Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly Hiding in Plain Sight: The Surprising Influence of Marketing
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Nov 29, 2025 Discover how marketing quietly shapes our everyday lives. Learn how the term 'jaywalking' shifted blame from drivers to pedestrians. Explore the surprising origin of the 10,000-steps-a-day goal linked to a 1964 marketing strategy. Uncover the story behind the Butterball Turkey Hotline and its explosive impact. Delight in the journey of the 'Ted Lasso' character from commercials to a beloved TV show. These hidden influences reveal the sneaky power of marketing we often overlook.
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Elton Hidden In Plain Sight
- Lieutenant James Hackett dressed Elton John as a cop so he could walk through a half-million crowd unnoticed.
- The stunt used a decoy limo and uniformed officers to hide the celebrity in plain sight.
Jaywalking Was Marketed, Not Law-Made
- Jaywalking as a concept was invented and popularized by the auto industry to shift blame onto pedestrians.
- Auto groups supplied ready-to-print news copy and shame campaigns to entrench the idea in law and culture.
The Unexpectedly Huge Butterball Hotline
- Butterball launched a turkey hotline in 1981 that drew 11,000 calls the first season and now handles 100,000 annual inquiries.
- The hotline evolved into a staffed, highly trained seasonal service that reinforced the Butterball brand.