Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Ask Terry 2025

Episode Date: June 21, 2025

This week, it’s our annual Ask Terry episode. As we do every year, we open the show to questions from our listeners. This week, we’ll answer a question about the longest-lasting slogans in history, we’ll explore why there is so much dancing going on in commercials these days, and we’ll play a fun game where you have to guess the celebrity voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that if you subscribe to our But Wait There's More option, you get a bonus story in every episode of Under the Influence. But wait, there's more! For the price of a cup of coffee every month, you get early access so you'll hear every episode a full week before everybody else. Plus, you enjoy that episode ad-free. Tsk tsk. And by subscribing, you support our podcast.

Just go to Apple Podcasts and subscribe to Under the Influences, but wait, there's more. I'm a big book reader and love to read about interesting destinations. But here's an idea. Why not pack a book and actually book a vacation to an interesting destination? The folks at Sell-Off Vacations can help make that happen. And here's the great thing about them. They've been booking vacations for over 30 years and you want that in a travel expert. And they not only offer sun packages and flights and cruises and hotels, Sell-Off Vacations also offers you something called

their best price promise, which means they will not only match a competitor's price, they'll beat it. Now, whether you want to see a new corner of this great country, and a lot of people are doing that this year, or if you want to head off to the Mediterranean or other parts of Europe or the Caribbean,

there are options for every budget. And sell-off vacation experts know these travel destinations because they've been there. And again, you want that in a travel expert. They've done their homework. And here's the other thing. Sell-off Vacations is based here in Canada. Canadians helping Canadians enjoy affordable getaways. So book your next vacation with selloffvacations.com and happy travels. Here's a question. How can you support Canada while you sleep?

Well, you can do it by sleeping on a Douglas mattress. The mattress designed and manufactured right here in Canada. Douglas mattresses start at just $599 and come with a free comfort sleep bundle which includes two memory foam pillows, a waterproof mattress protector and an entire cotton sheet set. And how's this for risk-free Canadian convenience? You can enjoy a Douglas mattress for a 365-night in-home trial. You don't love it. Douglas will pick up the mattress for free,

donate it to a local charity, and refund you in full. No hassle, no risk. Douglas has been named Canada's best mattress by Canadian Living, and is loved by 250,000 sound sleepers like me. Don't wait. Visit Douglas.ca slash under the influence to claim this exclusive offer for Canadian listeners with free shipping. Sleep better knowing your

mattress is made in Canada. Douglas mattress, Canada's best mattress. best mattress. Come for a walk with me. This is Westport. It's a charming waterfront village at the heart of the historic Rideau Lakes. And I want you to notice something. From where we're standing, you can walk to the beach in 10 minutes.

You can walk to boutique shops in 15 minutes, restaurants and a winery are within a 15 minute walk or bike ride. You can swim and paddle in over 36 lakes within a 15 mile radius, or hike in beautiful parks and trails, go golfing or fishing, your choice. Now this may sound like a tourism commercial But it's not because this is where you could live Watercolor Westport is a community of beautiful cottage inspired bungalow homes built by award-winning Land Ark homes Watercolor Westport is the first net-zero Energy ready community that is fossil fuel free

first net zero, energy ready community that is fossil fuel free. It's a completely walkable community. You get to live in cottage country in a beautiful home, calmer, safer and connected to nature. Visit the Model Home in Westport to see for yourself. Just a short drive from Kingston or a 3 hour drive from Toronto and a 90 minute drive from Ottawa. Watercolor Westport, a better place to call home. This is an Apostrophe podcast production. We're going to show you our big news to the Baker. What love doesn't conquer, Alka sells her will.

What a relief. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Well today is the last episode of our 20th season here on CBC. It was a milestone year for us. As we do every year, we open our finale to our wonderful listeners. We put out a call for questions and we got a mail bag full of them. All of the questions are fun, some made me laugh out loud, and others required some serious research. You are working me right to the bitter end. Haha.

I'm kidding. I love it. Today we'll play a game guessing celebrity voiceovers. We'll talk about why so many people are dancing in commercials these days, and we'll revisit some classic Canadian commercials. You're under the influence. Let's go to our first question. On Facebook, Glenn Howard asks, Back in the day, iconic voice actors like Hal Douglas, Ernie Anderson and legendary Hollywood celebrities like Orson Welles and James Coburn loamed their talents and their voices to some very well-known advertising campaigns.

