CBC Podcasts

Looks Like My Work is Done Here

cbcpodcasts — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:37:14 +0000

Terry O’Reilly has posted the links to the official Age of Persuasion podcast and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve enjoyed making the shows available to the 1200 subscribers to the unofficial podcast and hearing Terry acknowledge its existence on The Sound of Young America, but also I’m glad licensing has been arranged to make it an official podcast available.

Unless I am asked to remove the previous seasons, I will continue to make them available here.

419 Looking For the Admen in Madmen

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:30:57 +0000

The Emmy-winning TV series “Mad Men” is all the rage right now. The writing is remarkable, the Madison Avenue characters riveting, and it has been praised as being true to the early 60s period it depicts. As with any show that begins to work its way into pop culture, it is slowly becoming regarded as an accurate record of the advertising business.

But is it?

Join Terry O’Reilly this week as he analyzes the show, compares it to the real advertising world he works in daily, and searches for the Admen in Mad Men.

418 More Remarkable Brands

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:30:56 +0000

Brands aren’t just products on shelves. Brands are people, and places, and events, and moments in time: anything that leaves a distinct emotional impression. This week, Terry checks under the hood of a handful of fascinating brands, to see what makes them tick. One is the only ‘A’ list celebrity to survive the entire television age. One is an unforgettable era. Another is a cultural icon. And one may be the world’s most spectacular piece of real estate. Terry explains the magic of these mighty brands, and what makes them unforgettable.

417 Opportunism

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:30:36 +0000

Terry O’Reilly is fond of noting, “there’s an opportunity hiding in everything.” This week he explores the way advertisers seize opportunities. He’ll explain why Nike chose to launch its latest Tiger Woods ad just as the golfer was drawing worldwide headlines during his return to the Masters; how a car brand turned a viral video into a marketing opportunity, and even how NASA manages to sneak a little brand building into the launching of its rockets.

In this episode you hear how the viral video campaign by Blendtec founder Tom Dickson found some highly topical fodder for his blender. He’s known for blending stuff. Golf balls. Lightbulbs. A German-English dictionary. All to dramatically – and humorously – demonstrate the power of his blenders. Check out what he blended in this recent ad and the incredible

Also on this week’s episode, Terry’s take on how Tiger Woods- and Nike- returned to public view after Mr. Wood’s storied personal misadventures. Judging by your response to the piece Terry wrote for the Ottawa Citizen about it, and on our Age of Persuasion Facebook page, it’s clear that a great many people are interested to hear that!

416 Negative Advertising

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:30:28 +0000

Attack ads have become the staple of political campaigns. Now negative advertising is gaining in popularity throughout the ad business. But do negative ads work? This week, Terry O’Reilly explores the attraction- and danger- of ads that take shots at rivals. He’ll show how some great campaigns are negative without seeming negative. And he’ll recall some notable negative campaigns that backfired.

415 Profiles in (Marketing) Courage

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:30:38 +0000

It’s not the sort of courage that makes headlines or history books: this week Terry O’Reilly tells stories of those in marketing who take risks- or make daring counter-intuitive decisions, despite immense pressure to take an easier route. He’ll tell the story of brands that swam against the prevailing current, including some who used their ads to help break social barriers. And he’ll profile a fast-food giant that sunk millions into a campaign to tell people how bad its product was.

414 Where Power Resides

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:30:42 +0000

It’s a popular myth among some consumers that advertisers hold some mysterious, hypnotic sway over them: manipulating their beliefs and spending decisions. Many advertisers, on the other hand, believe the power lies entirely with consumers, who can hobble the mightiest of brands with a rumour, or a single, viral video. This week, Terry O’Reilly follows the food chain of persuasion all the way to the top- to find out where the power really resides. And he’ll show you the chain of command within the ad business itself.

Streaming Change on Official Site

cbcpodcasts — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:34:02 +0000

It looks like the Age of Persuasion site has changed flash players and obscured the source MP3 file. Does anyone have ideas?

Solved

413 Privacy

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:30:58 +0000

Advertising is only meaningful if it’s pitching something you’re interested in. But advertisers can’t know what you’re interested in without learning something about you. That means information gathering- and that touches on the sticky issue of privacy. This week Terry explains why your personal information is so important to marketers, and how the new generation of consumers is more willing to surrender personal information than their parents. He’ll also take you on a tour down a data mine, to show how savvy marketers use customer information to improve customer service- and their bottom line.

412 Odballs: Singular Campaigns

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:30:52 +0000

Just as there are oddballs in sports, the arts, and certainly in politics- there is no shortage of oddball campaigns in advertising. This week, Terry explains why oddball campaigns are so important to his trade. Not all rank among the all-time greats; not all scoop major awards. What they do was change the way people think about ads. Terry will tell the story of the controversial Benneton campaign of the 80′s and 90′s, and pay tribute to an ad giant who change the way the world thinks… about prunes.

411 Context

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:30:10 +0000

A great ad can become a bad one when it’s out of context. Witness the billboard raising awareness of childhood obesity placed beside another for a fast-food giant. This week, Terry explores the importance of context in the craft of persuasion. He’ll show how great ad writers play with context to create memorable messages. He’ll explain why advertisers have come to relate to consumers in the context of a servant/master relationship, and how consumers punish marketers who stray bound those boundaries.

410 All Things Being Equal: Parity Products

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Suppose you’re a marketer trying to sell a product with few or no discernible differences from rival brands. In advertising, that’s where the rubber hits the road. This week Terry explores “parity” products: “low-interest” products such as razors, detergents and toothpastes which, without marketing help, all seem alike. You’ll meet the ad pioneer who perfected “parity” marketing, and turned a failed toothpaste into one of the world’s mightiest brands.

409 Being There: Selling Experiences

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:30:05 +0000

When is an airline not an airline? Or a bottle of pop more than a packaged good on a shelf? When it’s an experience. This week Terry O’Reilly examines the new trend towards ‘experiential’ marketing- where consumers do more than buy a brand- they engage it. And he traces “modern” retail experiences (Starbucks, for instance- where attitude, atmosphere, sounds & smells combine to create a social experience) all the way back to department store pioneers Timothy Eaton and John Wanamaker.

408 Are People idiots?

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Ad giant David Ogilvy once wrote “the consumer is not a moron: she is your wife!” A few years earlier, Journalist H.L. Menchen wrote: “No one in this world, so far as I know, has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.” Who’s right? This week, Terry O’Reilly explains why “lowest common denominator” advertising is bad business- and why it remains agonizingly popular.

407 Categories

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:30:23 +0000

All ads are not alike. Not when you consider the ad ‘categories’ they come from. This week, Terry O’Reilly tours major ad categories- from automotive to confections, from fast food to banking: each with its own personality, rules and language. He’ll show how vastly different the tourism category is from, say, no-for-profit or sports marketing. He’ll show how ad categories can be big, small, fascinating, and, in at least one case, downright mysterious.

