Under the Influence (radio documentary series)
Under the Influence is a Canadian radio documentary series, presented by Terry O'Reilly, about the changing world of marketing for CBC Radio One. It premiered on January 7, 2012.
O'Reilly's previous series, O'Reilly on Advertising and The Age of Persuasion, focused primarily on advertising, whereas this series focuses on marketing, of which advertising is a subset.
The 2015 season marked O'Reilly's 10th year as a CBC Radio host.
Season 1
Season One Episode Guide[1]
Episode | Title & Description | Broadcast Date |
---|---|---|
1 | A New BRIC in the Wall - This debut episode of the new series, Under The Influence, focuses on the emergence of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations as the new marketing force in the word. | January 7, 2012 |
2 | Men Are From Sears: Women Are From Bloomingdale's - This episode examines the different ways women and men shop. Deep in our DNA, our shopping habits have been formed - and the differences between the genders couldn't be more opposite. Most men like to buy and leave, but women like to take their time. As a matter of fact, a recent study shows that women spend eight years of their lives shopping. | January 14, 2012 |
3 | Voices of Influence - 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. On the other hand, some expensive celebrity voices in commercials are hardly recognizable, while other anonymous voices are sometimes twice as influential. | January 21, 2012 |
4 | Great Brands That Never Advertise - 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 multibillion-dollar company without relying on advertising. But several companies have done just that. And with enormous success. Instead of ads, they took a stand on social issues, they relied on superlative customer service that would generate word-of-mouth, they give back to their communities and they stay passionately connected to their customers. | January 28, 2012 |
5 | Getting Personal in the Classified Ads - 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. | February 4, 2012 |
6 | Big Chill Marketing: The Influence of Music - This week we look at the use of hit songs in advertising. It started in a big way back in 1983, with the movie The Big Chill. A huge part of the movie's success was based on its soundtrack, which featured over 20 of the biggest hits from the 60s and 70s. When Madison Avenue saw just how much hit songs resonated with baby boomers, it opened the floodgates. | February 11, 2012 |
7 | The Marketing Genius of Steve Jobs - Part 1 - This special two-part episode is about Steve Jobs. When you look at his vast technical accomplishments, it's easy to forget he was a great marketer. We look at his boldness as a marketer, how and where it first showed itself in his early 20s, his offer to pay for the Super Bowl ad time when the Apple board hated the famous "1984" Mac launch TV ad, his vindication when "1984" was cited as maybe the best TV ad of all time, his eventual ouster from Apple only one year later, and his return in 1997 - when he commissioned the bold "Think Different" ad campaign while, unbeknownst to most, Apple was just weeks away from bankruptcy. But the gamble paid off. | February 18, 2012 |
8 | The Marketing Genius of Steve Jobs - Part 2 - The 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 greatness, even though the world knew it was on the brink of disaster. But that bravado pays off as Jobs inspires his company and releases the iMac, the iPod, iTunes, the Apple retail stores all in the same year. Then Jobs hits his stride and releases not only the iTunes store but the iconic iPhone, and with it, some of the most effective advertising the industry has even seen. His marketing instincts and his courage further propels Apple to even greater heights with the iPad. And even as he is diagnosed with cancer, he manages to build Apple into the second most valuable company in the world. | February 25, 2012 |
9 | Movie Marketing - This week, as the world debates the Oscar results, 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 away the entire storyline. We’ll look at several films that chose to give it all away in the trailers, and in particular, the movie "Castaway" - which had trouble generating an audience, until it gave away the ending in its advertising. | March 3, 2012 |
10 | Marketing In A Crisis - Join us this week as we explore the perilous task of Marketing in a Crisis. 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. Someone once said, “Never waste a crisis” – let’s see if that philosophy holds true. | March 10, 2012 |
11 | Accidental Brands - 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 mistake. Like IMDB, or the Internet Movie Data Base, that began as a simple list of pretty actresses compiled by a movie buff. Or Play-Doh, which started life as a wallpaper cleanser. Popsicles were invented when a flash freeze surprised the residents of San Francisco one night. Each is famous, and all are accidental brands. | March 17, 2012 |