Who are some of the more notable of today's crop of voice actors and Hollywood celebrities currently lending their voices to today's best-known branding campaigns? Well Glenn, let's play a little game. I'll play a commercial and see if you can guess which celebrity is doing the voiceover. Here's one for McDonald's. No, do not put those french fries into your mouth. Instead, put them directly inside your quarter pounder where they belong. The hottest, juiciest quarter pounder yet.

It's perfect. Made perfecter. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba. Recognize that voice? You might have if you were a Succession fan. That is Brian Cox, the actor who played patriarch Logan Roy on Succession. He also played the original Hannibal Lecter

in the movie Manhunter, a great film if you haven't seen it. See if you recognize this voice. This is Karen and Jeremiah. They don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love. Get married, have a couple kids, move to the country, and live a long happy life together where they almost never fight about money. Because right after they get married, they'll find some financial folks who will talk to them about preparing early for retirement.

That is none other than Matt Damon, best friend of Ben... Ablack! Kidding? I couldn't place this next voice for the longest time. See if you can. Somewhere underneath all that bacony, bourbony, crispy oniony goodness, there's a turkey having the best day of his entire life. Orbeez, we have the meat!

Yep, that's actor Ving Rhames, he of Pulp Fiction and Mission Impossible fame. Speaking of celebrities, Margaret Cunningham asks, What do brands benefit from the celebrity endorsement now rampant on TV? From John Hamm in Skip the Dishes, Ryan Reynolds eating McDonald's scrambled eggs, and Jamie Foxx in Bedding Sites. Goodness knows what fees are paid for their participation, but I can't help to think of the actors who train for ad work, Well, excellent question, Margaret.

The biggest reason brands hire celebrities is because we live in a celebrity-obsessed culture right now, and celebrities get attention. And attention is the oxygen of marketing. But you are correct when you suggest these celebrities cost a fortune. Whenever you call a Hollywood talent agent to inquire about a celebrity, the fee is completely

arbitrary, and it almost always has at least six zeros in it. So brands have to weigh the cost of a celebrity against the return on investment. If a celebrity costs, say, $250,000, but the ads sell $5 million worth of products. That's not a bad deal. But Margaret, you also make another great point. For every celebrity who lands a commercial, a working actor loses a job. And when you stop to count the number of celebrities in commercials right now, there are a lot of working actors not working.

Celebrities gobble up TV shows, movies, podcasts, and commercials. They don't need the cash. It's just that people keep throwing easy money at them. On Facebook, Dixon Kenner asks an interesting question. Your opening theme has a number of advertising slogans that are immediately recognizable to the 60s generation and after. But what is the longest advertising campaign that kept the same slogan? Well, Dixon, there are a couple of historic slogans that have truly lasted a long time, which is rare because nothing usually lasts a long time in the world of advertising.

Back in 1933, Wheaties needed a slogan for a billboard. So an ad writer named Knox Reeves dashed one off. He wrote Wheaties, the breakfast of champions. It's stuck and has been used for the past 92 years and counting. In the 1940s De Beers needed a slogan for its diamond rings. As we've mentioned in a past episode, diamond rings weren't associated with engagements back then. But the slogan, A Diamond is Forever, has been putting diamond rings on fingers ever since. Back in 1896, the owner of the New York Times newspaper held a public competition to find

a, quote, phrase of ten words or less which shall more aptly express the distinguishing characteristics of the New York Times. The reward was 100 whole dollars. Some of the suggestions were amusing like news not nausea, interesting, and fresh facts free from filth, a tongue twister, and Truth Without Trumpery. Interesting choice of words there. But the winning slogan was, All the News That's Fit to Print. It's still the New York Times slogan to this day, 129 years later. By the way, the anti-establishment Rolling Stone magazine took a poke at the New York

