Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

The world of marketing has discovered there’s money to be made in creating fake ads.But, they’re not trying to fool you - they’re trying to entertain you. Companies are creating fake ads and fake stores and even fake mistakes - on purpose - in order to gain your attention.The trick is to appear absolutely legitimate.While gently pulling your leg at the same time.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.