12 | Handcuffed By Brand Image - 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 recently acted completely out of character when an iPhone prototype was found in a bar. Sometimes, a brand image can actually kill a brand. Then there’s the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam - worst hotel in the world, with the worst brand image - and they like it that way. | March 24, 2012 |
13 | When Big Brands Houdini - This episode is about how some 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 - when big brands vanish into thin air. Like auto brands Oldsmobile and Pontiac, now both gone. | March 31, 2012 |
14 | Mascots - 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 other advertising campaigns. The Jolly Green Giant just turned 84, for example. But this episode is about the modern mascots of advertising. | April 7, 2012 |
15 | Charlie Bit My Ad: When Advertising Works Too Well - Back in 2007, a cute video of two kids was uploaded by their father. In it, one kid bites the finger of the other one. That video, called "Charlie Bit My Finger" went on to attract 420 million views. To say it over-performed would be an understatement. The same phenomenon occasionally occurs in the world of advertising - because sometimes ads work too well. In some instances, the ads work so well, it creates problems for the advertisers. Like Axe Deodorant, who marketing to insecure men worked too well, and it became known as the brand for geeks and dorks. | April 14, 2012 |
16 | Sex in Advertising - The advertising industry has a long history of using sex to sell products. Woodbury's used sex to sell soap as far back the 1920s - and the campaign was written by a woman. But the use of sex has always been a polarizing technique. We'll explore how Calvin Klein built an empire on sex, how Abercrombie & Fitch revived a dying brand with sex, and we'll look at the story of a beer company that used sex to sell its product, then were sued by its own female employees. | April 21, 2012 |
17 | Hyper-Targeting - "Hyper-Targeting" is the next frontier in 21st century marketing. Marketers are gleaning and buying more and more personal information about consumers online. Using that deep information, advertisers are "hyper-targeting" consumers with ads that are tailor-made for individuals, featuring the products they want, when they want them, at a price based on their spending ability, at the precise moment they are about to make a choice. | April 28, 2012 |
18 | Colour Schemes: How Colours Make You Buy - 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 trigger a specific desire. Colours can even encourage us to spend money – or even gamble. There is no doubt about it, colour has a secret language. | May 5, 2012 |
19 | Brand Envy - This is Terry's annual celebration of the brands he envies. 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 Terry's definition doesn't even have to be a product or service, it could be a location, a person or an animal. But they must be unique, they must be revolutionary or counter-intuitive, and they must have survived. | May 12, 2012 |
20 | When Brands Apologize: Sorry Seems to Be the Smartest Word - Over the lifetime of a company, mistakes happen. When those mistakes cause damage, it is not inappropriate for a brand to apologise. Yet, it rarely happens. This week, we look at the companies that chose to apologise: From O.B. Tampons, who apologised to their customers with a song, to Dominos Pizza, who was forced to apologise when employees made an embarrassing YouTube video. If an apology is genuine and timely, sorry is definitely the smartest word. | May 19, 2012 |
21 | 'Books, Books, Books - This is Terry's annual look at some of his 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 the most outspoken and notorious Mad Men of all time - George Lois. Simon Sinek's book, titled, "Start With Why" argues that most companies don't know WHY their in business, and will not succeed as a result. Lastly, we discuss a book by Steven Johnson that looks at where good ideas come from. | May 26, 2012 |
22 | LGBT Advertising - The gay community will spend over $800 billion 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. - or Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender - advertising. From the first gay characters on mainstream television in the 70s, to the flashpoint of Ellen DeGeneres coming out on her TV show, the gay market is a study in diversity, courage, profit and respect. | June 2, 2012 |
23 | It's the Little Things - 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 and grocery stores that help you read the small type on vitamin bottles. Grab a coffee and join us for companies that go the extra inch. | June 9, 2012 |
24 | Striking Images: Matchbook Advertising - 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 advertising pre-dated radio, and was embraced by almost every industry. Matchbook advertising was effective and affordable for everyone. And believe it or not, even the State Department used matchbook advertising recently to hunt down Osama bin Laden. | June 16, 2012 |
25 | Dear Terry - 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 done? Do celebrities have to actually use a product before they endorse them? | June 23, 2012 |
Season 2
Season Two Episode Guide[2]