406 Slogans

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:30:13 +0000

The word slogan- (which by the way, is a word ad people never, ever use) derives from the Gaelic “slaugh gairn”, meaning “cry of the host,” or “battle cry.” Slogans were once an advertising staple- the brief, pithy line that embodies a brand and its promise- from “A Little Dab’ll Do Ya” to “Trust your Car to the Man Who Wears the Star,” to- dare we say- “Canada Lives Here.” But nowadays, as Terry O’Reilly explains, the slogan is dying out, as major brands turn from words to sentiments, emotions and icons.

405 Persuasion Fail

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:00:36 +0000

Search the words “Commercial Fail” on YouTube, and you quickly learn that advertising mishaps are funny, bizarre, and prolific. This week, Terry O’Reilly takes a break from his customary celebration of great advertising, and offers a tour of some of the great train wrecks of his industry. From Burger King’s disastrous “Where’s Herb”, to a lesser-known, and spectacularly unsuccessful margarine commercial featuring- yes- Eleanor Roosevelt.

404 Heroes & Villains

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:00:14 +0000

Just as Lex Luthor makes Superman more heroic, and Moriarty makes Holmes more brilliant, heroes are defined by the villains they face. In marketing- a brand is often defined by the problem it solves- or the rival brand it’s up against. This week Terry O’Reilly shows how strong villains, problems, obstacles and rivals play a vital role in building up a ‘hero’ brand. And he’ll explain how comparison ads can turn rival ‘hero’ brands into villains.

403 Pitchmen

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:00:17 +0000

Maybe it’s the DNA. Or too much caffeine at a young age. What is that special gift that enables great pitchmen to part us from our money? And what is that part of us that wants to be pitched? Hold on to your wallet: this week Terry O’Reilly looks at the natural born pitchmen- from the travelling medicine shows of the early 20th Century, to the late-great Billy Mays. He’ll explain what separates the true pitchmen- such as Vince “Slap-Chop” Shlomi, from high-octane celebrity spokespeople, such as Priceline’s William Shatner. And he’ll chronicle the pitchman’s ouster from prime time broadcast to the low-rent districts of shopping channels and infomercials.

402 Buzz

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:30:25 +0000

Just as positive buzz can launch a brand into the stratosphere – negative buzz can sink it lower than whale doo-doo. This week Terry explores the ways buzz shapes popular sentiment, while making- and breaking- major brands. He’ll chronicle the rise and fall of TV as a source of buzz, and how it has given way to the new kingmakers of marketing- online communities. He’ll also explore the ancient art of the “shill”- and how it’s finding new life on the Internet.

401 Marketing the Unpleasant

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:30:16 +0000

They are the ads that make everyone squirm- consumers, media, and especially ad copywriters; ads for the funeral industry, laxatives, incontinence pads, and the queen mother of unpleasant ad briefs- feminine hygiene products. Terry O’Reilly kicks off the 4th season of The Age of Persuasion with an insider’s look at marketing the unpleasant, from the strange-but-true history of marketing menstruation products, to Wal-Mart’s recent decision to sell caskets and urns online.

Age of Persuasion returns with a fourth season

cbcpodcasts — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:36:35 +0000

Age of persuasion will begin again on Monday, January 4, 2010.

Randy’s Vinyl Tap Podcast Available

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:16:27 +0000

I received an email from someone informing me that they have made a podcast feed available for Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap. I thought it might help if I mention it here and provide a place on the Podcast page to find it.

Elliott Brood live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:00:44 +0000

Get out your pots and pans and grab something drumstick-like the boys of Elliott Brood are going to be in the Drive studio, and they love it when people crash along to their songs with homemade percussion! The constantly touring trio serve us up some laughs and great tunes you won’t want to miss.

321 Ask Terry

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:30:03 +0000

The ‘ol Age of Persuasion mailbag has been packed a little too full lately. So this week- in the season finale- Terry O’Reilly dedicates an entire show to answering your questions about advertising and marketing. How do you pitch your great ad idea to a major brand? Will product placement replace conventional advertising? What’s an eco-friendly way of removing carpenter bees from the back deck? Okay, Terry has some of the answers. At least he’ll take his best swing at your pitches, this week on The Age of Persuasion.

320 Embracing New Media

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:30:18 +0000

When the telephone was first invented, a debate arose: not over the invention itself, but over what to say when answering it. In time, the word “hello” prevailed. As Terry O’Reilly observes, the creation of each new medium brings with it a learning curve, as its strengths are discovered, and its ‘language invented. Terry explores ways marketers and advertisers have struggled with each new medium: how early radio was treated as ‘print read aloud’, and how early TV was ‘Radio with pictures’. And he’ll show how, only now, marketers are beginning to speak the new ‘language’ of the Internet.

Skydiggers Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:27:06 +0000

20 years ago, a little Toronto band helped start the alt-country revolution in this country. We’re talking about Skydiggers, who alongside Cowboy Junkies and Blue Rodeo really gave the Canadian music scene the roots-rock injection it needed, and helped pave the way for the slew of alt-country bands that came after – most of who we play on Drive! Well we’re happy to say that the boys will be in the Drive studio to talk with guest host Kelly Cutrara about their new retrospective CD and play a couple of their gorgeous melodies.

319 Urban Legends

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:30:08 +0000

Bulletin… bulletin… bulletin… this just in… the actor who played “Mikey” in the Life Cereal Ads did not die as result of consuming pop rocks and cola (or from any other cause). Just as not-dead is Jared Fogel, spokesman for Subway restaurants. A tooth will not dissolve when left in Coca Cola overnight. And Pepsi did not have to give a Harrier Jet to a business student who sued them over a “Pepsi Points” TV ad in the 90′s. Join Terry O’Reilly around the campfire as he explores Urban Legends surrounding advertising. He’ll debunk a few of the howlers, and tell stories of a few that are true.

Michael Jerome Brown Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:24:31 +0000

You name it, he plays it. Michael Jerome Brown is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and teacher – comfortable writing and playing acoustic or electric blues, old-time country or Cajun. You can’t just pigeonhole him as a bluesman…he’s got it all covered – his soulful voice, incredible guitar playing, and the from-the-heart lyrics written by his wife (fun fact!) B.A Markus. We’re thrilled to have him in our studio today. You should check out his latest album This Beautiful Mess (we are big fans), and if you’re in Southern Ontario this weekend, stop on by the Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival, where you can catch Michael on Sunday on the Acoustic Stage.

Royal Wood Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:33:26 +0000

A Royal Wood song is romantic and sweet, but with a tinge of melancholy. We just adore him, and we’ve got the Drive studio piano all tuned up for him as he drops by to play us some new songs from the recently released Lost and Found EP and chat about all things Royal.

