Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Brand Envy 2024

Episode Date: June 15, 2024

This week, it’s our annual Brand Envy episode. Every year, I list four brands I’ve admired from a distance. We’ll talk about a classic board game created by a Canadian couple. An ice cream chain founded by another Canadian. An iconic lighter that was named after a zipper. And a woman who is dominating television these days. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please, do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling. Subscribe now and don't miss a single beat. This is an apostrophe podcast production. Your teeth look whiter than no nose You're not you when you're hungry You're a good hand with all teeth

You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Envy, as they say, is one of the seven deadly sins. It is the resentment of another's good fortune. A book titled The Traveler's Guide to Hell says envy is ruled by the celestial sign of the moon. It also says envy is the key behind every advertisement. Hmm. The Roman poet Ovid wrote that the personification of envy is a figure with sallow cheeks,

a shrunk body, decayed teeth, and a venom-coated tongue. There is no doubt envy is corrosive. It can damage relationships, undermine businesses, and eventually it can sabotage your own career. In a medieval diagram called the Tree of Vices, it depicts the fall of man as a tree with seven branches, representing each vice. The base of that tree, the root of all vices, is pride. But the first branch after pride is envy. People generally have no problem talking about religion, politics, and even sex,

but envy is rarely discussed out in the open. It's a festering private kind of anguish. Sociologist Helmut Schuck, who wrote a book about envy, called it a fundamental problem of existence. It's interesting that we rarely envy people we don't know. Are you envious of movie star Ryan Reynolds, for example? Probably not. But your neighbor's fancy new car?

Absolutely. The green eye of envy is usually reserved for those we know well. But your neighbor's fancy new car? Absolutely. The green eye of envy is usually reserved for those we know well. We are more unhappy when a close friend succeeds than when a stranger does. Which prompts another question. Why are we green with envy? It's said the ancient Greeks believed that the green of envy and its kissing cousin jealousy occurred as a result of the overproduction of bile,

which turned human skin slightly green. And when bile rises, well, you know what happens. Historically, the color green was very difficult to replicate. Green plant dye quickly turned brown. Egyptians tried using a mineral called malachite,

but it eventually turned black. The ancient Greeks gave up on green almost completely and preferred yellow, red, black, and white. So, perhaps those

who could create the color green were envied by those who couldn't. According to an article in The Guardian, the color of envy is almost always green. In Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Norway, the U.S. and Canada, envy is green. But green isn't universal. In Hungarian and German, one is consumed by yellow envy. Same with the French. They are yellow with envy, but green with fear.

Poles connect envy with the color purple. Envy as Russians see purple and black. In West Africa, they go macro-red. The eyes of the Maasai in Tanzania go black with envy. In Ukraine, there are two different kinds of envy. White envy means you're happy for other people. Black envy simply means, bite me. Welcome to our annual Brand Envy episode.

This is the show where I list some brands I admire from a distance. Brands that have lasted or succeed in a difficult category, or brands that are especially unique. We'll talk about four such brands today. And while they give me a case of brand envy, I assure you it's a very healthy shade of green. More minty, really. You're under the influence. During the war years in the 1940s, there was material shortages and fuel rationing. As a result, families had to watch their pennies

and spent more time at home. It was during that difficult time that board games became popular. They were inexpensive and gave people a much-needed stay-at-home diversion. Family, friends, and neighbors could play.

A few years before the war, a wealthy Canadian couple were on vacation in Tibet. While there, they discovered an ancient dice game. They loved it because it was both simple and complex. And above all, it was a lot of fun. This wealthy couple brought the game back to Canada, updated the rules, created a scorecard, and they would play it on their yacht. Whenever they had friends on board,

they would break out the dice game and have fun. Because they would play it on their yacht, they called it the yacht game. Their friends enjoyed the game so much, they all wanted copies of their own. So, in 1956, the couple approached Edwin Lowe. Back in 1929, Lowe was a traveling salesman and noticed that people in Georgia

were playing a rudimentary game called Beano. Sensing it had great potential, Lowe returned to his New York home, established the E.S. Lowe Company, changed the name of the game to Bingo, and made a fortune. The Canadian couple

approached Lowe and asked him to produce a few samples of their yacht game so they could give them to friends. Lowe liked the game so much he offered to buy the rights. The Canadian couple agreed to sell the game in exchange for the first 1,000 games Lowe produced so they could continue to give the game as gifts.

