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we analyze inventors who later came to regret their inventions. Sometimes it's because the product ended up being harmful. Other times it's because of the way their product was used. But in most cases, the creators sim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In this episode, we look at what happens when seemingly unrelated companies decide to partner up. By pooling their resources and, more importantly, by leveraging each other's strengths, unlikely brands collaborate to achieve much Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In this episode, we explore the controversial topic of Humane Marketing. From circuses to SeaWorld to fashion runways to fast food restaurants, each industry is dealing with mounting issues when it comes to the ethical treatment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we enter the delicate world of Sponsorship Marketing. Close to 20 billion sponsorship dollars are spent each year in North America. That money can keep a brand afloat, or it can cause a lot of tension. We'll look at ho Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we analyze brand names that should never have worked. While most companies strive for positive names, others succeed with negative ones. Names that suggest the opposite of what the company is offering, or even risk off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we take a look at the biggest day of the year for the advertising industry: The Super Bowl. The only sporting event where viewers pay as much attention to the commercials as they do the game. We'll analyze a tiny but ambitious brand that bet its entire marketing budget on one single Super Bowl[...]

This week, we look at brands that separate themselves from the herd. In the world of marketing, standing out is the most critical thing a company can do. Having a distinct personality gives shoppers a reason to remember a brand and a reason to buy. We'll analyze a wrestler who used a delicate flower to[...]

In this episode, we explore why some big brands fail when they attempt to expand internationally. It’s always interesting when massive companies with marketing firepower move into a new country and end up packing up their tents and going back home. Sometimes those companies succeed in other countries, but one just trips them up. We’ll look[...]

This episode explores what happens to brands when a completely unexpected event occurs. Most companies tightly control every aspect of a brand - but occasionally, an unforeseen circumstance rears its head. And it’s always interesting to see how the company reacts and what happens to their business as a result. We’ll look at what happened[...]

