This week, it’s our annual episode where we explore brands I admire. And in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, this year’s brands are all Canadian. We’ll look at what may be the most successful global retailer Canada’s 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. Happy birthday, Canada. Hos...
May 11, 2017•27 min•Season 6Ep. 19
This week, we explore how brands are becoming political for the first time in history. We’ll look at what happens when major retailers decide to “Dump Trump”, the controversial Super Bowl ad that challenged an immigration policy and crashed the Internet and how even Pepsi could drop the political ball. Years ago, most advertisers would have never dreamed of offending anyone with a pulse and a wallet. But all that is changing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 05, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 18
This week, it’s part two of our Gender Marketing show. In this episode, we’ll look at how companies that have historically marketed to one gender switch gears to target another . We’ll analyze how Harley Davidson got women on two wheels, why a 13-year-old girl convinced Hasbro to make an Easy Bake Oven for boys and how Barbie targeted…dads. By and large, most products are gender-neutral. It's just the marketing that's not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...
Apr 20, 2017•27 min•Season 6Ep. 16
This week, we delve into the controversial world of Gender Marketing. How did it all start? Why are aisles and products separated by gender? Why do some companies charge women more than men for identical items? Marketing different products to different genders leads to profit but also to big consequences. It’s not a black-and-white issue, but it’s definitely pink and blue… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 13, 2017•27 min•Season 6Ep. 15
This week, we look at the fine art of selling the dream. The world of Real Estate Marketing has its own rules, its own techniques and its own unique breed of salespeople. We'll tell the story of how the word "Realtor" was reluctantly blessed by Merriam-Webster, why so many real estate agents use photos of themselves as a marketing tactic and what happens when the real estate business tries enticing buyers using...humour. It's a form of marketing that touches all of us and it usually ...
Apr 06, 2017•27 min•Season 6Ep. 14
This week, we peek into the emerging world of influencer marketing. Today, the most popular social media Influencers aren't celebrities, they're regular people. Bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTube stars and Snapchatters have amassed millions of followers, promoting products using only the trust of their fans as currency. We'll look at a single YouTube review that shot Patti Labelle to the top of the baking industry, why J.K. Rowling only needed seven people to promote the biggest movie attrac...
Mar 30, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 13
This week, we analyze inventors who later came to regret their inventions. Sometimes it's because the product ended up being harmful. Other times it's because of the way their product was used. And in most cases, the creators simply lost control of their creations. We'll look at why the inventor of the K-Cup doesn't own a Keurig machine, why the creator of Mother's Day later tried to have it rescinded and how the Wright Brothers lost control of the airplane. It's one of the most unwieldy aspects...
Mar 16, 2017•27 min•Season 6Ep. 11
In this episode, we look at what happens when seemingly unrelated companies decide to partner up. By pooling their resources and, more importantly, by leveraging each other's strengths, unlikely brands collaborate to achieve much more than they could have achieved alone. We'll look at a hotel that partnered with an animal rescue organization by bringing dogs into the hotel, a budget-priced car that redefined the term "luxury vehicle" by teaming up with Prada and how NASA got the public to suppor...
Mar 10, 2017•27 min•Season 6Ep. 10
In this episode, we explore the controversial topic of Humane Marketing. From circuses to SeaWorld to fashion runways to fast food restaurants, each industry is dealing with mounting issues when it comes to the ethical treatment of animals, and their marketing is being affected as a result. This week, we'll look at how Ringling Brothers started using humane storytelling to draw customers, how Armani tipped the scales in the burgeoning "vegan clothing" world and the 2016 movie th...
Mar 03, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 9
This week, we enter the delicate world of Sponsorship Marketing. Close to 20 billion sponsorship dollars are spent each year in North America. That money can keep a brand afloat, or it can cause a lot of tension. We'll look at how a single phone call from Coca Cola changed Christmas tradition forever, how Barbie helped save the Girl Scouts and what happens when a sponsor has to weather the demands...of the sponsee. The reason brands pick certain programs or events to sponsor is always strategic ...