Episode | Title & Description | Broadcast Date |
---|---|---|
1 | SHAME: The Secret Tool of Marketing - This episode examines the creation and exploitation of shame and insecurity by marketing, primarily to sell personal care products. | January 5, 2013 |
2 | A Prize In Every Box: Premiums, Toys and Box-Tops - This episode examines the world of special offers, from prizes in cereal boxes to mail-in rebates. | January 12, 2013 |
3 | Timing Is everything - This episode explores how world events shape the influence and effectiveness of marketing campaigns. | January 19, 2013 |
4 | Radio Is Dead. Long Live Radio. - Many advertisers think radio is yesterday's medium, but judging by the work being done today, the opposite is true. We'll tell the story of a German music school that used radio to recruit top music students by making their email address invisible to all but those with perfect pitch, how an entire country's radio stations switched formats one morning to sell a chocolate bar and how the country of Columbia used radio to send a coded message of hope out to kidnapped soldiers. | January 26, 2013 |
5 | Buy Less: How Some Companies Profit By Asking You To Spend Less - This week on Under The Influence, we look at the companies that actually profit by asking you to BUY LESS. | February 2, 2013 |
6 | Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma - This week on Under The Influence - just in time for the Grammys - we look at the rocky history of popular music in advertising. For decades now, the advertising industry has had a curious habit of choosing music for commercials, but ignoring the message of the song. | February 9, 2013 |
7 | Colour Schemes: How Colours Make Us Buy - In the world of marketing, the use of colour is a studied science. Colours play a bigger role in your purchasing decisions than you may think, because colours have a secret language. A colour can make you feel a certain way about a company, or it can trigger a specific desire. A simple change in colours can affect the sales of a product immediately, or a certain colour can make us seem more desirable to the opposite sex. Colours can even encourage us to spend money - or even gamble. | February 16, 2013 |
8 | Coming Soon - The Art Of The Movie Trailer - This week on Under The Influence - just in time for the Oscars - we take our annual look at creative movie trailers. | February 23, 2013 |
9 | Marketing Stunts - Many brands try to set world records to get attention. But not all of them go exactly as planned. | March 2, 2013 |
10 | Billion Dollar Brands - There are millions of successful brands in the world, but very few of them are in the exclusive billion dollar club. | March 9, 2013 |
11 | Tales of Customer Service - We're on the hunt for great companies that went out of their way to treat their customers well. | March 16, 2013 |
12 | Selling Danger - 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. | March 23, 2013 |
13 | Hyper-Targeting: How Brands Track You Online. - Hyper-Targeting is the next frontier in 21st century marketing. Marketers are gleaning and buying more and more personal information about consumers. That information is then being used to track people online, as marketers watch their buying habits. As a result, advertisers are "hyper-targeting" consumers with ads that are tailor-made for individuals, featuring the products they want, when they want them, at a price based on their spending ability, at the precise moment they are about to make a choice. How do you like your ad - over easy or sunny-side up | March 30, 2013 |
14 | Famous Marketing Blunders - Along with the most famous marketing blunder of all time, we'll look at what caused Coke to make the mistake of changing their fabled formula... | April 6, 2013 |
15 | 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... | April 13, 2013 |
16 | Loss Leaders: How Companies Profit By Losing Money - Loss-leader are products offered at a loss, in order to lead people to purchase more profitable products. It's an important aspect of marketing. We'll talk about the very first loss-leaders ever used in marketing, and how that learning led to... | April 20, 2013 |
17 | Brand Envy - This is our annual look at the brands I admire. 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. | April 27, 2013 |
18 | It's The Little Things - This week, it's an encore airing of the episode that looks for companies who go above and beyond the call. | May 4, 2013 |
19 | Nothing In Common: How Hollywood Portrays Ad People. - This week, we look at how Hollywood has portrayed advertising over the years. | May 11, 2013 |
20 | 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 live on YouTube to the immediate messages brands put out during the blackout at this year's Super Bowl to instant marketing during snowstorms and hurricanes, it demonstrates how far advertising has come. | May 18, 2013 |
