Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

This week, we’ll tell the stories behind some of the most famous – and infamous – sports star endorsements of all time.

We’ll talk about a Rocket Richard commercial that spawned a catchphrase that nearly every Boomer can recite.

We’ll look at a powerful Nike commercial Serena Williams did about women in sports.

And we’ll talk about what it took to put quarterback Joe Namath in pantyhose.

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This week, we ask an interesting question:

What is the busiest day of the year for pizza delivery companies, Airbnb, Emergency Rooms, Maternity Wards, restaurants and dating apps?

What is the busiest day of the year for weddings?

And what is the busiest day of the year for… plumbers?

It’s all fascinating – and often very surprising.

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This week, we thought it would be timely to retrieve this episode from our archives. A Brand Envy episode in celebration of Canadian brands. We’ll look at what may be the most successful global retailer Canada has ever built, a television pioneer worshipped and revered by generations of Canadians and a world-class brand that operates out of the smallest village in New Brunswick. We’ve certainly bred some amazing brands up here in the Great White North. 

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This week, we take a look at one of the tools of political marketing – the campaign song.

Politicians have used songs going all the way back to at least the 1700s.

Sometimes the songs are written expressly for the political party or candidate.

Sometimes, politicians co-opt pop songs.

And sometimes, pop artists have a major problem with that.

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Recorded before a live audience at Reid’s Distillery, this episode lists some of the biggest brand fails of 2024.

We’ll talk about when Apple launched its thinnest computer ever, which led to a big fat PR problem.

We’ll look at a seasonal candle that fired up accusations of white supremacy.

And we’ll try and figure out how a children’s doll package ended up listing the URL for a porn site.

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Recently, we recorded a live show at Reid’s Distillery in Toronto. Reid’s is a great gin joint, and the vibe is a cool lounge with vintage tables and seating. There was no stage, so we recorded the podcast on the floor, with the audience seated all around us. In this episode, we talk about ads that are so bad… they become cult classics. Like the commercial where a woman has fallen and can’t get up, the local jeweller who wears tights and a cape in his ads, and that commercial where Patrick gets life insurance. They are so bad, they’re good.

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Today, movie theatres have to compete with home theatre systems and streaming services.

This week, we look at how cinemas are transforming to attract more movie goers.

To survive, theatres now offer restaurant meals and full bar menus.

They offer loyalty programs and special theme nights.

And many cinemas now offer patrons “atmospheric” movie experiences – where wind blows through your hair, rain falls from the ceiling, and seats not only jolt back and forth, they also emit smells that mirror the action on the screen.

It puts the motion in motion picture.

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There are things in the world of marketing that are forbidden.

It’s illegal to use certain sounds, for example. If an advertiser does use them, they are heavily fined.

In some countries, there are rules around using national anthems in commercials. In other countries, there are no rules.

And even Winnie the Pooh is forbidden in one country because it apparently makes fun of their leader.

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During SNL's recent 50th anniversary special, it showed a montage of their famous commercial parodies. Here’s an episode that talks about those and many others - and how SNL influenced the ad writers of my generation.

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This week, we look at how some companies advertise to haters.

Every advertiser gets negative comments on social media. Some brands shrink away – and some take those negative comments and spin them into marketing gold.

Supercuts took negative comments about cheap haircuts and created a hilarious advertising campaign.

Spirit Airlines gave haters a place to vent – then offered them 8,000 free air miles.

And drink maker Oatly, actually dedicated a website to their haters.

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This week, we take a whiff of some of the strangest fragrances being marketed today.

Choosing a perfume or cologne is a form of personal expression. What you smell like says something about you.

But does that include bacon perfume? Or mayonnaise cologne?

There’s a fragrance that makes you smell like a bakery, and a soap for men that smells like gasoline.

Uncommon Scents.

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This week, we talk about some of the most interesting people throughout history – and the fact they all had a consistent personal style.

Consistency is the key to branding, and these famous people all understood that.

We’ll take a look at Julius Caesar, who shocked fellow Romans with the way he dressed and acted.

We’ll examine the incredible popularity of Charlie Chaplin’s “Little Tramp” character that never changed throughout 25 films.

And we’ll talk about celebrities who adopted a singular colour as their personal branding – like Prince and Johnny Cash.

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This week, we look at the marketing of ICE.

It may sound like a strange topic, but our obsession with ice - as a product - is only 200 years old.

The history of ice marketing starts with an amazing story about a bold entrepreneur with a vision, the cutthroat clash between competing ice companies, and the long list of ice brands and products that has transformed our lives.

It's a remarkable story.

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This week, we take a look at Last Chance Tourism.

Tourism companies around the world have started to advertise specific destinations to travelers, because those locations have a very unique offering.