Feb 24, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 8
This week, we peek into the emerging world of influencer marketing. Today, the most popular social media Influencers aren't celebrities, they're regular people. Bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTube stars and Snapchatters have amassed millions of followers, promoting products using only the trust of their fans as currency. We'll look at a single YouTube review that shot Patti Labelle to the top of the baking industry, why J.K. Rowling only needed seven people to promote the biggest movie attrac...
Feb 10, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 6
This week, we take a look at the biggest day of the year for the advertising industry: The Super Bowl. The only sporting event where viewers pay as much attention to the commercials as they do the game. We'll analyze a tiny but ambitious brand that bet its entire marketing budget on one single Super Bowl commercial, a website that created a purposefully banned ad to generate free buzz and a company that created the most famous Super Bowl commercial of all time one year, then aired another ...
Feb 03, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 5
This week, we look at brands that separate themselves from the herd. In the world of marketing, standing out is the most critical thing a company can do. Having a distinct personality gives shoppers a reason to remember a brand and a reason to buy. We'll analyze a wrestler who used a delicate flower to intimidate his opponents, a single eyepatch that gave one company a $28M bump in sales and a motorcycle brand that succeeded by taking the fun out of the ride. Hosted on Acast. See aca...
Jan 27, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 4
In this episode, we explore why some big brands fail when they attempt to expand internationally. It’s always interesting when massive companies with marketing firepower move into a new country and end up packing up their tents and going back home. Sometimes those companies succeed in other countries, but one just trips them up. We’ll look at how Home Depot and eBay originally struck out in China, why Germany didn’t take well to Walmart and we’ll dive deep into the real reasons Target fail...
Jan 20, 2017•28 min•Season 6Ep. 3
This episode explores what happens to brands when a completely unexpected event occurs. Most companies tightly control every aspect of a brand - but occasionally, an unforeseen circumstance rears its head. And it’s always interesting to see how the company reacts and what happens to their business as a result. We’ll look at what happened to Ford Broncos after the OJ Simpson slow-speed car chase, what happened to Red Lobster after Beyonce gave it a sexy callout in a song, and what happened to Jam...
Jan 20, 2017•53 min•Season 6Ep. 2
In this episode, we explore the crazy world of Trademarks. The key to success in marketing is to stand out from the crowd. One of the best ways to do that is with trademarks. Brands try to create logos or slogans or design features that they can protect legally, giving them unique marketing tools. In this episode, we'll look at a lawsuit between Disney and a music performer over a mouse trademark, we'll listen to how companies trademark sounds, we'll talk about a ring announcer who earned over $...
Jan 06, 2017•27 min•Season 6Ep. 1
This week, we take a peek into the risky, yet delicious world of commercial parodies. Some spoof ads are created just for the laughs, while others are sharp critiques of questionable products, overzealous advertising claims and self-congratulatory corporations. We'll look at a magazine that satirized one of the most controversial court cases of the century, a company that parodied the competition, then sued another company for parodying their parody, and unpack the Saturday Night Live skits that...
Jun 24, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 25
This week, we take a peek into the risky, yet delicious world of commercial parodies. Some spoof ads are created just for the laughs, while others are sharp critiques of questionable products, overzealous advertising claims and self-congratulatory corporations. We'll look at a magazine that satirized one of the most controversial court cases of the century, a company that parodied the competition, then sued another company for parodying their parody, and unpack the Saturday Night Live skits that...
Jun 17, 2016•28 min•Season 5Ep. 24
This time, we explore the little known and surprising world of Industrial Musicals. In an unexpected collision of Madison Avenue and Broadway, companies in the '50s began staging full-fledged musicals in an effort to inspire their employees, parade new product lines and boost morale. We'll look at one company that tripled the production costs of My Fair Lady to inspire its sales team, another that unknowingly funded one of the most iconic novels of our time, and the handful of...
Jun 10, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 23
The research team at Under The Influence does a lot of reading over the year, and finds a lot of great stories - many of which don’t fit into our regular episodes. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be told! This week, we’ll tell the story of how Stephen King’s wife fished a story out of the wastepaper basket that changed their lives, how Engelbert Humperdinck’s manager tricked his record company into signing him, how Rocket Richard taught an enforcer a lesson, and we’ll tell an emotional stor...