Lowe happily agreed, and they shook hands. The first thing Lowe did was change the name of the yacht game to Yahtzee. When it came to marketing, he decided to promote the educational aspects of the game and position Yahtzee as fun for the whole family. But sales were a lackluster. That prompted Lowe to try another strategy. To demonstrate the fun of Yahtzee, he began organizing Yahtzee parties

across North America where people could learn to play the game. It was a grassroots effort, but it paid off. As word of mouth spread, demand for Yahtzee soared, and millions of games

were sold from that time forward. Anytime, anyplace, you'll love Yahtzee, a, and millions of games were sold from that time forward. Anytime, anyplace, you'll love Yahtzee, a game where strategy and chance add up to fun and excitement. Yahtzee!

Triple Yahtzee, Challenge Yahtzee, and Word Yahtzee from Milton Bradley. Edwin Lowe sold his successful company to Milton Bradley in 1973.

Ten years later, Milton Bradley became a subsidiary of Hasbro. But despite the various ownership changes, Yahtzee remained an evergreen, very profitable game. It was so popular, dozens of variations were produced, including travel Yahtzee sets, triple Yahtzee, and word Yahtzee, and Word Yahtzee. Take a gamble on Yahtzee, there's a million ways to play. Play it in pairs in the night or in the day. Play it with a full house.

Play it with an ace. Bet you can't play it with a poker face. Yahtzee got its first celebrity endorsement when Tony Randall and Jack Klugman from the sitcom The Odd Couple appeared on the cover of the 1974 Challenge Yahtzee game. Even into the 21st century, where computer technology reigns, Yahtzee easily transformed into digital and online versions. Yahtzee with Buddies

became one of the first games available for the Apple Watch. Today, Yahtzee is still one of the most successful games of all time, with over 50 million sets sold. Irvin Robbins was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1917. When he was a boy, his family moved to Tacoma, Washington. His father owned a dairy and ice cream store there, and young Irv grew up scooping ice cream cones in the family business. Customers were always smiling when they bought ice cream cones,

and Irv would often finish the day's work happy. It was a feeling he would never forget. Irv Robbins would eventually go to university in Seattle, then served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II, where he would occasionally whip up ice cream for his fellow troops. When he returned to civilian life in 1945, he cashed in a $6,000 life insurance policy and opened the Snowbird Ice Cream Store in Glendale, California. He wanted the shop to have an old-time ice cream feel with 21 different flavors, and he wanted to recreate the happiness he felt in his father's

store many years before. One year later, Irv convinced his brother-in-law, Bert Baskins, to open up his own ice cream shop in nearby Pasadena, California. By 1949, they had 40 stores between them. Then, in 1953, Irv and Bert decided to merge their ice cream companies to form Baskin-Robbins. A local advertising company called Carson Roberts created a visual identity for the new company and incorporated the number 31 into their logo, as the combined Baskin-Robbins now had 31 different flavors.

It was one of the most distinctive aspects of the company. One flavor for every day of the month. Along with that branding, the company also created its iconic pink spoons. As the number of stores grew, Irv and Bert realized that in order to maintain their high-standard store-to-store, each location would require a manager who had a stake in the company. With that, the partners pioneered the concept of franchising in the ice cream business. Baskin-Robbins also purchased their first dairy, giving them complete control over the production of their ice cream

and the development of new ingredients and flavors. When the Beatles landed in New York in 1964, a reporter called Irv Robbins to ask him what flavor Baskin-Robbins was going to introduce to commemorate the band's arrival. Irv had not even thought about it until that moment, but quickly replied, um,

beetle nut, of course. The flavor was created, manufactured, and delivered within five days. Baskin-Robbins has had a lot of fun with their flavors over the years. There was a 0031 Secret Bonded flavor to celebrate the popularity

of James Bond movies in 1965. There was a Lunar Cheesecake flavor when man landed on the moon in 1969. To mark the end of the Cold War, the company created a flavor called Gorba Chocolate. And Shrek Swirl joined the list when the movie hit screens in 2002.