21 | Nobody's Dead Anymore: Marketing Deceased Celebrities - It's become a $2 billion industry. The marketing of dead celebrities not only attracts lots of big brands, but lots of controversy. We'll trace the use of dead celebrities in advertising, we'll analyze "Dead Q Scores," we'll list the top-grossing dead celebrities, we'll tell some stories about ads that featured Audrey Hepburn, Michael Jackson, Fred Astaire, Kurt Cobain and Marilyn Monroe - and how their families felt about those commercials. | May 25, 2013 |
22 | SHAME: The Secret Tool of Marketing - This week on Under The Influence, it's an encore broadcast as we explore one of the most effective marketing strategies ever devised: The use of "Shame." | June 1, 2013 |
23 | Trust In Advertising - Trust may be the most critical element of marketing, and a company's most valuable asset. We'll not only explore how trust is created, but how it's lost. | June 2, 2013 |
24 | This I Know. - This penultimate show of the season features the important lessons I've learned over the course of my 30-year advertising career. | June 15, 2013 |
25 | Dear Terry - We'll discuss the finer details of fine print in TV commercials, the impact of DVRs on advertising, why politicians don't use jingles, why the same actors keep showing up on the same commercials, why it seems like lawyers write the copy in so many ads, and why some ads are so dumb. | June 22, 2013 |
Season 3
Season Three Episode Guide[3]
Episode | Title & Description | Broadcast Date |
---|---|---|
1 | Looking Out For #1 - As this is our #1 show of the season, we celebrate by exploring #1 Brands. We'll look at popular categories and identify the runaway best-selling brands, and analyze why they are #1. | January 4, 2014 |
2 | The Psychology of Price - First, we'll look at how you're influenced by pricing. Like how the price of a bottle of wine has an enormous effect on how much you enjoy that wine, and how stores price one item really high to influence you to buy the slightly cheaper option... | January 11, 2014 |
3 | Cause Marketing - "Cause Marketing" is a relative newcomer to the world of marketing. Unlike public service announcements or corporate philanthropy, Cause Marketing is when a Not-For-Profit organization teams up with a For-Profit company to further a good cause - but the For-Profit partner makes a profit while helping. | January 18, 2014 |
4 | Marketing Rock'N'Roll Part I - 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 strategy right out of the books of Madison Avenue to compete against the Fab Four. | January 25, 2014 |
5 | Marketing Rock'N'Roll Part II - 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 - from iTunes, to Justin Bieber being discovered on YouTube, to the invention of music Apps. Suddenly technology was the newest rock star. | February 1, 2014 |
6 | Marketing The Olympics - From the original ad that appeared at the first modern Olympics in 1896, the need for sponsorship money has been an uncomfortable bedfellow for Olympic ideals. As the Olympics get more and more expensive, the need for more and more revenue grows. As a result, sponsors have been invited deeper into the Games. That desire for revenue has made for some remarkable stories, some surprising decisions, some controversial Official products, and a fascinating and tension-filled relationship. | February 8, 2014 |
7 | Ambush Marketing - 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 Olympics - but WITHOUT paying the sponsorship fees. It merely intrudes and ambushes the festivities. Or one brand launches a surprise attack on another brand to gain attention - like when British sprinter Linford Christie sported Puma contact lenses at the 1996 Olympics when Reebok was the official sponsor. | February 15, 2014 |
8 | Radio Is Dead: Long Live Radio: An Encore Presentation - This episode, we look at the incredible creativity happening in radio advertising around the world today. Many advertisers think radio is yesterday's medium, but judging by the work being done today, the opposite is true. | February 22, 2014 |
9 | Have It Your Way: How Mass Customization Is Changing Marketing - After a 100 years of Mass Production - where one size fits all - 21st century marketing is moving to Mass Customization - letting you custom-design everything you buy. From cars, to clothes, to shoes - to your own breakfast cereal. | March 1, 2014 |
10 | Viral Videos - 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. | March 8, 2014 |
11 | Advertising Alumni - In this episode, we look at famous people who began their careers in advertising. The list of people who have spent time in advertising may surprise you, and many of them have gone on shape popular culture. | March 15, 2014. |
12 | Sunny With A Chance of Mousetraps: 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. | March 22, 2014 |
13 | Tales of Customer Service: An Encore Presentation - We're on the hunt for great companies that went out of their way to treat their customers well. We'll look at an amusement park that delivered such superior customer service that other corporations asked for lessons, a shoe company you can order a pizza from and a store that actually accepted a returned product they didn't even sell just to keep their customer happy. | March 29, 2014 |
14 | Elevator Pitches - This episode is about the art of the elevator pitch. The definition of an elevator pitch is being able to pitch an idea in the time it takes an elevator to go from the first floor to the second. | April 5, 2014 |