318 Entertainment or Nothing

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:30:26 +0000

It’s no secret that entertaining messages attract audiences. But today, as advertisers, government agencies, business and educators are learning- entertainment is fast becoming the only way to reach an audience. Terry O’Reilly explains how all kinds of modern messages are being wrapped in entertainment, or are tied to engaging ideas. He’ll explain how that is driving some unlikely players- including the Pope, the Queen, major corporations and government ministries, to such entertainment-skewed media as YouTube

Joel Plaskett Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:47:28 +0000

It’s the last day of Live Times Five and we decided that fun was the only way to close out the week. That’s where Rich’s old pal Joel Plaskett comes in! Joel has a way of making everyone feel like they’re his old pal too. His solo performance of songs from his new album Three will surely make you stop what you’re doing and listen listen listen.

Neko Case Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:43:41 +0000

Thursday, a woman who accused Rich of looking at her new album-cover with “Photoshop eyes” – the incredible Neko Case, who made such an impression when she strode into the Drive studio and let out that killer voice.

Daniel Lanois Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:41:54 +0000

Today, we showcase the man that caused the entire Drive crew to crowd around like a bunch of groupies…songwriter and producer extraordinaire Daniel Lanois.

Great Lake Swimmers Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:40:25 +0000

Today, we have The Great Lake Swimmers, a band that has been serving up gorgeous, lush alt-country for several years now, and are a mainstay on the R2 Drive play list. They brought us all to a state of quiet reverence as they played songs from their new album Lost Channels.

Melissa McClelland Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:34:42 +0000

We begin with Melissa McClelland. It’s Victoria Day, her new album is called Victoria Day, and coincidentally, it’s her 30th birthday as well. Seems the perfect place to start.

Terry O’Reilly acknowledges the podcast

cbcpodcasts — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:15:35 +0000

I think this podcast was mentioned by Terry O’Reilly on the great program, The Sound of Young America.

Be sure to check out the entire interview.

Ndidi Onukwulu Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:14:50 +0000

The BC born and raised musician has been hailed as “our generation’s funkier Billy Holiday” and her blues based music isn’t limited to the genre – somewhere between jazz and soul, folk and chanson, you’ll find Ndidi. On the tail of a cross-Canada tour and about to head to Europe, Nididi Onukwulu drops by the Drive studio for a performance and chat with Rich

K-OS Live on Drive

cbcpodcasts — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:55:25 +0000

The man was in the Drive studio with a live set-up – Sartosh Naidu playing Tablas and Congas, Thomas D’arcy (of the band Small Sins) on bass, Steve Krecklo (also of Small Sins) on guitar, and K-OS at the mic and on keys. They gave us two incredibly unique versions of “4321″ and “Burning Bridges” both off his new disc Yes!

317 The Myths of Persuasion

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:30:59 +0000

In a society whose only real knowledge of the ad business ranges from Darren Stephens in Bewitched to Don Draper in Mad Men, a few misconceptions are bound to crop up. This week, Terry O’Reilly tackles some common myths surrounding the ad business, including the Myth that advertising steers behaviours and trends, the myth that any publicity is good publicity, and the myth that advertising is about spontaneous ideas.

316 The Real Deal: Authenticity

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:30:24 +0000

The secret to Tiger Woods’ success as a golfer is that he can make a golf ball soar, spin, curve- heck, he can make it deal cards if he wants to. But what’s the secret to Tiger Woods as a brand? It’s authenticity. This week Terry O’Reilly explains the importance of a brand living up to its promise- of actually being everything it says it is. Terry will even summon the courage to tell of his riveting childhood disillusionment after ordering a family of Sea Monkeys from a comic book.

315 Big And Small

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:30:38 +0000

For more than a century, advertisers have fallen to the lure of hyperbole: over-inflating the importance of their brand. They made cheap currency of claims such as bigger, faster, stronger, better-tasting, harder-working, brighter, softer, newer, more-economical and longer-lasting. As Terry O’Reilly points out, some very small help is on the way. A newer, better, smarter generation of advertisers are finding ways to leverage the ‘smallness’ of their brand, and still get noticed without hyperbole.

314 Brand Loyalty

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:30:06 +0000

Brand loyalty is the greatest prize a marketer can earn. Yet nowadays, it’s increasingly rare. This week, Terry O’Reilly explains the tangible- and intangible process of forming loyalties between brands and customers: and what goes into that ‘gut’ feeling that makes people reach for one brand over another, when all else is equal. He’ll explain how brands such as Apple and Harley Davidson cultivated vast tribes of loyal followers, and how it is that some brands prompt disloyalty.

312 Selling God

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:30:43 +0000

This week Terry O’Reilly marches you boldly where the angels of marketing fear to tread: he looks at the delicate, always-controversial relationship between faith and advertising. He’ll look into the controversy surrounding recent bus ads, which read “There Probably Is No God. So Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life.” And he’ll explain why not all people of faith embrace the marketing tactics popular in some of today’s churches.

311 Sun Tzu and the Art of War

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:30:36 +0000

What does modern advertising and marketing have to do with a 25 hundred-year-old military theorist? Terry O’Reilly is so glad you asked. This week he examines the ancient bamboo scrolls of Sun Tzu- author of The Art of War, and shows how modern marketers- including an upstart vodka and a revolutionary hair colouring brand- have gleaned valuable lessons from Sun Tzu’s writings.

310 Repetition Repetition Repetition

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:30:57 +0000

Is advertising advertising advertising all about repetition repetition repetition? This week, Terry O’Reilly examines the role ‘frequency’ plays in ad messages. He’ll explain how many times you are meant to see or hear an ad in a given week, and why some campaigns seem to bombard you more than others. He’ll also explain how the creative content is what helps some ads run successfully for years, and causes others to wear out their welcome almost immediately.

309 Great Canadian Campaigns

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:30:04 +0000

There’s no “Made in Canada” label on ad campaigns: but Terry O’Reilly often wishes there were. This week he proudly tells the story of some Made-in-Canada success stories. They’re ad campaigns with maple syrup in their veins; how an idea resurrected from a wastebasket put one retail chain on the map; how a campaign that ran on TV just six times is still talked about, nearly four decades later. And how a three-word ad phrase brought a nation to its feet.

308 Commandeering Holidays

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:30:19 +0000

Is the meaning of major holidays- from Easter and Passover to Christmas and Ramadan- becoming lost in a sea of holiday marketing? This week Terry O’Reilly explains why advertisers don’t dare ignore the opportunities presented by holidays. Just as marketing has come to dominate major Christian holidays, Terry explains how, in a sense, the baton has been passed: it was the church, after all, that commandeered many of its holidays from pagan traditions.

