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Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly
S4E16 - Brand Envy 2015
Season 4, Ep. 16
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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. Terry looks at an armoured truck company that decided to transport money instead of packages, a business that started because of spilt milk, a board game created to protest capitalism, and a 51 year-old game show that still attracts over 25 millions viewers per week.
Each wildly successful, each still going today, and each one of them survived because of an unforeseen opportunity.
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