Namely, they are vanishing.

From glaciers, to polar bears, to the Amazon Rainforest. Marketers are using a strategy called “Loss Aversion” – where the emotional impact of a loss is felt more intensely than a gain.

So people are rushing to these locations, afraid they might miss their last chance to see them.

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In our first episode of 2025, we explore a strange aspect of advertising.

Specifically, when TV and movie characters endorse products. Not the actors themselves - but the characters they portray.

It's a trend that started in the early '60s with the Andy Griffith Show and Bonanza.

Today, it includes characters like Breaking Bad's Walter White and even Phil Dunphy from Modern Family.

Sometimes it's funny - and sometimes it bends the time/space continuum.

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As you might know, the team behind Under The Influence has more podcasts executive produced by Terry. The story in this episode of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafeis the most requested Vinyl Cafe story of all time.

"Today is the day Dave cooks the turkey!" Jess tells us why it gives her such pleasure to say those words, and plays the beloved story that has become a Christmas tradition for so many. So roll out the cookies, grab the wrapping paper or trim the tree as you enjoy "Dave Cooks the Turkey." And check out Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe for more holiday favourites.

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Another one of our favourite episodes from our sister podcast We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast and just in time for the holiday, is the rejection story of the movie Elf. This beloved and timeless Christmas classic, starring Will Ferrell brought in over $200M at the box office. But, back in 2000 the script was rejected by production companies, studios, directors and actors.

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Terry was recently interviewed on Dr. Andrea Wojnicki's podcast, Talk About Talk. Andrea is an executive communications coach. She helps executives improve their communication skills and elevate their confidence and credibility.

It is an interesting chat about communication. Hope you enjoy it.

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Believe it or not, this January will mark our 20th year on CBC. To celebrate the milestone, join us Feb 6th for a live podcast recording, a Q&A, live band, giveaways and yummy gin cocktails at Reid’s Distillery in Toronto. 

Tickets here. 

Time flies when you’re Under the Influence. Hope to see you there.

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I talk to director David Tedeschi about his new Beatles film. Produced by Martin Scorsese, it captures the mania of Beatlemania when the Fab Four land in New York for the first time in 1964, including their historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. David tells us how it all came together, and what surprising things he learned about this first Fab Four trip. The film contains 17 minutes of brand new footage (restored by Pater Jackson’s company), the soundtrack has been remixed by Giles Martin, and contains new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. 

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Mark has produced nine albums for Ringo. Before that, he was part of the Hudson Brothers. They had hit songs and the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle TV show made them teen idols in the 70s. Mark is a huge Beatles fan and collector - and has spent time with all four Beatles. He’s a great storyteller.

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Companies are spending big bucks advertising weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Rybelsus. 

This week, we’re dropping an episode of Brian Goldman’s White Coat, Black Art podcast into our feed.

We thought you might find the topic interesting. In Canada, "reminder ads" can only give the medication's name, but they can’t tell you what the drug is for. They just tell people to ask their doctor for more information. 

I join Dr. Goldman in this episode to talk about those ads.

Are those ads good – or are they bad?

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Mark Hamill not only owns collectibles, he is a collectible. Mark talks to us about his first blush with the Beatles, how he began collecting Beatles memorabilia, that time he met George Harrison on a plane, and whether or not he let his kids play with Star Wars toys.

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In this interview, Max talks about his favourite Beatle albums, Ringo’s profound influence on rock drummers, and what happened onstage at a Springsteen concert the night Lennon was murdered.

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Tom Halley was one of the brilliant animators on Yellow Submarine. The film is considered one of the most inventive animated films of all time. In this interview with the late animator, he tells us how he came to be involved, how they all managed to create this classic film in just 11 months. And much to our surprise, Tom tells us he was also an animator on the Beatles cartoon series.

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With the Paris Olympics in motion, it is a good time to revisit this episode from our archives.

From the first ad at the first Olympics in 1896, to the hundreds of millions spent on today's advertising contracts, sponsorship money has always been a contentious issue. The Olympics cost a fortune to stage, and sponsorship money makes it possible. But there's a price to pay when there's a price to pay. How marketing has evolved at the Olympics is a fascinating story.

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David Sheff conducted the last major interview with John Lennon. Just as Double Fantasy was being released, Sheff interviewed John & Yoko for Playboy magazine. It was the famous interview where Lennon went through the Beatles catalogue song-by-song - just before he died. The backstory of that interview is fascinating.

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I did a lot of commercials with Bob Newhart in the late 90s. He was one-in-a-million, a joy to work with, and he will be missed. And I want to tell you a very funny story that happened as a result of those commercials.