307 Breaking the Contract

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:30:49 +0000

Monday, 16 February 2009 11:30 am and Saturday 21 February 2009 4:30 pm
(Originally aired October 19, 2006)

When Advertisers take our time and attention, shouldn’t they give something back? Terry O’Reilly thinks so. This week Terry examines the unwritten “contract” forged between Advertisers and audiences more than 80 years ago. He’ll tell the story of ad giant Albert Lasker, who, in the 1920’s, pioneered the idea of sponsor-driven broadcasts. You’ll discover why an understanding of the contract makes you a better consumer, and why today’s advertisers violate the contract at their peril.

306 The Human Face of Persuasion

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:00:28 +0000

Originally aired November, 2006

Hooda thunkit: for all their flow charts and profit projections, Marketers are re-discovering the true “secret weapon” of persuasion: people. In this episode from Season One of the Age of Persuasion, Terry explains the value of putting a “human face” to a brand: from the fictional Aunt Jemima to the very real Chef Boyardee. And how Radio uses the power of the human voice to say things about a brand… without saying them.

305 According to Hoyle

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:30:43 +0000

Are there “rules” for creating great ads? This week, Terry O’Reilly dusts off the Great Rulebook of Creative Advertising and shares some of its immutable laws, and plays successful ads that… well… mute them. He’s show how ‘rules’ and conventions in ad creative change with time. And he’ll share a few ideas he’s scribbled in the book over the years, as he explains why- as he’s fond of saying- “There are no rules in advertising. Only sins.”

304 Rethink the Shark

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:30:21 +0000

There’s an old marketing axiom: “never try to change people’s minds”. Yet massive changes in public attitudes happen constantly: attitudes about the role of women, about racial equality, about smoking, using seatbelts, and attitudes about gay/lesbian/bi & transsexual lifestyles. This week Terry O’Reilly examines the role advertising plays when society’s attitudes change- how it can help sustains old thinking, or work as a force to sanctify new thinking.

303 Nasty is the New Nice

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:30:55 +0000

Is it just us, or has the tone of advertising gotten colder, nastier, more rude? This week Terry O’Reilly shows how the tone of advertising is taking on a new meanness. The humour of some campaigns is taking on a decidedly sharp edge. Broadcast ads are becoming more heavily laden with violence and bodily functions. Ad copy is developing a case of potty-mouth. We’ll trace some of the sources of this trend, and explain why the earnest, innocent ad copy of the 50’s just won’t cut it today.

302 Recession Marketing

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:30:02 +0000

Strange things happen in the Age of Persuasion during an economic downturn. As Terry O’Reilly observes, many advertisers abandon their sense of humour, and often- mistakenly- turn to aggressive, desperate hard sell. Meanwhile, some brands, such as Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and SPAM, actually thrive. And a few, courageous marketers know that in tough times, great marketing is counter-intuitive. Terry explains why.

301 A Taste for Blood

cbcpodcasts — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:30:06 +0000

There’s a lot more to Direct Marketing than “ShamWow”, and Ginsu knives, and Veg-O-Matics. On the season premiere of The Age of Persuasion, Terry O’Reilly looks at the changing craft of Direct Marketing- and explains why ad giant David Ogilvy called it his “first love and secret weapon”. Terry will track the history of Direct Marketing from Eaton’s catalogues to “amazing” TV offers to online banner ads.

The Hangover

cbcpodcasts — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:01:52 +0000

Act I

Jonathan monologues, discussing: leaning on the fridge, worrying; eating submarine sandwiches; raisin bread; Philip Lopate and getting drunk “Russian novel style.”

Jonathan Goldstein

National Post articles:

“Diary: Jonathan Goldstein; Karamazov cocktail” from November 28, 2006
“How Hilary would rock the vote; And why raisins have nothing on peanut butter” from April 30, 2008
“I am but a human fridge magnet; And I hold up a mighty to-do list” from April 16, 2008

Act II

Jonathan has a hangover and calls Howard to ask him to bring over some aspirin. But first, Howard decides to try some Howard Chackowicz Homebrew Hangover remedies.

Howard Chackowicz
Jonathan Goldstein

Act III

Jonathan talks to “Ian” (i.e. David Rakoff) who claims that he does better in job interviews while drunk and attempts to prove it.

Jonathan Goldstein
David Rakoff

Act IV

The episode ends with a “wrap up” monologue in the kitchen.

Jonathan Goldstein

Age of Persuasion will return January 5, 2009

cbcpodcasts — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:58:56 +0000

We are very pleased to announce that the new season of The Age of Persuasion debuts on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. Monday episodes will be repeated Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. We are, in effect, sharing this season with our friends at White Coat, Black Art, and will adopt their current time slots. Meanwhile, we are running repeat programs in some parts of Canada

- CBC Age of Persuasion blog

Episode 6: Sentimental Journey (Music & Emotion)

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:00:54 +0000

Some music expresses joy; other music expresses sorrow. It also can affect our emotions and * make* us happy or sad. On Episode 6 of The Nerve, host Jowi Taylor asks what makes sad music sad, and whether those elements are universal across cultures. Music is like a drug, in a way. It’s used to enhance the effect of dramatic entertainment and evoke moods in an audience. We often use it to alter our own moods. Is there a recipe composers can use to achieve these ends?

The Nerve 6 wonders whether music really is the language of our emotions.

Episode 5: myTunes (Music & Identity)

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:00:51 +0000

Today, it seems, everyone has the opportunity to create their very own personal soundtrack to their lives. There’s a very simple reason that the iPod starts with the letter “I”. On Episode 5 of The Nerve, host Jowi Taylor examines how music plays an integral part in everyone’s identity, regardless of class, race, religion, education, gender, or sexuality. But wait – no, in fact, it’s got everything to do with class, race, religion, education, gender and sexuality.

Just how much power does music have to create a sense of “me” and “you”, of “us” and “them”? How can songs written by other people be described as your tunes or my tunes? The Nerve 5 declares its own musical identity.

Episode 4: Enchanted, Entranced (Music & Spirituality)

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:00:45 +0000

In Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and every minor religion around the world, music has been used as a tool to elevate the spirit or unite the faithful. On Episode 4 of The Nerve, host Jowi Taylor looks at how music has come to be so closely associated with the sacred, and how chanting, singing and drumming in unison produce tangible physical effects, evoking altered states from trance to exaltation. Many cultures consider music to be a gift from the gods. But apart from the claim that it is a gift from God, what is it exactly about music that makes it have such power over our spirits?

The Nerve 4 congregates a variety of opinions from multiple faiths to address why music so enchants and entrances us.