15 | Terry's Bookshelf - This week we air our annual book show. The research for Under The Influence requires a lot of reading, and listeners always ask for more information on the books we mention. So we take this opportunity to talk about the research books we've read, and tell additional stories from those books. | April 12, 2014 |
16 | Brand Envy (2014) - Terry O'Reilly's annual episode where he features four brands he admires. | April 19, 2014 |
17 | Nudge: The Persuasive Power of Whispers - This week on Under The Influence, 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. | April 26, 2014 |
18 | Game Shows As Marketing: An Encore Presentation - 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 network television, and explore their interesting evolution from quiz shows (and the quiz show scandals) to the modern game show format. | May 3, 2014 |
19 | When Founders Are The Face of the Company - No one can relay the passion of a company like the founder - but while they may be the heart & soul of a company - should they be the face? | May 10, 2014 |
20 | Selling 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 funeral business. | May 17, 2014 |
21 | 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. | May 24, 2014 |
22 | Looking Out For #1: An Encore Presentation - An inside look at popular categories and the runway best-selling brands and analyze why they're #1. | May 31, 2014 |
23 | Satisfaction Guaranteed - This episode is about the 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. | June 7, 2014 |
24 | When Brands Mock Other Brands - An inside look at brands mocking 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. | June 14, 2014 |
25 | Dear Terry - The final episode of Under The Influence for the 2014 season. As we do every year, we turn this show over to our listeners. Terry answers all the marketing and advertising questions listeners have sent in. | June 21, 2014 |
Season 4
Episode | Title & Description | Broadcast Date |
---|---|---|
1 | Strange Brands - To kick off the season, Terry looks at some of the strangest brands that exist in the world. Some are the result of odd licensing deals, others are the result of unusual marketing opportunities - like a Burger King body spray. | January 3, 2015 |
2 | 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 strategy, as controversy always courts trouble. | January 10, 2015 |
3 | Selling Ugly - 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 can save other hideous brands. Then, every once in a while, some ugly products become runaway hits. | January 17, 2015 |
4 | Selling The Moon: Part 1 - This week, Terry presents Part One of the “Selling The Moon” episode. The journey to the moon will be one of the most expensive endeavours in history, and NASA needed to constantly market the program to keep Americans interested, and Congress signing the cheques. | January 24, 2015 |
5 | Selling The Moon: Part 2 - In Part Two of “Selling The Moon,” NASA continues to sell the moon landing as a technological marvel that will benefit Americans, advertisers jump on the bandwagon, television networks brace for the big landing, and Neil Armstrong finally delivers on JFK’s promise. | January 31, 2015 |
6 | Marketing Hit Songs - Just in time for the Grammy Awards, we look at how hit songs are marketed. With music sales in decline, recording artists are turning to surprising and inventive marketing ideas to sell their albums - from the first 24-hour music video to hiding handwritten lyrics in library books around the world. | February 7, 2015 |
7 | Sunny With a Chance of Mousetraps: How Weather Affects Marketing: An Encore Presentation - With 75 years of climate data cross-referenced with reams of shopping research, marketers can use the weather to predict sales. While they can’t manage weather, marketers can certainly now manage the financial implications of weather. | February 14, 2015 |
8 | For Your Consideration: The Hollywood Oscar Campaigns The Public Never Sees - The Academy Awards are coming up soon, and the wins and losses on that night 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. Grab a bag of popcorn and tune in. | February 21, 2015 |
9 | Geography As Branding - This week, Terry explores the ways in which companies, and even entire industries, attach their brands to geographical points of origin as a way to differentiate themselves and assert superiority. | February 28, 2015 |
10 | The Sharing Economy - Millennials have been conditioned by the Great Recession to shed the responsibility of ownership. They want the music, but not the CD. They want the ride, but not the car. That attitude has an enormous impact on marketers, as the biggest consumer demographic in history would rather share than buy. | March 7, 2015 |
11 | Giftvertising - This week, we look at one of the newest trends in marketing called Giftvertising. Marketers surprise their customers with elaborate free gifts, film their reactions and put the resulting video on YouTube hoping it will go viral. From airlines to retail stores, big brands are embracing the trend. | March 14, 2015 |