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Astrid Kirchherr holds a special place in the history of the Beatles. She took the famous Hamburg-era photos of the Beatles in their formative years, she inspired their “moptop” hairstyle, and she happened to fall in love with Stuart Sutcliffe, the fifth member of the Beatles. Her story is compelling, and her love of the Beatles, as friends, comes through in every word.

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Join Terry O’Reilly for a brand new Beatles series, where he interviews celebrities and collectors on their love of the Fab Four.

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This week, we answer listener questions.

We’ll talk about how bands create theme songs for TV shows and how much they get paid. 

We’ll go back in time and talk about that flirtatious couple from that famous Nescafe TV campaign. 

And we’ll explore why condom makers now market different sizes, when it used to be one-size-fits-all.

What’s goin’ on there?

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This week, it’s our annual Brand Envy episode.

Every year, I list four brands I’ve admired from a distance.

We’ll talk about a classic board game created by a Canadian couple.

An ice cream chain founded by another Canadian.

An iconic lighter that was named after a zipper.

And a woman who is dominating television these days.

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Every company dreams of doubling its profit.

It’s almost impossible to do.

Yet, some companies do it by tweaking one tiny thing.

We’ll talk about an industry that put three words on their packaging that doubled their profit.

A company that created a catchy jingle that doubled their revenue overnight.

And a business that changed one single word in a headline and their profit went up 100%.

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This week, we shoot for the moon.

Now that commercialized space travel has arrived, the world of marketing is setting its sights on the stars.

We’ll talk about ads on rocket ships, ads on spacesuits, and television commercials filmed on the International Space Station.

There are companies who want to employ hundreds of tiny satellites to create logos in the night sky.

Some companies even want to put ads on the moon.

And those ads might even be cheaper than Super Bowl commercials.

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Occasionally, an old advertising campaign is brought back from the dead.

Even if it has been off the air for decades.

This week, we’ll discuss a recurring Coke commercial that has been called the most popular ad of all time.

A much-loved beer campaign that has been revived after 34 years.

And a controversial commercial that was yanked off the air in 1989, but was re-run again recently.

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This week it’s our annual Bookmarks episode.

We read a lot of books to research Under The Influence. 

But there’s never enough room to include all the great stories we find.

So this episode is dedicated to those great stories that didn’t fit into our regular episodes. 

This year, our theme is bravery.

We’ll tell an amusing story about how Danny DeVito made a bold decision when he was auditioning for the sitcom Taxi.

We’ll salute Lucille Ball’s bravery.

And we’ll talk about how Jacques Plante revolutionized goaltending by being brave enough to defy his coach.

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Under the Influence fans know that at the very end of each episode there’s a Fun Fact – an interesting little tidbit related to the show. Well, this year we’re asking you, our listeners, to record that Fun Fact. All you need is a phone or computer. Just visit our Fun Fact Page, follow the prompts and have fun with it.

We choose two listeners every week – to be featured in the podcast and on CBC Radio.

Happy recording. Oh, and keep checking back. The latest Fun Fact is refreshed every week.

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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, it’s amazing to think they all ran back in the day.

Ads that couldn’t run today.

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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 was finally found – and the cosmic coincidence that led to its discovery.

Cars are the stars.

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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 world.

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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 that search box.

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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 claims your grandparents had more sex than you.

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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 whole new pricey world.

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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?

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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 they admire.

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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 – starring Michael Keaton - just might surprise you.

They don’t only tell the brand stories, they each ask big, existential questions.

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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 - unguarded, to demonstrate a point.

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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 a point.

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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 the truth behind the fairy tale.

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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, and how a small cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category.

In this bonus episode, I talk to Wallace McDonald-Rogers. He is the founder of Primeau Craft Cannabis. 

I think you’ll find his answers very interesting - and some of them are surprising.

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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 her music to her fans in very surprising ways.

And holds over 70 Guinness World Records.

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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 which non-cannabis businesses are seeing a surprising uptick in sales - like fertilizer companies and fast-food restaurants.

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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 copycat cookie that overtook the original to become the best-selling cookie in the world.

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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.

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Happy New Year. We have a fun 2024 season planned for you. Here'a a sneak peek at what's in store...

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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 explores the world of advertising jingles.

They used to be an advertising staple, but these days, most have disappeared.

Except - for insurance company commercials - that are bucking the trend.

It’s an interesting sonic journey - and Under The Influence host Terry O'Reilly makes a special appearance.

Enjoy.

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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 local commercials, and what do background actors really say when their lips move. 

Join us for some surprising answers.

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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 another is about theatre actors.

But each one contains incredible wisdom that can be applied directly to the world of advertising and marketing.

And everyday life.