Episode 3: The Pipe, the Drum and the Thunder Run (Music & War)

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:00:49 +0000

On Episode 3 of The Nerve, host Jowi Taylor surveys the entwined histories of war and music. Military music is meant to stir the blood. In order to achieve this, some instruments, some compositions, some sounds are more favoured than others. The Israelites used trumpets to bring down the walls of Jericho. Coppola’s Apocalypse Now helicopters played Ride of the Valkyries, which was based on an actual practice used during the Vietnam War – and is used today as part of the “Thunder Run” strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Scots went to war with bagpipes. And every army has a band. And music can also be an instrument of torture, as happens today, when the U.S. Army uses music to “forcibly interrogate” its prisoners.

From pipes, to drums, to thunder runs, The Nerve 3 takes a serious look at the dark side of music.

Episode 2: In the Key of DNA (Music & Evolution)

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:00:17 +0000

Episode 2 of The Nerve asks the question why? Why did music evolve in the first place? Some people think music is merely an evolutionary frill, a by-product – delicious cheesecake for our ears that has no evolutionary purpose. Darwin himself was puzzled by music. Observing songbirds, he suggested music’s role was in sexual selection (which may explain why rock stars from Franz Liszt to Tommy Lee have had such busy sex lives). Others believe music’s origins may be found in the mother-infant interactions we call baby talk, and others consider the importance of the lullaby – a need to pacify infants. Others theorize that music developed in tandem with the social cohesion necessary to the survival of bands of early humans, critical to them through its power to strengthen social bonds.

Cheesecake? Or sex, baby talk, and social interaction? Set in the Key of DNA, The Nerve 2 examines what the purpose of music is and has been, yesterday and today.

Episode 1: Wired for Sound (Music & the Brain)

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:00:37 +0000

On Episode 1 of The Nerve, host Jowi Taylor takes you on an aural journey, from the creation of sound at its source, through the air and the outer ear to the cochlea, the spinal column, and the cerebral cortex. On the way, you’ll hear about how and why hearing evolved, and how the human ear is designed to react to certain sounds. Why do we hear some sounds as music, and other sounds as noise? What’s the critical relationship between anticipation and satisfaction that drives music? Just what happens when the human brain and music become dance partners? And what roles do the elements we call rhythm, harmony, melody and timbre play in that dance?

The Nerve 1 looks at how we are wired for sound – and just how all the wonder that music makes possible, is possible itself in the first place.

Episode 10: The Best Of

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:30:58 +0000

It’s the director’s cut of ReVision Quest! On this final episode of the season, host Darrell Dennis shares the comedy sketches and songs that had our test audiences rolling in the aisle. It’s your chance to hear some of the funny you may have missed, or might just want to hear again. But wait, there’s more! You’ll also get to hear select outtakes and bonus show extras.

Episode 10: Finale

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:30:51 +0000

In the final episode of Alien Nation, host and mother Judith Mackin describes where the journey into teenage worlds has taken her. Is she any closer to her son? Does she have a better grip on the teenage world he lives in? In this show, many teens speak out about why they believe their generation will do better. And the series concludes with a moving and intimate conversation between Judith and her son Robyn confronting the need to change or live apart.

Featuring music from:
RACONTEURS: Carolina Drama
SAM ROBERTS: Hard Road
SLOAN: The Rest of My Life
KILLERS: Exitlude

Episode 9: Language

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:30:50 +0000

We Canadians are learning Aboriginal words all the time. Words like Canada, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Trickster. On Revision Quest, host Darrell Dennis talks with language experts, and Sesame Street’s Grover, and travels through time, to find out if Aboriginal languages have any application in the modern world. Along the way he discovers interesting uses for the languages of First Nations Peoples. And he learns some useful new phrases; like what to say when you run into trouble with the law!

Episode 9: Feeding Your Soul

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:30:11 +0000

In this episode, teens talk about their search for meaning, their attitudes toward spirituality in a consumer-based, secular culture.. Some have strong relationships with their church and their god. Others don’t know, don’t care and don’t want any part of organized religion. We also meet Fareeda who very much defines herself in terms of a religious upbringing that sustains her body and soul. Host and mother Judith Mackin will also describe her desire to pass along to her teenage son Robyn the spirit if not the letter of the values she learned from her devout Christian parents.

Featuring music from:
CANNIBAL CORPSE: I Will Kill You
LEONARD COHEN: Future
BOB DYLAN: Highway 61 Revisited
SAMI YUSUF: Who is the Loved One
CAROL WOODS: Let It Be
XTC: Dear God
BETA BAND: Dry the Rain

Episode 8: Free Stuff

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:30:43 +0000

Native Canadians get everything for free. Or, so the myth goes. This week on ReVision Quest, host Darrell Dennis puts that theory to the test. Can he really get free glasses, free tuition, or even a free truck just for being Aboriginal. And if not, where did people get the idea in the first place? Tune in to find out.

Episode 8: Does Parenting Matter?

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:30:50 +0000

In this episode Host and Mother Judith Mackin asks herself and other parents how much responsibility they can take for the successes and failures of their teens. We hear from parents who’ve done everything in their power to help their children succeed. And while some of those teens find their way easily, others are inexplicably lost. Teens talk about what it’s like to long for an absent parent and what it’s like to find a parental substitute when real moms and dads aren’t always able to do the job.

Featuring music from:
WHITE STRIPES: Hardest Button to Button
EMINEM: Cleaning Out My Closet
AMERICAN BEAUTY SOUNDTRACK: Dead Already
GORILLAZ: Kids with Guns
CANNED HEAT: Going Up the Country
VERVE: Bittersweet Symphony

Episode 7: Hunting & Fishing

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:30:48 +0000

Aboriginal people enjoy special hunting and fishing rights, based on their traditional practices. Have they exploited those rights, or have they had to fight to protect them? With the help of a guide (okay, a lawyer), host Darrell Dennis hunts through history and fishes for facts. He revisits a notorious fishing feud and learns Arctic etiquette from an Inuit hunter. The results both surprising and, occasionally, hilarious.

Episode 7: Starting Over

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:30:27 +0000

Host and mother Judith Mackin and her teenage son start their lives over in a new house with Judith’s new partner. They hope to avoid the problems that broke up their last blended family but they are well aware that the new arrangement comes with no guarantees. Listeners also meet Shaun, a teenager who reinvents himself in the image of a musical icon. Ultimately, he finds his strategy for popularity and success is flawed … and nearly fatally flawed, at that. Starting over comes with a price.

Do This Or Die

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:30:20 +0000

Broadcast Date: Aug 2, 2008 (Originally Aired June 21, 2007)

Episode 6: Gambling

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:30:09 +0000

Revision Quest is the show that looks back on Canada’s native history in order to kick some assumptions about the present. This week on the show: Gambling on gambling. Can legalized gambling pull the Rez out of the cycle of poverty and despair, or will it just replace the old cycle with a new one? As you’ll discover, this isn’t the first time gambling has played an important role in native life, and probably won’t be the last.