12 | Nudge: The Persuasive Power of Whispers: An Encore Presentation - This week, an encore presentation on 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. | March 21, 2015 |
13 | The Marketing Innovations Episode - This episode takes a look at the most recent - and interesting - marketing innovations from around the world. From an edible pizza box, to rentable office desks, to personal climate controls for airplane seats, to rain that smells like brands - the latest marketing innovations are unbelievable. | March 28, 2015 |
14 | Limited Edition Brands - Many marketers 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 product. It’s an interesting marketing strategy. Some work, some don’t - but the stories behind them are often fascinating. | April 4, 2015 |
15 | Tourism Marketing - Every country and city competes for lucrative tourism dollars, and the resulting marketing is often highly creative. We’ll tell the story of a city that promised to keep secrets, a state that offered one tourist the job of a lifetime, and a country that benefited from being insulted in a movie. | April 11, 2015 |
16 | Brand Envy (2015) - 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. Each brand is successful, each still going today, and each one of them survived because of an unforeseen opportunity. | April 18, 2015 |
17 | Show Me The Money: The World of Product Placement - From the first product placement in a movie in 1927, to ET, to the latest movies and TV shows, advertisers look for opportunities to give their products starring roles. We’ll look at the history of product placement, how it evolved, and examples of how it went right - and how it went horribly wrong. | April 25, 2015 |
18 | Elevator Pitches: An Encore Presentation - The marketing industry is a business of short, concise messages. Be it the confines of 30 seconds, the space in a print ad, the restrictions of Twitter or a site. The true test of an idea is whether or not it can be explained in just a few words. | May 2, 2015 |
19 | Even In The Dark: How Packaging Persuades You To Buy - This week, we explore how Product Packaging influences what we buy. We'll tell the story of how the famous Coke bottle was born, how the psychology behind packaging influences you in grocery stores, and how Tropicana and Tide learned the hard way that package design can be bad even when it's good. | May 9, 2015 |
20 | Sue Me, Sue You Blues: Famous Advertising Lawsuits - Because the stakes are so high in the world of marketing, it leads to some interesting - and odd - lawsuits. From Microsoft to Hall & Oates, the industry has had its fair share of court battles. Please rise, court is in session. | May 16, 2015 |
21 | Bookmarks - It's 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 and how Levi's accidentally sold underwear to teenagers. Hope you'll join us. | May 23, 2015 |
22 | The Internet of (Marketing) Things - 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. We’ll look at the fine line between convenience and intrusion, and why marketers are looking forward to the Internet of (marketing) Things. | May 30, 2015 |
23 | Brand Envy (2015): An Encore Presentation - 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. Each brand is successful, each still going today, and each one of them survived because of an unforeseen opportunity. | June 6, 2015 |
24 | Selling Yourself: The Art of Personal Branding - This week, we take marketing lessons from big brands and apply them…to you. If you have to sell yourself or your services, want more “likes” and followers, or you’re looking for a job - this episode explores how to manage your social media, pick the best profile pic and avoid cliches in your resume. | June 13, 2015 |
25 | Ask Terry 2015 - Well, this is the final episode of the Under The Influence 2015 season. As as we do every year, we turn this show over to our listeners. Terry answers all the marketing and advertising questions listeners have sent in, and this year, the questions are better than ever. | June 20, 2015 |
26 | Geography As Branding: An Encore Presentation - This week, Terry explores the ways in which companies, and even entire industries, attach their brands to geographical points of origin as a way to differentiate themselves and assert superiority. | June 27, 2015 |
Broadcast schedule
Air Times[4]
Medium | Broadcast Schedule |
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CBC Radio One | Saturdays at 11:30am (12:00pm NT), Mondays at 11:30am (3:30pm NT) |
SiriusXM | Saturdays at 11:30am, Mondays at 11:30am, Wednesdays at 4pm and Thursdays at 8:00am ET |
WBEZ 91.5 Chicago | Saturdays at 6:30am |
CBC.CA | Stream each episode at www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence for up to four weeks after the air date. |
iTunes | Episodes are free for two weeks before becoming a paid podcast. |
Other information
- Under The Influence began in 2012 as the follow-up radio series to The Age of Persuasion (2006-2011). The name change was made when co-producer Mike Tennant left the show in 2011, and to reflect the sweeping changes in the marketing world.
