Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

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 for more information.

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

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 thrived because someone said...Damn The Torpedoes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 better business 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 how an entire profession saved itself by not going digital.From Crayola to Velveeta, it all comes down to smart marketing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 makes fads so absolutely irresistible.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 through social media. From how we come up with new episode topics each week, to why mattress companies don’t use sex to sell mattresses, to which commercials are my all-time favourites - this year’s questions are fun and insightful.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 they shouldn't be told. We’ll look at why Sting laughs at the beginning of Roxanne, how the U.S. military learned a lesson in branding when it got soldiers to eat their vegetables and the interesting story behind which car was the first ever to feature…a cup holder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 answer the age-old question: do award-winning commercials really sell product?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 page and how Lysol was originally advertised…as contraception. Some taboos were broken years ago, some more recently than you may realize. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.