Times and chose a slogan that said, All the news that fits. Very funny. Morton's salt has used the same slogan since 1914. Back in those early days, humidity caused salt to clump, which was a problem for cooks and diners. So Morton's began adding magnesium carbonate to its salt, which was an anti-caking ingredient. It worked and the salt flowed. Now all they needed was an advertising slogan to promote the fact. Advertising agency NW Air came back with a line that said when it rains it pours

it's been the Morton salt slogan now for 111 years on Facebook Andrea White says I truly enjoy your show and I'm fascinated by all the creative and unique ads that you present. But why, when there's so much creativity out there, does it seem that we see the same old boring stuff every night? Why would the product makers pay for such duds? By the way, there were three question marks after that last sentence. Well, Andrea, I can tell you from years of experience

that the fresher the idea, the harder the sell to clients. The bolder an idea is, the more clients get afraid. So they often turn the idea down, or they shave the interesting corners off an idea, making it safer and well,

duller. I attended an advertising award show very recently and something occurred to me when the winning ads were displayed and the credits were listed. I would say four advertising agencies won the bulk of the awards. Almost 100 awards in total went to those four agencies. That told me two things. First, those ad agencies have a creative culture going on within their walls. There was great thinking across a number of brands and categories, and everything was smart, creative, and often funny. You can't generate that much award-winning work inside a company that is miserable to work at.

The people of those four ad agencies are clearly having fun. Second, you have to fight to sell good work. Clients often get cold feet or there are too many fingers in the pie or they function in a state of fear. They have an urge to make the work safer even though safe work is invisible work. So these four ad agencies fought for their work. They didn't cave when their clients raised red flags. And so many times, I sat in recording sessions where clients would make horrible suggestions and someone from the ad agency would say, good catch. It was butt kissing at its worst.

That is not to say there aren't brave good clients out there who value bold work. There are. It's just they are in the minority. The rest of the time you have to fight for good work. And the trick is to fight for your work without being annoying. It's a tightrope walk. And that's why, Andrea,

you don't see great ads often enough. When we come back, why is there so much dancing going on in commercials these days? When it comes to your business, every second counts. From mega factories to mom-and-pop shops, Ericsson helps tens of thousands of companies around the world build powerful connections every day. Power your business with our connectivity and communication solutions, the invisible advantage driving your growth. Visit us at ericsson.com slash power. That's E-R-I-C-S-S-O-N dot com slash power. on x terry l asks how long do companies keep an ad going before they re-evaluate their campaign

well the easy answer is, until it stops working. But sometimes that moment is difficult to pinpoint, as there are many factors that influence a purchasing decision. Sometimes a particular ad may stay in someone's mind for years, long after the ad has run its course. I once told a story about someone who remembered a specific Steinway piano ad, then 25 years later he bought a Steinway. When asked why it took him so long, he said it just took that many years to be able to afford one. Attribution is the term in the marketing industry

that refers to the process of determining which ads are working. In other words, which ad do you attribute the sale to? There is a great story about a long-running campaign for Anason. It was created by a man named Rosser Reeves back in the late 1950s. The animated commercial showed a hammer repeatedly hitting a head, which was a metaphor for a pounding headache. When headache strikes, pain mounts up.

You feel dull, depressed. Tension puts nerves on edge. Now aspirin has only one pain reliever. Add buffering, you still get only one. But Anason is like a doctor's prescription. That commercial ran unchanged for seven years. When Anason complained that their commercial hadn't been changed for five of those years and asked what the 120 people working on their account were actually doing, Reeves said,

keeping you from changing your ad when Aniston worried their ad was annoying Reeves said do you want to be rich or do you want to be liked that commercial cost just $8,000 to produce and it made untold millions of dollars for Aniston millions of dollars for Anison. Rosser Reeves was an interesting person. He created some of the most annoying commercials in ad history. He said the public was like a stubborn donkey.

You have to hit it between the ears with a sledgehammer. When asked why Reeves said, well, first you have to get its attention. Reeves didn't believe in creativity in commercials. When he died in 1984, his obituary in the New York Times called him the high priest of hard sell, but he made his clients wealthy. Reeves was no dummy. He also happened to be the captain of the American chess team. Reeves was part of the group that had originally backed Muhammad Ali when he was a young fighter named Cassius Clay. Reeves was also David Ogilvie's brother-in-law.