- Under The Influence has been awarded two Gold trophies and one Silver at the New York Festivals in 2013 and 2014.
- Keith Ohman has been the sound engineer on every single episode, going back to O’Reilly On Advertising (2005).
- Every episode features a Beatles reference - sometimes subtle sometimes overt. From mentioning one of the members to featuring an instrumental or full-on Beatles song (O'Reilly is a huge Beatles fan).
- Certain episodes that feature copyrighted music are only available for streaming on www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence, and only for the limited time the episode is available each season. The corresponding podcast episode that is downloaded through the podcast's RSS feed (including via iTunes) simple features a short message from Terry explaining the issue and directing the listener to the streamed episode on the website.
- Each season features four repeats of the most popular episodes from the previous season. Sometimes, the first episode of the season is repeated near the end of the season as some listeners miss the first episode.
- Up to 40 hours of research is required to create each episode. The episodes themselves take approximately three days to write and 12 hours to record and mix in the studio.
- Under The Influence is an unusual show as it has never featured a single interview unlike the majority of CBC Radio programs.
- Over the years, a number of very interesting people have recorded phone messages that air during the last few seconds of every episode. They include: Randy Bachman (Rock legend), Daniel Nestor (Tennis star), Kathy Greenwood (Whose Line Is It Anyway), Robin Duke (SCTV + Saturday Night Live), Jim Neff (Cadillac Michigan football coach), Seymour Butts (Porn star), Thom Sharp (actor in film Bodyheat, spokesman for Goodyear Tires), Jayne Eastwood (actress), Terry's parents Betty & Mel, Terry's wife Debbie, Terry's daughters, Sergio Di Zio (actor, Flashpoint), Ted Blades (afternoon host of CBC St. John’s Newfoundland), Dave Creighton (Creative Director for Honda Canada), Chris Straw (CBC Senior Director, Network Talk), Manager of the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam (Proudly the worst hotel in the world), Carolyn Hopkins (the voice heard in over 200 airports), Ian Thomas (Canadian rockstar).
- O'Reilly has tried repeatedly to get Boston Bruins hockey great Terry O’Reilly to leave a phone message, but O’Reilly has never responded. Terry won’t give up.
Credits
Terry O'Reilly - Creator, Writer, Producer, Host
Debbie O'Reilly - Series Producer
Keith Ohman - Engineer
Ian LeFeuvre and Ari Posner - Theme Music
Sidney O'Reilly - Digital Podcasting, Visual Elements & Social Media
Callie O'Reilly - Logo Design
Lama Balaghi, Tanya Moryoussef, James Gangl & Margy Gilmour - Researchers
Myra El-Bayoumi, Courteney Pitcher and Warren Brown - Season One Researchers
Shea O'Reilly - Research Filing
References
- ↑ "Under the Influence archives at CBC". CBC. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ↑ "Under the Influence archives at CBC". CBC. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ↑ "Under the Influence archives at CBC". CBC. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ↑ "Under the Influence air dates at CBC". CBC. Retrieved 2014-05-23.