Episode 6: Sex

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:15:47 +0000

This show is a heart-stopping sampling of teenage thoughts about sex and love, desire and heartache. Host and mother Judith Mackin asks teens how they’re affected by the flood of erotica and soft porn that spills from magazines, billboards, television and the internet. Teens talk about the death of dating and the pressure on girls to “put out.” Teens also talk about why they’re waiting for marriage or that someone they can trust.

The Future of Persuasion

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:30:23 +0000

Broadcast Date: July 26, 2008 (Originally Aired June 14, 2007)

Episode 5: The Reserve

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:30:59 +0000

If you focus on news reports, it’s easy to get the impression that reserves in this country are all parceled lands of poverty, inequity, and vice, run by incompetent, corrupt Aboriginals. Darrell Dennis knows the truth is a little more complicated than that. After all, he grew up on a reserve in B.C. And this week on ReVision Quest, he teams up with a helpful historian and a successful native businessman to get at the real story of reserves in Canada.

The Wall of Cynicism

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:30:14 +0000

Broadcast Date: July 19, 2008 (Originally Aired May 31, 2007)

Episode 5: Teens and Screens

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:30:45 +0000

Alien Nation Host Judith Mackin wonders at the high-tech world occupied by her teenage son and his friends. It’s a world where teens appear to lose time, perspective and a sense of responsibility. Judith’s son, Robyn and class mate Drew talk about their cyber bullying experience which has an unpredictable ending. Other students talk about their on-screen lives on Facebook, YouTube and video games. Do real friendships exist on line? Is the world of pixels a genuine and meaningful place to meet and work out real relationships?

Featuring music from:
DAFT PUNK: Technologic
BECK: Loser
3 DOORS DOWN: Here Without You
KANYE WEST: Stronger
BUCK 65: Language Arts
AIR: Alpha Beta Gaga

Diet for a Hungry Planet Podcast

cbcpodcasts — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:35:10 +0000

CBC is now podcasting the series Diet for a Hungry Planet. So I will discontinue hosting those files as you can now subscribe to the official podcast

Episode 4: Bering Strait

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:30:23 +0000

Revision Quest is the show that looks back on Canada’s native history in order to kick some assumptions about the present. And this week, the show takes a kick at one of the biggies: the idea that native Canadians are just transplanted Russians who hiked across the Bering land bridge. Here are a couple of hints on what you’ll find out: natives know how to sail, and it wasn’t aliens or Europeans that invented their navigational instruments. Chariots of the Gods, this isn’t.

Episode 4: Blends

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:30:23 +0000

In this episode of Alien Nation, Host Judith Mackin speaks candidly about her experience as part of a blended family in crisis. She also listens to teens who weigh in on what it’s like to find themselves in a blended family, with parents and siblings they didn’t choose and sometimes don’t like. And then there’s Liz. She’s pregnant and not yet finished high school. Liz has chosen a young couple to adopt her child partly because they’re willing to welcome Liz, not just her baby, as part of the package. The show explores the shift away from traditional families into uncharted and unconventional territory.

By Any Other Name

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:30:46 +0000

Broadcast Date: July 12, 2008 (Originally Aired March 8, 2007)

Episode 3: Food Waste

cbcpodcasts — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:30:42 +0000

At every link in the food chain, from growing, to selling, to consuming, food can spoil or be thrown out rather than chowed down. Apples rotting on trees, leftovers left for dead, dumpster diving for dinner… and calling on Wal-Mart for food distribution salvation. Good food gone bad: on this episode of Diet for a Hungry Planet.

Episode 3: Alcohol

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:30:41 +0000

Why is it when Irish people drink, it’s cute…but when Aboriginal people drink, they’re alcoholics who can’t handle their liquor? Darrell Dennis explores the myths and realities behind alcohol and the Aboriginal community with surprising results. It’s a tough subject to examine. And even tougher to poke fun at…but Revision Quest does it. Join Darrell as he finds out if Aboriginal people are really pre-disposed to alcoholism. It’s a happy half hour that will leave you in high spirits.

Episode 3: Altered States

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:30:15 +0000

Host and Mother of a teenage son, Judith Mackin, deals with the fact that like many teenagers, her son has experienced depression and experimented with street drugs. Given this generation’s incredible access to drugs, from acid to ecstasy, Judith — in an attempt to understand the challenges faced by self-medicating teens — listens to their stories of pharmaceutical experimentation, cravings, addictions: the price they’ve paid for highs that never quite satisfy.

The YouTube Revolution

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:30:39 +0000

Broadcast Date: July 5, 2008 (Originally Aired March 3, 2007)

Episode 2: Real Indian

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:30:08 +0000

As an Aboriginal actor, Darrell Dennis is curious about the Hollywood image of the Native American Indian. In particular, he wonders about the wild savage dressed in buckskin and beads, and the Indian princess with the pure heart and the long, straight hair. This week on ReVision Quest Darrell finds out where these images come from. And more importantly, why they are still so pervasive today.

Episode 2: High School Drama

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:30:31 +0000

Host and mother Judith Mackin goes into the drama-filled world of high school where teens are typecast by gossip, rumours and superficial impressions. But for all its social perils, Judith values a high school education and wants to spare her son from the lifelong struggles that come with failing to get a diploma. In this episode, Canadian teens talk about motivation lost and motivation found.

Episode 2: In Defence of Food

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:30:04 +0000

Author Michael Pollan serves up a buffet of food wrongs as he walks us down the supermarket aisles. For him, knowing what to eat comes down to some fundamental rules. Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much. And he explains why that’s not as easy as it sounds.

Breaking the Contract

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:30:22 +0000

First aired: 19 October 2006

Early in our first season, Terry posed a question: when Advertisers take our time and attention, shouldn’t they give something back? In “Breaking the Contract” Terry examines the unwritten agreement forged between Advertisers and audiences more than 80 years ago. He’ll tell the story of “contact” pioneer Albert Lasker, and explain why today’s advertisers break that contract at their peril.

A Sense of Persuasion

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:30:12 +0000

Broadcast Date: June 28, 2008 ( Originally Aired February 8th, 2007)

Episode 1: Work

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:30:04 +0000

Host Darrell Dennis goes to work on “work”. From high unemployment to low expectations, he looks at the harsh realities and persistent misconceptions that greet aboriginal people in the workforce. Always on the job, Darrell learns about the pre-contact work ethic and the difficulties facing aboriginal entrepreneurs. He meets a tough-talking Chief with no patience for slackers, and a modern day Rosie the Riveter. And he works up a smile, with a new reality show, a culture-clashing history lesson, and a First Nations take on a Dolly Parton classic.

