Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

This week, we open the show up to our listeners, and answer your very interesting questions.
Ever wonder why gas station prices always include decimal points? Well, we’ll tell you why.
We’ll listen to some memorable commercials starring kids, and play “Where are they now.”
And we’ll talk about a famous luxury brand that is owned by a charity. And it will surprise you.

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This week, we look at the level of advertising creativity north of the border.
We’ll talk about a campaign that used real “sleep talking” to sell mattresses.
We’ll explore a remarkable idea that transformed the annual migration of penguins into a protest march.
And we’ll look at a campaign that convinced people to donate to a cause that started 45 years ago, but had faded from memory.

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This week, we look at a humble marketing tool.
The Flexi Disc.
These razor-thin, flexible vinyl records had poor sound quality, but they helped sell cars, hit songs, chewing gum, soap operas and even Beatle records.
And in one case, a family won a million dollars with a flexi, and it nearly destroyed them.

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This week, we pay tribute to one of the greatest commercial directors in the ad business.
You may not know the late Joe Sedelmaier by name, but you certainly know his work.
He directed the famous “Fast Talking Man” ad for FedEx and a landmark commercial for Wendy’s that contained the line “Where’s the beef?”
I did several commercials with Sedelmaier, and he kicked me off the set of my own commercial once.
It’s a great story.

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This encore episode of Under The Influence is one of our favourites of 2026.

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.