In this episode, we explore the crazy world of Trademarks. The key to success in marketing is to stand out from the crowd. One of the best ways to do that is with trademarks. Brands try to create logos or slogans or design features that they can protect legally, giving them unique marketing tools. In[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This show marks the final episode of the Under The Influence 2016 season. And as we do every year, we're turning this show over to you, our listeners. We’ll be answering all the marketing and advertising questions you've sent us Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we take a peek into the risky, yet delicious world of commercial parodies. Some spoof ads are created just for the laughs, while others are sharp critiques of questionable products, overzealous advertising claims and s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore the little known and surprising world of Industrial Musicals. In an unexpected collision of Madison Avenue and Broadway, companies in the '50s began staging full-fledged musicals in an effort to inspire thei Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: The research team at Under The Influence does a lot of reading over the year and finds a lot of great stories - many of which don’t fit into our regular episodes. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be told. This week, we’ll tel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore the world of loyalty programs. In this day and age, marketers do everything possible to encourage loyal customers, and loyalty programs are one of the most effective ways to retain them. We’ll go back in tim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we take a trip to five different countries to listen to some astonishing radio advertising. From a theatre company in Switzerland that sponsored traffic in a whole new way, to a radio campaign that tried to bore you to Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it’s part two of our Strange Bedfellows episode. It’s not just smaller brands that are beginning to advertise on porn sites, Hollywood has come knocking, too. Large audiences and cheap ad rates are making advertisers i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore the increasingly blurred line between advertising and porn. There has always been a line advertisers wouldn’t cross to promote their wares - but now some marketers have tiptoed over that line to advertise on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This is our annual episode where Terry tells some interesting stories about the brands he admires. This year, it includes the very first toy ever advertised on television in 1952, a teen magazine dedicated to heartthrobs, the onl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore the world of business-to-business advertising. It used to be the most boring advertising in the world - where green copywriters cut their teeth and washed-up copywriters ended their careers. But all that cha Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we search for some of the world’s oldest brands. 80% of companies fold after 18 months, the ones that survive average a 50 year lifespan, then there are the ones that manage to last 100, 300 or sometimes even 600 years Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at how marketing companies bounce back from blunders and epic missteps. Yes, most apologize, but what happens after the apology? We find out by telling the story of an airline that mistakenly offered business c Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: While there are many strange products in the world, there are even stranger service companies. This week, we talk about a company that rents wedding guests, a company you can hire to actually cuddle you and a company that promise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: The most interesting cultural differences aren’t country to country, they're province to province, state to state and even city to city. This week, we explore how and why people living in different locations buy such vastly diffe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore when a smaller advertiser attacks the weak spot in a bigger advertiser’s marketing. It’s a strategy of brinksmanship, because it means a smaller company not only chooses to attack a larger company, but it at Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In this episode, we explore the marketing of Movie Merchandise. From the earliest days of merchandising book characters to the true beginning of movie merchandising with the birth of Mickey Mouse and the Disney Studio, the market Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore Words Invented By Marketers. Many of those words found their way into the dictionary and have become part of our daily language, like “Dependability” and “Halitosis.” While some other familiar words like Ret Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This episode explores how small moves can result in huge business gains. While much of the business world spends its time looking for the big idea, many companies enjoy massive results with tiny moves and subtle tweaks. We’ll loo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at the consequences when marketing companies lie. From the Volkswagen scandal, to a promotion that brought Hoover to its knees, to a company that promised super-charged sexual enhancement, each was a case of fr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, the topic is Zombie Brands - products and companies that had a long run of success, then ran into difficulties, and were either shut down or slipped into bankruptcy - only to rise from the dead and exist yet again. We’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: Most products offer customers as many features and benefits as possible in order to lure shoppers toward a purchase. But then there are some companies that offer you less and profit more. We’ll look at a book company that elimina Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In our first episode of the 2016 season, we look at how the marketing industry created many of our everyday rituals. We don't think twice about having bacon & eggs for breakfast, or taking a coffee break, or using soap to wash ou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This is the final episode of our 10th season on CBC. And to celebrate, we turn the show over to you. That means Terry will be answering listener questions. He’ll talk about why he chose advertising as a profession, how political Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we take the marketing lessons from big brands and apply them…to you. If you have to sell yourself, sell your services, if you want more “likes” and followers, or if you’re looking for a job - this episode explores how Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at the impact of the Internet of Things on the world of marketing. Soon, most of the devices in our lives will be given a digital voice. Your fridge will be doing your weekly grocery shopping for you - and that Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This is our annual episode dedicated to great stories from our Under The Influence research books that didn’t make our regular season. We’ll tell the story of why Tim Hortons always chooses brown bricks for their stores, how Best Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Famous Advertising Lawsuits. Because the stakes are so high in the world of marketing, it leads to some interesting - and odd - lawsuits. We’ll tell the story of how an elderly woman sued McDonald’s because Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore how Product Packaging influences what you buy. We'll tell the story of how the famous Coke bottle was born, how the psychology behind packaging designs influence you in grocery stores and how Tropicana and T Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore the world of Product Placement. From the first product placement in a movie in 1927, to E.T., to the latest movies and TV shows, advertisers look for opportunities to give their products starring roles. We’l Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it’s Terry's annual look at his favourite brands. They may not be the coolest brands, or the newest or the biggest - they are just fascinating studies in marketing. Terry looks at an armoured truck company that decided Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at the world of Tourism Marketing. Every country and city competes for lucrative tourism dollars, and the resulting marketing is often highly creative and fascinating. We’ll tell the story of a city that promis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore Limited Edition Brands. Many marketers often release special-edition products of their mainstream brands. It may be a special limited-time flavour or colour, or it may be a kooky version of their usual produ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This episode takes a look at the most recent - and interesting - marketing innovations from around the world. From an edible pizza box, to a glove that will play music and take pictures, to rentable office desks, to personal clim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at one of the newest trends in marketing called Giftvertising. Where marketers surprise their customers with elaborate free gifts, film their reactions and put the resulting video on YouTube, hoping it will go Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: One of the biggest factors fuelling the sharing economy is the mindset of the Millennial generation. A demographic bigger than the Baby Boomers, Millennials have been conditioned by the Great Recession to shed the responsibility Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: The issue of geography is a subject the marketing world subscribes to. Many companies, and even entire industries, attach their brands to geographical points of origin as a way to differentiate themselves and assert superiority. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: The wins and losses at the Academy Awards change the fortunes of actors, directors and films. But what the public never sees is how movie studios - and some actors - campaign to win those Oscars. The strategies used to influence Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at how hit songs are marketed. With music sales in decline, recording artists are turning to inventive marketing ideas to sell their albums. From the first 24-hour music video, to hiding lyrics in library books Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In Part Two of "Selling The Moon," we pick up the story with the success of the Gemini program, which leads NASA to believe they might reach the moon faster than anticipated. But then tragedy strikes and the Apollo project is put Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we present Part One of our "Selling The Moon" episode. Across two episodes, we'll trace the way NASA marketed the expensive moon landing to both the American public, and to Congress. In this first part, we see how the Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: Not all products are beautiful. While it's easy to sell a gorgeous item, the degree of difficulty ratchets up when the item is butt-ugly. Some ugly products need a lot of clever marketing to succeed, while no amount of marketing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we tackle the topic of Controversy Advertising. The number one job of all advertising is to get attention, and many brands choose to use controversial advertising ideas to break through the clutter. It's a risky strate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we looks 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 unusu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: Well, this is the final episode of the 2014 season. As as we do every year, we turn this show over to our listeners. I'll answer all the marketing and advertising questions listeners have sent in, and this year, the questions are Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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'll look at one of the co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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. Companies that have market values greater than 100 year-old co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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'll look at the one industry that truly specializes in it - the fu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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'll explor Hosted on Acast. See[...]