Baskin-Robbins opened its first Canadian store in 1971. Today, it has 96 locations spread across Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. Internationally, Baskin-Robbins now has 7,500 shops in 50 countries, and it is synonymous with ice cream. Irv Robbins once said he never met a flavor he didn't like.

It must be true, as Baskin-Robbins has over 1,200 flavors in its flavor library. By the way, back in 1978, scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins

was the first summer job of a young 16-year-old kid in Honolulu. When he looked back on that job years later, he said it taught him responsibility, hard work,

and how to balance a job with family, friends, and school. Perhaps you've heard of him. His name is Barack Obama. While Barack Obama is famous, this next brand has appeared in over 2,000 movies and television shows.

Before we get back to our show, I want to give you a little taste of a But Wait, There's More bonus episode that's available to you now. Recently, I interviewed Max Kerman, lead singer for Arkells, about the interesting ways the band markets its music. What are some of the most fun marketing things that Arkells have done. This year, we put out a very quiet album called Laundry Pile. It's very different than anything else we've ever done. And we were thinking about, okay, what's the best release event we could do? Okay, the album is artful, and it feels intimate, and it feels small, and it's called Laundry Pile. Okay, we don't want to do it at a rock and roll club. What if we took over a laundromat in the neighborhood and we made it

feel like it was an art gallery? So it was this sort of dreamy laundromat that people could enter. And what if instead of doing one show for an hour, we invite in groups of like 15 or 20 at a time to come in to find the band waiting there for them, like it's an art gallery, and we perform one song for them. And then the next art gallery, and we perform one song for them. And then the next group comes in. So each group gets a slightly different experience. And what if we have a laundry bin with 10 different t-shirts in it that looks like dirty laundry, and each t-shirt has a different song title from the new record? So smart. And what if we get a volunteer to choose a t-shirt and that's the song that group gets to hear? ad-free episodes and archives. Plus, you support this podcast and help us to keep producing episodes.

We really appreciate it. One day in 1931, a man named George Blaisdell watched another man struggle to light a cigarette with a European lighter. So Blaisdell decided to construct a better one. He fabricated a small metal case and attached a lid with a hinge. Then he incorporated a tiny chimney feature to make the flame windproof. The result was an attractive lighter that could be operated with just one hand. Next, the lighter needed a name. Blaisdell had always liked the sound of the word zipper, so he called his lighter Zippo. Blaisdell founded the Zippo Company, and the first lighter was manufactured in 1933.

A patent was granted three years later. Zippo lighter sold for $1.95 and the warranty said, It works or we fix it for free. That warranty is still honored 92 years later. World War II had a huge impact on Zippo as the company ceased production for the consumer market and dedicated all production for the military. Millions of soldiers carried Zippo lighters into battle and brought them back home when they returned.

During the 1960s, concert goers would hold up their lighters when they wanted an encore. It became known as the Zippo Moment. Though the Zippo lighter is small, it is iconic. The shape is trademarked, as is the unique sound the lighter makes when it's flipped open. An early advertising campaign for Zippo lighters demonstrated how it worked even in the wind. The ad showed a young lady lighting a cigarette while leaning into a wind so strong, it molded her dress to her body. Later ads made a strong case for choosing Zippos over a book of matches,

with the line, Matchless Performance. The Marlboro Man, one of the most famous advertising images of the 20th century, also used a Zippo. But maybe the best advertising came courtesy of Hollywood. Hollywood has cast Zippo in over 2,000 movies and TV shows. And Zippo has never paid a dime for the product placements. From I Love Lucy to The Godfather to Pulp Fiction to Ocean's Eleven, the appearance of Zippo tells the audience the character is cool, self-reliant, and a hero. As a matter of fact, you rarely ever see a villain using a Zippo.