Jun 03, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 22
This time, we explore the world of loyalty programs. In this day and age, marketers do everything possible to encourage loyal customers, and loyalty programs are one of the most effective ways to retain them. We’ll go back in time to see how the first loyalty programs started, and we’ll analyze the marketing strategies behind today’s programs to see how they really work. Loyalty cards may give shoppers points, miles and merchandise, but what they give marketers is fascinating. Hosted on Acast. S...
May 27, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 21
This week, we take a trip to five different countries to listen to some astonishing radio advertising. From a theatre company in Switzerland that sponsored the traffic in a whole new way, to a radio campaign that tried to bore you to sleep, to an amazing radio ad that asks you to donate your voice to help other people - all of these amazing campaigns are turning radio on its ear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 20, 2016•28 min•Season 5Ep. 20
It’s part two of our Strange Bedfellows episode. It’s not just smaller brands that are beginning to advertise on porn sites, Hollywood has come knocking, too. Large audiences and cheap ad rates are making advertisers ignore the risk in the hunt for reward. At the same time, porn sites are starting to advertise in mainstream media, and are trying to entice advertisers with analytics, public service messages and even college scholarships. It’s an interesting crossroad and a very dangerous intersec...
May 13, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 19
In this show, we explore the increasingly blurry line between advertising and porn. There has always been a line advertisers wouldn’t cross to promote their wares - but now some marketers have tiptoed over that line to advertise on porn sites. From food companies to fashion brands to Hollywood movies, marketers have breached the final frontier in their search for bigger, more affordable audiences. And on the other side of the tracks, porn sites are beginning to advertise in mainstream media. It’...
May 06, 2016•26 min•Season 5Ep. 18
This is our annual episode where Terry tells some interesting stories about the brands he admires. This year, it includes the very first toy ever advertised on television in 1952, a teen magazine dedicated to heartthrobs, the only trailer people can name-check on highways, and a book that can be found in every hotel room. Each of these brands has a special reason why it has survived and thrived. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 22, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 16
In this show, we explore the world of business-to-business advertising. It used to be the most boring advertising in the world - where green copywriters cut their teeth, and washed-up copywriters ended their careers. But all that changed when B2B companies dared advertise on the Super Bowl, and showed the marketing world that advertising industrial equipment could be as sexy as advertising a sports car. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 15, 2016•30 min•Season 5Ep. 15
This week, we search for some of the world’s oldest brands. 80% of companies fold after 18 months, the ones that survive average a 50 year lifespan - then there are the ones that manage to last 100, 300 or sometimes even 600 years. We’ll look at a retail store that began in 1670, a brewery that poured its first beer in 1366, and the oldest fast food joint that used root beer to attract drinkers during Prohibition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 08, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 14
This week, we look at how marketing companies bounce back from blunders and epic missteps. Yes, most apologize, but what happens after the apology? We find out by telling the story of an airline that mistakenly offered business class tickets to Europe for $39, the cautionary tale of a company that made fun of a very serious Twitter hashtag and paid the price, the way a major candy bar company was forced to pull a global campaign off the air but came back even stronger, and the odd story of how a...
Apr 01, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 13
While there are many strange products in the world, there are even stranger service companies. This week, we talk about a company that rents wedding guests, a company you can hire to actually cuddle you, and we’ll explore a company that promises to cure your hangover in just a few hours. And if you need an alibi to go with that hangover, there’s a company that markets lies, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 18, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 11
The most interesting cultural differences aren’t country to country, they are province to province, state to state, and even city to city. This week, we explore how and why people living in different locations buy such vastly different products. British Columbia likes to show off luxury cars, Toronto likes big homes, and New York likes luxury watches. The most pampered pets live in Saskatchewan. Last year, the city that bought the most sex paraphernalia was Victoria, this year it’s a city out ea...
Mar 11, 2016•27 min•Season 5Ep. 10