From the Digital Box Set: 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. Those nudges included sending peop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it's Terry'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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it's 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 t Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Elevator Pitches. 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. The true test of an idea is whethe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore How 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 b Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In this episode, we look at famous people who began their careers in advertising. Many people who have gone on to shape popular culture cut their teeth in the world of marketing. From Dr. Seuss, Salman Rushdie and Bob Newhart, to Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we'll explore how companies profit from personalized products, how they market those products, how consumers are drawn to companies that offer customization and how brands use customization to fight competitors. Includ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Ambush Marketing. It's a form of marketing where a brand tries to connect itself with an event like the FIFA World Cup - but WITHOUT paying sponsorship fees. It merely ambushes the festivities. Or one brand Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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 hel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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 mo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: 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. The best-selling car in Canada has been on top for 15 years. Know Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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'll discuss the finer details of fine print in TV commercials, the impact of Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: 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 that small brands need big personalities, to the reason committees aren't creative, to Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Marketing Dead Celebrities. It's become a $2B industry. And the marketing of dead celebrities not only attracts lots of big brands, but a lot of controversy as well. We'll trace the use of dead celebrities i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Real Time Advertising. For over 100 years, most ad campaigns took months to produce. Suddenly, with the emergence of the Internet and social media, advertisers can react in minutes. From answering questions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at how Hollywood has portrayed advertising over the years. 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, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it's my annual look at the brands I envy. They may not be the hippest, or the latest, or even the coolest brands. They could be a product, a service or even a person - but I envy them for a reason. Like a famous toy th Hosted[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore "Loss Leaders - the very interesting selling strategy where one product is given away for free, or at a high discount, in order to attract people to buy another more profitable product. We'll track the earli Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Game Shows as Marketing. They've been around for almost 80 years and entertain millions, but game shows are also powerful marketing vehicles. We'll trace their history from early radio to their debut on netw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: Along with the most famous marketing blunder of all time - the Edsel - we'll look at what caused Coke to make the mistake of changing their fabled formula, how a company actually went out of business by promising a product improv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In the history of the advertising industry, the full force of persuasion has been put behind many products that turned out to be incredibly unsafe. Even when those products were used exactly as advertised, they created enormous h Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, it's Tales of Customer Service. We're on the hunt for great companies that went out of their way to treat their customers well. From an amusement park that delivered such superior customer service that other corporatio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Billion Dollar Brands. There are millions of successful brands in the world, but very few of them are in the exclusive billion dollar club. We'll test your ability to guess which brands in your life are the Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at Marketing Stunts. Many brands try to get into the Guinness Book of World Records as a marketing strategy. With that in mind, we'll talk about how an energy drink staged a record-breaking jump from space, why Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week - just in time for the Oscars - we take our annual look at creative movie trailers. We'll see how Walt Disney convinced the public to watch the first-ever full-length animated movie, why some trailers don't show a frame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at the companies that actually profit by asking you to BUY LESS. We'll explore a burger company that asks its customers to eat less beef, a printing company helps you print less, why Gillette has suddenly start Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at the incredible creativity happening in radio advertising today. Many advertisers think radio is yesterday's medium, but judging by the incredible work being done around the world, radio isn't dead, it's hott Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at the critical importance of timing in marketing. It's one thing to put the right message in front of the right person, but it's a fine art to put it in front of them at the perfect moment. We'll look at how t Hosted on Acast.[...]