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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 the warm and comforting world of the Vinyl Cafe. Each episode features stories about Canada’s favourite fictional family: Dave, Morley and the kids, narrated by the late, great Stuart McLean and recorded live in concert.

But that’s not all.

For the first time ever, listen in on hilarious backstories from the popular show. Long-time Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton tells all, sharing memories and stories from 15 years touring, travelling, laughing, and recording with her close friend, Stuart.

This particular episode is a perfect one to be hosted by Under The Influence, as Dave’s record store suddenly finds itself with competition in town.

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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 influence your decisions - from the moment you walk in to when you line up at the cash. We’ll also look at the interesting tug-of-war that happens between stores and brands. There’s no doubt about it, those three feet have become one of the biggest battlegrounds for your dollar.

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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 his legendary creative director and tough guy, Hal Riney, and we’ll tell the story of the creative director who created a Hall of Fame campaign around the fact his client looked like a chicken.

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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 be surprised.

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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 people overcame debilitating career rejection to achieve mammoth success.

We Regret To Inform You has 2 million downloads across 70 episodes – and there's one in particular we think you might enjoy. Brylcreem those strands, suit up and take a stroll down Madison Avenue. This week, we tell the rejection story of AMC's Mad Men:

According to Rolling Stone, Mad Men is the fourth-greatest television show of all time – bested only by Breaking Bad, The Wire and The Sopranos. But before Sterling Cooper ever opened its doors, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was rejected by every major network – including HBO, FX and Showtime. Weiner was told no one would watch a series about advertising, that his main character was an unlikable smoker slash philanderer and that viewers hated period pieces. Mad Men gathered rejections, then dust. Until Weiner got a phone call from a basic cable movie channel.

Listen to Part 2 here.

Follow Apostrophe:

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

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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 sound in radio commercials, to signature sounds on famous ad campaigns, to the startup sound we hear on our computers every day.

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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 trademark recently. Now brands like Kleenex and Band-Aid are fighting to save their valuable names. And their stories are fascinating.

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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 is advertising history.

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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 is advertising history.

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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 we’ll answer that burning question: What ever happened to the “follow the bouncing ball” sing-along commercials.

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 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 the most popular TV series that everyone is talking about right now.

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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 about the book Goodnight Moon.

We’ll tell you why David Bowie seemed to have two different-coloured eyes.

We’ll talk about why inspiration is 90% perspiration and the inside story of the historic music score from the movie Jaws.

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 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 afraid to do. And do it unapologetically.

And if advertising is the great mirror to pop culture, it just may explain the emergence of antihero brands – who dare you to like them.

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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 boat.

A hotel who gave a couple 18 years of free stays because they had nookie in one of their rooms.

And we’ll tell the story of how one company helped a teenager with huge feet – by giving him a pair of size 23 shoes. 

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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 a new building – and the public voted overwhelmingly to name it after a past mayor named Harry Baals.

True story.

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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.

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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 used tiny billboards to get inside their competitor’s vehicles.

How one airline used a billboard that could detect planes passing overhead.

And we’ll tell you the hilarious story of a billboard stunt gone wrong that involves a giant… muffin.

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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 a fourth brand has made a fortune blowing bubbles for over 75 years.

Their stories are fascinating.

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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 skies to tell you an amazing story behind the famous Goodyear blimps.

And we’ll tell the story of the famous Oscar Meyer Wienermobiles.

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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 kid can spot a loophole that panics a giant corporation.

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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 to be the Saskatchewan Roughriders AND the Ottawa Rough Riders in the CFL.

And that time Ringo sued the Ring O sex toy company.

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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.

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“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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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 campaign can go up in flames.

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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. 

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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.

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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 few epic church sign fails.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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 honour them

– or not.

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Happy New Year. We have a fun 2023 season planned for you. Here's a sneak peek at what's in store...

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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 born in the back of a pick-up truck, and the most Emmy-nominated TV show in broadcast history. Best of all, they’re not only remarkable brands, they’re remarkable stories as well.

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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 revolutionized the retail business, the female creative director who inspired the “I Love New York” campaign, as well as some of the top ad women of today. 

Move over Mad Men, it’s time to honour the Mad Women.

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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 a one dollar bill.

We’ll analyze how MTV changed the music business, and how Michael Jackson’s video Thriller changed MTV. We’ll also talk about how the Internet revolutionized the marketing of rock and roll forever. From iTunes to YouTube to the invention of Apps – suddenly technology was the newest rock star.

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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 of the category, a watch company that risked all and saved the Swiss watch making industry in the process, and a CEO who made a decision that was so unpopular even his board of directors bet against him. 

They are the true warriors who “burned the boats” so there was no turning back – and then made history.

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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 disposable income and spend the most in almost all categories - yet the advertising industry doesn't chase them. We examine why that is.

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