Ogilvie was the antithesis of Reeves. Ogilvie said the consumer is not a moron. Reeves disagreed. Their dinner table conversation must have been fascinating. Caleb McCordoff emailed to ask, why don't you ever see or hear one ad for multiple products, like the chips, dip and soft drink that are all owned by one parent company? Is doing it a bad idea or is it simply not done? Very true, Caleb.

You'd think companies would do more of that. Sometimes stores like Canadian Tire feature more than one product in their commercials, but the golden rule in advertising is to sell one thing well per ad. That way the ad isn't cluttered with too much information, and focusing on one product per ad leaves a little room for creativity. But that philosophy aside, if two products have something in common and they both come from the same company, it could make sense to include them in the same commercial. Speaking of which, just last night I was watching the Blue Jays game and there was a commercial for Febreze and it said to pair Febreze with Charmin toilet paper.

Both are made by Procter & Gamble. And you could say that Febreze and toilet paper can definitely exist in the same room if you catch my drift. On Facebook, Graham Cooper asks, Do advertising agencies charge a flat fee or a percentage of the increased sales profits or a hybrid of both? How are fees calculated? When I first started in the ad business, advertising agencies made their money by charging a commission

on the media buy. The commission rate was 16.75%. That was the standard for decades. But the problem with that was it was in the ad agency's best interest to recommend expensive television campaigns since it stood to earn the most commissions that way. But it may not have been in their clients' best interest. So eventually that commission system was changed. Today, compensation is fluid, taking several forms.

Sometimes clients pay a fixed monthly retainer or a flat fee. Increasingly these days, ad agencies are paid on a performance basis, especially for digital campaigns that are easily trackable, and we're back to attribution again. So sales goals achieved dictate compensation. And more and more ad agency compensation is a hybrid of all of the above. of the above. On X, Barry Keifle asks a very funny question. What percentage of TV ads depict people dancing? I hope my question doesn't make people think about it while watching TV ads. Well no doubt about it, Barry.

There is a lot of dancing going on in commercials these days, like Door Dash. The tune in that commercial is titled The Hamburger Song and was recorded by Bobby Moore and the Rhythm Aces back in 1966. As you can tell by the title, the lyrics contain a lot of food mentions, which must have appealed to DoorDash. And there are a lot of people dancing to that catchy tune in their current commercials.

Then there is the Stoke Cold Brew Coffee commercial, where actor Channing Tatum tells the Wrexham AFC soccer team that the owners are not happy with their celebration dances. Alright boys! Your bosses are not happy with your celebration dances. So drink up. He throws the team bottles of Stoke, then teaches them some Magic Mike moves. Everybody dance now! Soon, the entire team is up dancing in the locker room.

This commercial was created by Ryan Reynolds and his advertising agency called Maximum Effort. As you may know, Reynolds purchased the Wrexham AFC soccer team and he has a mission to introduce the Welsh team to North American audiences. And Stoke Cold Brew Coffee is a sponsor of his team. Even pharma commercials got their dancing shoes on. Like this ad for a drug called Jardience,

where a woman sings about having diabetes. I have type two diabetes, but I manage it well. It's a little pill with a big story to tell. Then the entire neighbourhood joins her in a happy dance with some major choreography. As time went on, it was easy to see. So yeah, Barry, the percentage of dancing commercials is going way up.

Coming up, some of the commercials that inspired me way back when. When it comes to your business, every second counts. From mega factories to mom and pop shops, Ericsson helps tens of thousands of companies around the world build powerful connections every day. Power your business with our connectivity and communication solutions. The invisible advantage driving your growth.

Visit us at ericsson.com slash power. That's E-R-I-C-S-S-O-N dot com slash power. Carol McDonald Schmeigel asks this, If you had to pick your absolute favourite campaign, the one that shaped you and inspired you and made you want to thrive in this crazy industry, what would it be? First, hey Carol, how you doing? Carol is one of the smartest marketers I know. I've mentioned this before, but the early 1960s Volkswagen ads were the ones that inspired

me the most. They were funny, smart, and creative. They made an ugly little car the most beloved car in history. But there have been many other ads that have inspired me over the years, specifically excellent Canadian ads. Remember this one? These men are about evenly matched. That's because the average 30-year-old Canadian is in about the same physical shape as the

average 60-year-old Swede. Run. Walk. Cycle. Let's get Canada moving again. This message is brought to you by the CFL, CTV, and its sponsors for participation. I remember how surprising that commercial was. Done here in Canada in 1973.

