Recently, we produced an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it’s a brand-new, challenging marketing category.As a result of that episode, I asked the Ontario Cannabis Store to introduce me to an actual cannabis producer.I wanted to know how a cannabis producer becomes licensed, how a craft cannabis company competes with the big companies, and how a small cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category.In this bonus episode, I talk to Wallace McDonald-Rogers. He is the founder of Primeau Craft Cannabis. I think you’ll find his answers very interesting - and some of them are surprising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year. We have a fun 2024 season planned for you. Here'a a sneak peek at what's in store... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every once in a while, we drop an interesting show into our feed that we think you’ll like.This week, it’s “Twenty Thousand Hertz” - a show about the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds.The show’s title comes from the highest frequency that can be perceived within the human hearing range.In this episode, host Dallas Taylor explores the world of advertising jingles.They used to be an advertising staple, but these days, most have disappeared.Except - for insurance company commercials - that are bucking the trend.It’s an interesting sonic journey - and Under The Influence host Terry O'Reilly makes a special appearance.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we turn the show over to listeners. It’s our annual “As Terry” show. We asked you to submit any questions you had about the advertising world, and you responded with a record amount of very interesting, very insightful ones that touch on subjects like negative political advertising, why there are so many bad local commercials, and what do background actors really say when their lips move. Join us for some surprising answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we invite you to our Book Club. We'll be telling stories from Terry's favourite advertising books, and will examine the incredible lessons they contain that have served him well for his entire career. By the way, a few of those books aren’t even about advertising. In fact, one is a book about science, and another is about theatre actors.But each one contains incredible wisdom that can be applied directly to the world of advertising and marketing.And everyday life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As you might know by now, the team behind Under The Influence has more podcasts executive produced by Terry. More on the Apostrophe Podcast Network can be found here.One of the podcasts we are very proud of just started its second season with Apostrophe. It's titled Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe. Backstage welcomes listeners into the warm and comforting world of the Vinyl Cafe. Each episode features stories about Canada’s favourite fictional family: Dave, Morley and the kids, narrated by the late, great Stuart McLean and recorded live in concert.But that’s not all.For the first time ever, listen in on hilarious backstories from the popular show. Long-time Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton tells all, sharing memories and stories from 15 years touring, travelling, laughing, and recording with her close friend, Stuart.This particular episode is a perfect one to be hosted by Under The Influence, as Dave’s record store suddenly finds itself with competition in town. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re going shopping. The topic is “Three Foot Marketing.” Research shows that 75% of shopping decisions are made in the store, and they are all made within the last three feet – meaning that critical distance between your shopping cart and the shelf. We’ll examine how stores use design, technology and psychology to influence your decisions - from the moment you walk in to when you line up at the cash. We’ll also look at the interesting tug-of-war that happens between stores and brands. There’s no doubt about it, those three feet have become one of the biggest battlegrounds for your dollar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we look at “Dynamic Duos”  - those rare ad agency/client relationships that resulted in some of the most famous advertising of all time. We’ll examine the relationship between Nike founder Phil Knight and his ad agency creative director Dan Wieden, Apple’s Steve Jobs and Creative Director Lee Clow, tempermental winery owner Julio Gallo and his legendary creative director and tough guy, Hal Riney, and we’ll tell the story of the creative director who created a Hall of Fame campaign around the fact his client looked like a chicken. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we look at how smart marketers use Speed Bumps to generate greater sales. While modern marketing loves a friction-free fast transaction, smart marketers know that a perfectly-placed speed bump can slow the selling process down Plus, we reveal why Van Halen wanted all those brown M&Ms taken out of the bowls. You may be surprised.       Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In case you missed it, the team behind Under the Influence has more podcasts. Five, to be exact. Executive produced by Terry O', meet the Apostrophe Podcast Company.Apostrophe brings you Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, Surviving Life with Survivorman Les Stroud and We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast – where we tell stories of how the world’s most celebrated people overcame debilitating career rejection to achieve mammoth success.We Regret To Inform You has 2 million downloads across 70 episodes – and there's one in particular we think you might enjoy. Brylcreem those strands, suit up and take a stroll down Madison Avenue. This week, we tell the rejection story of AMC's Mad Men:According to Rolling Stone, Mad Men is the fourth-greatest television show of all time – bested only by Breaking Bad, The Wire and The Sopranos. But before Sterling Cooper ever opened its doors, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was rejected by every major network – including HBO, FX and Showtime. Weiner was told no one would watch a series about advertising, that his main character was an unlikable smoker slash philanderer and that viewers hated period pieces. Mad Men gathered rejections, then dust. Until Weiner got a phone call from a basic cable movie channel.Listen to Part 2 here.Follow Apostrophe:InstagramTwitterYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Under The Influence listens to the sounds of persuasion. Advertising has used sound to sell for decades. But sound can be used for more than painting pictures on radio – sound can be carefully created to persuade. The stories behind those sounds are fascinating - from the earliest recorded sound, to the first use of sound in radio commercials, to signature sounds on famous ad campaigns, to the startup sound we hear on our computers every day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the concept of “Genericide” – when brand names become generic. Many of the pioneering brands in our world risked losing their trademarks – as courts would rule that their names had become generic. Zipper, escalator and refrigerator were all trademarks at one time. The board game Monopoly just lost its trademark recently. Now brands like Kleenex and Band-Aid are fighting to save their valuable names. And their stories are fascinating. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Part 2 of how Madison Avenue invented… the housewife. Over 100 years ago, the advertising industry realized they had thousands of household products to sell. All they needed was a customer. So they invented the Happy Homemaker, and for the next 25 years, encouraged women to be stay-at-home moms. That strategy created the biggest business in the world: Housekeeping.The rest is advertising history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at how Madison Avenue invented… the housewife. Over 100 years ago, the advertising industry realized they had thousands of household products to sell. All they needed was a customer. So they invented the Happy Homemaker, and for the next 25 years, encouraged women to be stay-at-home moms. That strategy created the biggest business in the world: Housekeeping.The rest is advertising history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jesse Brown, founder of Canadaland Podcast Network, and Terry O'Reilly have a fun conversation about the business of podcasting, the line between journalism and advertising and how Terry had to get used to being touched by strangers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are very excited to welcome Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe to the Apostrophe Podcast Network.Each episode will feature two Dave and Morley stories as told by Stuart McLean. And for the first time ever, his longtime producer, Jess Milton, will tell you the backstories behind those stories.I have a story, too. The first time I met Stuart.Enjoy.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we feature our annual look at Five Remarkable Brands: A certain scientist who is such a powerful brand that he has displaced other great thinkers, a company that makes our world a little more colourful, a comic book that has enthralled teenagers for over 70 years, a honey of a product that was born in the back of a pick-up truck, and the most Emmy-nominated TV show in broadcast history. Best of all, they’re not only remarkable brands, they’re remarkable stories as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the Great Women of Advertising. The Hall Of Famers who broke the rules, kicked open the doors and created some of the most famous advertising of our times. We’ll meet the first advertising woman ever, the woman who created the first images of wives as Happy Homemakers, the woman who revolutionized the retail business, the female creative director who inspired the “I Love New York” campaign, as well as some of the top ad women of today. Move over Mad Men, it’s time to honour the Mad Women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it's Part Two of "Marketing Rock and Roll." As the 1980s unfold, technology changes rock and roll marketing forever, with the arrival of MTV.The launch of MTV is one of the great marketing stories of all time, and it almost went under before it began – but was saved by Mick Jagger and a one dollar bill.We’ll analyze how MTV changed the music business, and how Michael Jackson’s video Thriller changed MTV. We’ll also talk about how the Internet revolutionized the marketing of rock and roll forever. From iTunes to YouTube to the invention of Apps – suddenly technology was the newest rock star. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode looks at the concept of “Risk.” We tell the stories of the marketers who took the biggest risks, and reaped the greatest rewards – including how one of the best loved movies of all time only survived because the producer risked his career on it, a board game that dared break the conventions of the category, a watch company that risked all and saved the Swiss watch making industry in the process, and a CEO who made a decision that was so unpopular even his board of directors bet against him. They are the true warriors who “burned the boats” so there was no turning back – and then made history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is about how the advertising industry covets the 18 to 49 year-old consumer. Almost all advertising is aimed at that demographic, because the conventional wisdom is they have the most disposable income and are most willing to try new brands. But the big surprise is people 55+ are the ones with the most disposable income and spend the most in almost all categories - yet the advertising industry doesn't chase them. We examine why that is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One our favourite episodes from our sister podcast, We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast is the inspiring story of Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and how he overcame unbelievable rejection. It’s hard to imagine that he was rejected over 1,000 times (!) and still continued to persevere. This week, we wanted to bring you this bonus episode to remind us all to Never Ever Give Up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk to baby boomers and take a look at the commercials they grew up with. From the toy and game commercials that inspired your lists to Santa, to the soft drink ads you can still sing along to 40 years later, to the ad for your first underarm deodorant, to the commercial for your first perfume, to the ads aimed at Mom but still got burned into your memory bank. So put on your pajamas and gather round the radio.And remember one thing – you have to be in bed by the time Bonanza comes on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Age of Persuasion Goes To The Movies. Just in time for the Oscars, we look at great movie marketing, and talk about the landmark movies that completely altered the way Hollywood sells its films (Yes, one of them involves a shark, but the movie that made the shark possible has a little karate in it). We’ll also feature some of the most inventive movie ads ever done, and trace the history of movie trailers -  which were originally created to drive people OUT of theatres, not into them. It’s true. Hope you’ll join us. And pass the popcorn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we look at the Marketing Pioneers who created products that created industries. We talk about the first company to link diamond rings to engagements, how alcohol inspired the very first travel agent, how a brainstorm while ice-fishing ignited a $97 billion dollar industry, how a traveling salesman and his date led to the first car rental, and how an embarrassing moment in a restaurant revolutionized the way we shop. Each pioneer was a visionary, each overcame almost insurmountable obstacles, and all of them changed our lives forever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The advertising industry has a long history of using real people in advertising. It may be a testimonial, a hidden camera, a man-on-the-street interview, a prank phone call or a blind taste test. The results are often hilarious and memorable.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Terry O'Reilly looks at the ever-changing world of Green Marketing. He'll look back at how the green movement started, how it's evolved, how marketers navigate the shoals of green marketing today - and what it all means to everyday consumers. One thing for sure... it's not easy being green. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luxury Marketing is a category that is completely different from traditional brand marketing – because it is in the business of selling fantasy. We’ll look at the top 10 most powerful luxury brands in the world and we’ll delve deep into our collective psyches to examine why we all desire expensive products in our lives -and what that really says about our inner selves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're re-releasing all the episodes from the last season of Age of Persuasion in 2011.All episodes have been remastered to fit our Under The Influence format.Episodes drop every two weeks from now until November. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In case you missed it, the team behind Under The Influence started a podcast network. We wanted to bring you a bonus episode this week from one of our other podcasts titled, "We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast." This episode is about how the Rubik's Cube faced endless rejection as a toy - before finally finding success. Now over 450 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold. It's a story full of twists and turns. If you like what you hear, there are over 40 episodes to dive into. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.