Episode 1

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:30:47 +0000

Sixteen-year-old Robyn Mackin runs away from home, pushing his mother to the brink of a meltdown. His decision to bolt from the house tops a long list of defiant acts that began around puberty. That’s according to Robyn’s mother, Judith Mackin, host of Alien Nation. Instead of giving up, Judith sets out to better understand her son and his generation. And so the journey begins into the hearts and minds of Canadian adolescents. What does it mean to come of age in 2008? And what can a parent do in the fleeting moments that remain before children move out and move on?

Episode 1: Few Staples

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:30:01 +0000

From food sold for fuel, to food prices fueling a food crisis. Be it corn or wheat or rice, too few staples cause too much concern over who gets to eat, what gets eaten, and how much it should cost. How cash crops have us going for broke, today, on Diet for a Hungry Planet.

Six Remarkable Brands (Season Finale)

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:49:09 +0000

All the things that capture your eye- and you imagination- in the world around you have one thing in common: they’re all brands. In the Age of Persuasion season finale, Terry O’Reilly examines six remarkable brands- and not just ‘brands’ in the consumer sense. Among them: a media icon, an athlete, a rock & roll band, a toy, a city, and a 500-kilogram land mammal. He’ll explain the brand strength behind each, and explore what makes them remarkable. By studying them, Terry explains how this can deepen our understanding of how, and why, people prioritize some things over others.

Persuasion in the Niches

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:30:41 +0000

Times ‘wuz that the goal of any marketer was to sell “big” brands to the widest possible audience. This week, Terry O’Reilly explains how the days of “one size fits all” brands are vanishing; replaced by specifically targeted “niche” brands. He’ll trace this trend to the growth of “specialty” media; Gay/Lesbian/Bi radio stations, for instance, provide a platform for a new generation of “niche” marketers. He’ll also show how many of the mighty mainstream brands- such as the Model T- even the iPod- began as “niche” products.

Advertising as the New Sugar Daddy

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:30:41 +0000

When money runs short- more and more people are turning to advertising to pay the bills. Charities, artists, athletes, even governments and school boards are turning to “corporate partners” – offering advertising exposure in exchange for much-needed money. This week Terry O’Reilly explains how Advertisers became the “sugar daddies” of the 21st Century- and traces “sponsorship” back through the centuries.

Frontiers and Boundaries

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 31 May 2008 17:30:08 +0000

Broadcast Date: May 31, 2008 (Originally aired in April of 2007

It’s no surprise that a lot of today’s Ads would never have aired in our parent’s time. But guess what? Many Ads from the past would never be tolerated today. This week Terry O’Reilly explains how Advertising is a kind of time capsule: reflecting the tastes and tolerances of a given time. And how quickly those tolerances can change.

Selling War

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:30:56 +0000

A century ago, when a nation called, men came running. Today, men and women need a reason why they should wage war. This week, Terry examines the complex, changing, relationship between persuasion and war. He’ll look at ways advertisers mobilized to help Canada in two World Wars, how the impromptu “Christmas truce” of 1914 endangered the ‘idea’ of World War I, and he’ll examine and the fascinating variety of advertising approaches nations use to recruit soldiers today.

The Myth of Mass Marketing

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 17 May 2008 18:00:07 +0000

It was ad giant Fairfax Cone who said “there is no such thing as a Mass Mind. The Mass Audience is made up of individuals, and good advertising is written always from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions it rarely moves anyone.” “Mass Marketing” allows advertisers to reach millions of consumers at once- but at a cost. The greater the audience, the ‘cooler’, more distant, and less personal the relationship between marketer and consumer becomes. Terry examines the power of the sort of one-on-one selling that turned the “Fuller Brush” company from a $75 investment to a multi-million dollar empire, and he’ll show creative ways advertisers find to relate to a “mass” audience, one person at a time.

Emotion

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:00:21 +0000

Take two baseball Hall-of-Famers- Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Baseball insiders lean towards Cobb as the superior all-round player, yet Ruth towers above Cobb in popular culture. Why? For the same reason brands win and lose marketing wars: victory goes to those who forge the strongest emotional connection with consumers.

This week Terry O’Reilly explains why so few advertisers use “facts” to build their brand, and why the best way to win a consumer’s business is through the heart. He’ll show how even low-interest products use emotion to build their brands, and he’ll explain how emotion has driven sales of a popular breakfast cereal for three generations.

It’s the Insight, Stupid

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:00:36 +0000

Broadcast Date: Saturday May 3, 2008. (Originally Broadcast in April, 2007)

Bill Clinton’s electoral victory of 1992 owed much to a four word phrase created by advisor James Carville: “It’s the economy, stupid”. It wasn’t an idea, or a slogan, but an insight. Join Terry O’Reilly as shows why an insight is at the heart of modern persuasion, and how insights fuel great ideas, art, and inventions.

In Defence of Advertising

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:30:59 +0000

Broadcast date: Saturday April 26, 2008

After thirty years of hearing “I hate advertising”, Terry’s springing to the defense of his industry. Will he argue that all advertising is great? No. But he will make a case that maybe, just maybe, it doesn’t suck as much as some people like to think.

This week, Terry O’Reilly tugs on Superman’s cape, he spits in the wind; more recently he was seen inquiring as to the whereabouts of the Lone Ranger. In this surly frame of mind, Terry makes the case of the defence of advertising in modern culture. By the magic of radio, he’ll show you what the world would be like… if advertising had never been born. Then he’ll take you on a tour, and show you why an ad-free world might not be the cultural paradise some might imagine.

The Strategy of Persuasion

cbcpodcasts — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:16:57 +0000

How did General Isaac Brock and the great chief Tecumseh capture Fort Detroit in 1812- though outnumbered nearly two-to-one? The same way today’s brands nestle themselves in your brain: strategy. This week, Terry O’Reilly examines one of the most vital- and least understood- facets of the world’s $600 billion marketing industry.

He’ll explain the strategy that changed the fortunes of the Paris Metro, how the strategy of changing one word ignited one of the continent’s fastest-growing industries; and he’ll explain why “second place” in your mind can be the best place for some brands to reside.

Crowd Control

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:46:43 +0000

This week, Terry O’Reilly explores the evolving relationship between marketers and audiences, and how modern media have made audiences the product, and advertisers the buyer. While all art craves an audience: in the age of persuasion, ad-driven media exist for the purpose of procuring an audience, and delivering it to advertisers. Terry examines the business of audience research, and explains how studies of “demographics” and “psychographics”, are giving way to a new classification: social “tribes”.

Award in Edgewise

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:00:35 +0000

(Originally aired April 26, 2007)

Try Googling the phrase “Award-Winning”. Go on; we’ll wait. See? 71 million hits. Join Terry O’Reilly – wait- the “award winning” Terry O’Reilly – as he explores the persuasive power of those two little words in our culture. He’ll play- yes- award-winning ads, and examine the self-congratulatory side of our culture.