I've always loved this next commercial. See if you remember it from 1994. It was for HP Sauce and featured a singing cow. Can you imagine how much I love you? I know the only one for me could ever be you. My arms won't free you and my heart won't dry. Thank you, you're beautiful. Words on the screen say, H.P. Sauce makes beef sing. So funny, so well done. Written by my friend Bill Martin. Words on the screen say, HP Sauce makes beef sing.

So funny, so well done, written by my friend Bill Martin. Here's another one I love, from back in 1995. It was for Toshiba Notebook computers. Two business guys get settled in for a plane flight when one of them realizes he mistakenly checked his computer with his luggage. I love these four hour flights. Just me and my, where's my computer? It checked it.

Oh, I checked my notebook? Uh huh. I checked my notebook. I checked my notebook. I checked my notebook. That's the plane, I checked my notebook. Checked the notebook. Checked it, checked my notebook. My notebook's gone. It was It's alive! It's alive! I love you! I checked my notebook. Toshiba, toughen up for today's world. It was such a funny performance from one of my favorite go-to comedic actors, Rick Waugh.

He really only had one line to work with, and he played it differently and hilariously in every scene. It's a classic. These next two commercials were created by a very highly awarded Canadian creative team of Elsbeth Lin and Lorraine Thao. The first one is for Fruit of the Loom underwear for women. The visual is a clothesline with half a dozen naughty thongs hanging on it. Note the song they chose.

Then comes a pair of regular, comfortable underwear from Fruit of the Loom. With more material in the seat, our underwear always stays comfortably in place. Sorry guys, Fruit of the Loom. in the seat, our underwear always stays comfortably in place. Sorry, guys. Fruit of the loom. Really, really comfortable underwear. So funny, so smart, so simple. Lynn and Tau did another smart commercial for Special Case Cereal.

It poked fun at all the things women are told to worry about. Only they put those lines in the mouths of men. This year I will not freak out if I gain two pounds. I will stop asking. Do I look fat? Yes. Do I look fat? I will learn to appreciate my body.

I will not let my dress size determine my self-worth. Words on the screen say, men don't obsess about these things. Why do we? I have my self-worth. Words on the screen say, men don't obsess about these things. Why do we? I have my mother's thighs. I have to accept that. The message of the commercial was for women to reshape their opinions of themselves.

And that message was brought to them by Special K. Elizabeth Lynn and Lorraine Tao made a lot of great commercials together. And what made them so good was that they brought a distinct female attitude to advertising. And by the way, Lin and Tao were just inducted into the Canadian Advertising Hall of Fame last week. And it's about time. Well, that wraps up our 20th season on CBC. Hard to believe it's been two decades already.

And happy to say we'll be back next January, so stay tuned. I wanna thank all the amazing people who work their hearts out on this show every week. You'll hear their names in the credits in a moment. Thanks to CBC. And many, many thanks to you for listening. Thanks for all those great questions today.

We really appreciate our audience. Have a safe and happy summer. We'll see you in January. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terestree Mobile Recording Studio. Producer Debbie O'Reilly. Chief Sound Engineer Jeff Devine. Researchers Allison Pinchas, Patrick James Aslan, and Angus Mary. Social media team Sydney and Callie O'Reilly. Under the influence theme by Casey Pick, Jeremiah Pick, and James Aitin. James Aitin. Tunes provided by APM Music. Follow me at TerryOInfluence.

This podcast is powered by A-Cast. Fun fact. Hi, this is Sydney O'Reilly from Toronto, Ontario. Terry O'Reilly directed over 14,000 commercials in his career. His family likes some of his work. When it comes to your business, every second counts. From mega factories to mom and pop shops, Ericsson helps tens of thousands

of companies around the world build powerful connections every day. Power your business with our connectivity and communication solutions. The invisible advantage driving your growth. Visit us at Ericsson.com slash power. That's E-R-I-C-S-S-O-N dot com slash power.