From the Digital Box Set: Remember when you were growing up, and you'd find a prize inside your cereal box? Prizes, premiums and box-top offers have been a staple of modern marketing since the 1800s. We'll tell the story of how the first ever box-top offe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: Kicking off Season 2, we explore one of the most effective marketing strategies ever devised: The use of "Shame." First emerging in the late 1800s, toothpaste ads suggested a fresh mouth could help you attract a mate. But adverti Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: In this final episode of the season, Terry answers listener questions about the advertising industry. Some of the very insightful questions include: When was the very first ad every made? Do celebrities have to actually use a pro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: There was a time when the humble matchbook was the top advertising medium in North America. They were handy, colourful, cheap and even a moderate smoker would be exposed to the advertising over 20 times a day. Matchbook advertisi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we look at companies that go above and beyond the call. Companies that add smart, little touches that make all the difference. Like hotels that help you fall asleep at night with sleep aids, grocery stores that help yo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: The gay community will spend over $800B this year. A large percentage are affluent, hip and trendsetting, yet the advertising industry took decades to market to them. This week, we look at L.G.B.T.Q - or Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This is my annual look at some of my favourite books. We'll look at a new book, titled, "Mad Women," written by an original Mad Woman from the 60s era Madison Avenue. Next, we flip through the pages of another new book by one of Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

From the Digital Box Set: Over the lifetime of a company, mistakes happen. When those mistakes cause damage, it's appropriate for a brand to apologize. Yet, it rarely happens. This week, we look at the companies that chose to apologize. From O.B. Tampons, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: Welcome to my annual celebration of the brands I envy. They aren't necessarily the most hip or most current, or even the number one brand in their category. As a matter of fact, a "brand" by my definition doesn't even have to be Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more[...]

From the Digital Box Set: In the world of marketing, the use of colour is a studied science. As a result, colours play a bigger role in your purchasing decisions than you may think. A colour can make you feel a certain way about a company, or it can trigg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy[...]

From the Digital Box Set: "Hypertargeting" is the next frontier in 21st century marketing. Marketers are gleaning and buying more and more personal information about consumers online. People are also being tracked online, as marketers watch their buying h Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: The advertising industry has a long history of using sex to sell products. Woodbury's used sex to sell soap as far back the 1920's - and the campaign was written by a woman. But the use of sex has always been a polarizing techniq Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

From the Digital Box Set: Back in 2007, a cute video of two kids was uploaded by their father. In it, one kid bites the finger of the other. That video, called "Charlie Bit My Finger" went on to attract 420 million views. To say it over-performed would be Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for[...]

From the Digital Box Set: This episode looks at the wacky world of advertising mascots. The ad industry has a long history with mascots, as they are some of the most enduring advertising symbols of all time. As a matter of fact, mascots have outlived most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This episode is about how major brands in our lives simply vanish. One of magician Harry Houdini's most famous tricks was to make a 5-ton elephant disappear in front of large audiences. Marketing has its own version of that trick Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore a very interesting marketing predicament: When brands get trapped by their own image. Every once in a while, expensive brand images circle around to damage the brand. Like Apple, which acted completely out o Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: It may surprise you to know that many famous brands were invented completely by accident. They weren't the result of years of research, or painstaking experiments, or scientific brilliance - they were simply stumbled upon by mist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: When companies are hit with a crisis, it can be a defining moment. In the world of marketing, it's an all-hands-on-deck situation - because communication is one of the most important keys to handling a disaster. How a company han Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This week, we explore the critical importance of movie trailers to a film's success. Hollywood now spends an average of $32 million per movie to advertise. But trailers have changed dramatically over the years - and now many give Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This is part two of our look at Steve Jobs the marketer. This episode traces his triumphant return to Apple after being banished for 12 years and his bold choice to release advertising that suggested Apple was on the cusp of grea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This special two-part episode is about the late Steve Jobs. When you look at his vast technical accomplishments, it's easy to forget he was a great marketer. As a matter of fact, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said that marketing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This episode is about the history of the classified ads. We trace the very first classified ad in North America through to the explosion of classifieds online. At any given time, a glance at the classifieds tells us exactly what Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This episode looks at famous brands that built their companies without advertising. It's so rare in this world to build a multi-million, or multi-billion dollar company without relying on advertising. But several companies have d Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This episode explores how voices influence us in all corners of our lives. From computer voices, to phone operator voices, to the voices we hear at airports. Some expensive celebrity voices in commercials are hardly recognizable, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: This episode examines the different ways in which men and women shop. Deep in our DNA, our shopping habits have been formed and the differences between the genders couldn't be more stark. Most men are tactical and mission-oriente Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Digital Box Set: Welcome to the first episode of Under The Influence. In this show, we focus on the emergence of the BRIC nations as the new marketing force in the world. BRIC is an acronym for: Brazil, Russia, India and China. Unlike North Ameri Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.