Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

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We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.Lately companies have been hijacking breaking news stories to create ads.When thieves broke into the Louvre with a ladder, the ladder company quickly produced a tongue-in-cheek ad.When the Oscars read the wrong Best Picture winner, an optometry chain made fun of the mix-up.It’s called Newsjacking - and it’s becoming a powerful marketing tactic.

We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.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.

We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.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.

We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.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.

We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.This week, 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.

We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.December 8th is the 45th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. In this very revealing interview, I talk with Earl Slick, guitarist on Double Fantasy. Earl talks about recording John’s final album, Lennon’s sense of humour, and how Earl found out about John’s murder.

We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.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.

We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here.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.