Episode 9 Advertisers as Censors

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:05:08 +0000

According to author C. Edwin Baker, “Advertisers, not governments, are the primary censors of media content… today.” Terry O’Reilly respectfully disagrees – and this week he’ll explain why. He’ll review the long relationship between sponsorship and censorship – from early Radio, to Hitchcock’s Psycho, through the more recent woes of radio jock Don Imus. Do advertisers really decide what you should see, hear, or think? And if they don’t – who does?

We’ll review the decision of Lowe’s Home Building Centres to pull their sponsorship of “Big Brother 9″ after a remark about “retards” by one of the contestants. We’ll talk about Ed Sullivan refusing to televise Elvis’s hips, his curbing of the Stones’ lyrics for “Let’s Spend the Night Together”, and his attempt to soften the Doors’ “Light My Fire”.

Episode 8 Royal Jelly

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:22:55 +0000

In the Age of Persuasion, as in all things, some are more equal than others. This week, Terry O’Reilly looks at a handful of gifted individuals- and singular ad agencies- who have done more than change advertising- they’ve changed popular culture. They are the savants, the gifted, the elect- those with ‘royal jelly’. And they cause a $600 billion industry to un-learn everything it had learned about the craft of persuasion.

Episode 7 The Trouble with Big

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:06:27 +0000

In our grandparent’s time, “big” was a good thing. “Biggest” was what every brand wanted to be when it grew up; the biggest corporations were benevolent captains of industry. Today, “big” is a curse. The biggest brands become the targets of critical books and documentaries, anti-globalization protests and YouTube ridicule. This week, Terry O’Reilly examines the growing hostility directed at the world’s top brands, and how some are finding ingenious ways to be both big and lovable.

Reviving the Brand

cbcpodcasts — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:49:51 +0000

Broadcast Date: March 8, 2008 (Originally aired April 14, 2007)

This week Terry O’Reilly explores ways marketers breathe new life into dying brands. He’ll show you how brands such as Special ‘K’ have hiked sales- not by changing their product, but by changing the ‘idea’ of their product. Then he’ll show you how Hollywood celebrities have used the same principle to re-invent- and resurrect- their careers.

Episode 6 23 things I’d Like to Change About Advertising

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:57:56 +0000

This week, on The Age of Persuasion, Terry O’Reilly shares 23- ‘count ‘em- things he’s like to change about advertising. Maybe his new shoes are too tight. Or he needs a little more fibre in his diet. Perhaps a switch to decaf would do the trick. Whatever the reason, Terry shares a few long-harboured gripes about advertising, from telemarketers, to purveyors of junk mail, to hard-sell screamers, to anyone who’s ever inflicted a customer with the recorded words: “your call is important to us”.

Leaving Your Mark

cbcpodcasts — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:03:08 +0000

Broadcast Date February 23, 2008 (Originally aired February 15, 2007)

The Prime Minister has one. So do Microsoft, the CBC, and the Pope. They’ve all got a form of logo: a visual symbol, trademark or emblem that distinguishes who they are. Join Terry as he tells the stories behind some of the great logos and trademarks, and shows how today’s brand innovators are “translating” them into sound and even attitude.

Episode 5 Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from Agency Pitches

cbcpodcasts — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:00:46 +0000

It’s among the greatest, most inspired, most creative, most spectacular work done in marketing… yet few ever see it. Every year, Ad agencies pull out all the stops to ‘pitch’ their services to prospective clients. This week, Terry O’Reilly takes you inside the boardrooms to share some of the Ad industry’s best, most remarkable, and most disastrous ‘pitch’ stories, and gleans from them a surprisingly handy set of life-lessons.

Guerrillas in Our Midst

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:00:18 +0000

Broadcast Date: February 9, 2008 (Originally aired 29 March, 2007)

Not long ago, the city of Boston was paralysed by a guerrilla marketing stunt: the placement of electronic signs with countdown clocks. Even more surprising was that the stunt was staged by a multi-billion dollar media empire. This week Terry O’Reilly examines why today’s biggest marketers are adopting street-level guerrilla marketing tactics. And he’ll introduce you to early guerrilla marketing pioneers; among them: Thomas Edison and Harry Houdini.

Episode 4 Branding the News

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:00:33 +0000

News is big business. This week, Terry O’Reilly traces the origins of today’s news packaging.

Here’s a headline you’ll never, ever see in your daily paper: “Nothing Happened”. Terry O’Reilly describes the ugly circle that drives modern newsgathering: how reporting takes money, how the need from money means attracting advertisers, how pleasing advertisers requires a vast audience, and how the need for a vast audience affects news content, and the way it’s presented.

He explores the cult of personality that drives TV newscasts, and traces the history of newsgathering to a handful of distance runners in ancient Greece.

Episode 3 Old Media, New Media, Borrowed Media, Blue Media

cbcpodcasts — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:00:49 +0000

Terry O’Reilly tracks a seismic shift in the marketing world: the fall of Television as the “flagship” ad medium, and the rise of a radical new trend: marketing through ideas.

Instead of using advertising to reach teenage males, Burger King created its own series of Xbox 360 games, featuring its “King” character. After two million sales in just five weeks, Burger King equates the number of “brand impressions” to that of 13 Super Bowl ads.

When General Electric wanted to promote its brand at the Beijing Olympics, the tactic it chose was infrastructure. Instead of expensive Olympic advertising, GE helped build a water filtration plant, through which it hopes its brand will resonate for years.

Episode 2 The Sport of Persuasion

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:09:08 +0000

Believe it or not, there was once a time when sports and marketing slept in separate beds. Enter C.C. “Cash & Carry” Pyle, the first modern sports agent.

This week, Terry O’Reilly explains how Pyle changed sports forever, and why marketers so eagerly assume the expense, and the risk, of putting their product in the hands of a star athlete. Then, he’ll give you a peek at the marketing playbook, and show you what distinguishes a ‘star’ from a ‘superstar’.

Episode 1 There’s Never a Marques of Queensbury Around When You Need One.

cbcpodcasts — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:08:29 +0000

In our season premiere, Terry explores the long history of “attack ads” and political dirty tricks, and shows how changing media have changed the nature of election campaigns, from a discussion of issues to an assessment of personalities.

Major campaign ads are assembled by hand-picked “dream teams” comprised of many of the greatest creative minds in the business. Yet somehow these campaigns invariably descend into a paint-by-numbers litany of personal attacks and stratospheric promises.

To voters they’re a blight, but to broadcasters, they’re manna from heaven: prompting hefty airtime buys from warring parties, and fueling news and political panel shows (who respond in kind: giving free airtime to the more incendiary ads.)