The headline for one early Zippo ad said, 278 movies, zero facelifts. Which is not only funny, it underscored a Zippo fact that in its over 90 years of existence, only two of the lighter's original parts have been modified. Yet, over 400,000 varieties of Zippos have been produced. There's even a YouTube video that teaches you how to ignite a Zippo by snapping your fingers,

just like you see so often in the movies. So, how does Zippo survive now that millions have given up smoking? Actually, the company has had record sales in the last few years. First, Zippo has diversified its product range to include Zippo-branded sunglasses, apparel, camping equipment, and even perfume.

And no, it doesn't smell like butane. Second, over 60% of its revenues now come from overseas markets like China and India. Third, more and more people are sparking up their cannabis. Plus, Zippo sponsors between 100 and 150 music concerts every year. It produces versions with band imagery, TV show imagery, and over 30,000 other collectible designs. Zippo's main competition isn't from other lighters, by the way. It's from counterfeiters. So the company maintains a full-time staff to search the internet for knockoffs. It vigilantly guards its trademark. Since 1933, Zippo has produced over 570 million lighters.

It's been on screen for over 75 years. It's still owned by a member of the original Blaisdell family. And you can identify a Zippo with your eyes closed. That makes it a classic brand. Speaking of Hollywood, there is a brand that I've admired for quite a few years now. It's called Shonda Land. Shonda Rhimes was born in 1970 in a suburb of Chicago. The youngest of six children, she exhibited an early talent for storytelling.

And in high school, she worked as a hospital volunteer, which ignited an interest in the busy world of hospitals. Hint, hint. She majored in English and film studies at Dartmouth College, where she directed and performed in student productions. And after Rimes got her degree, she moved to San Francisco and worked as a writer at advertising agency McCann Erickson.

But her big dream was to write for the television shows that advertising interrupted. So Shonda Rhimes moved to Los Angeles to study screenwriting at the University of Southern California. There, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. She landed a succession of jobs in Hollywood. She interned. She worked for Denzel Washington's production company.

She worked as a researcher, and she shot a short film. Rimes then got a big break in 1999. She landed an assignment to co-write the movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, starring Halle Berry. Then Rimes wrote Crossroads, the film debut for Britney Spears. That led to a job in 2004,

writing the screenplay for The Princess Diaries 2 Royal Engagement, starring Julie Andrews. Then Shonda turned her focus to television. It would lead to her greatest breakthrough. She created Grey's Anatomy. The ABC primetime medical drama featured a diverse cast and strong female characters, which would become a hallmark of Shonda Rhimes' shows. It launched in 2005 and was an immediate hit.

At its peak, Grey's Anatomy attracted nearly 20 million viewers per episode. It is still on the air and is the longest-running medical drama in history. That same year, to have more creative control and freedom, she established her own production company called Shondaland. In 2007, Shonda Rhimes created

a Grey's Anatomy spin-off called Private Practice, which ran for six years. In 2012, she created the TV series Scandal. Kerry Washington starred as a political fixer who happened to be having an affair with the President of the United States. Scandal was also the first network TV drama in 40 years

to feature an African-American actress in the lead role. Her next hit was How to Get Away with Murder, starring Viola Davis. Even in an era with declining network TV viewership, her shows attracted huge audiences, making Shonda one of the most powerful people in television. In 2017, she left ABC and signed a $100 million deal with Netflix, telling the Netflix CEO, quote, I want to make shows and I don't want anybody to bother me while I'm doing it. So there. In 2020, she produced Bridgerton, a historical romance that flipped perceptions of the Regency era on its head by portraying people of color as high-class socialites. The show was watched by 63 million households in the first 28 days.

From there, she developed a spinoff called Queen Charlotte. Then in 2022, Shonda created Inventing Anna, a miniseries about a real-life con artist who pretended to be a German heiress. And while overseeing close to 70 hours of television per season, she still managed to write a New York Times bestseller. She had committed to saying yes to everything that scared her for one full year and wrote a book about it titled Year of Yes. She also launched the Women's Directing Mentorship to help other aspiring writers and producers. For all that and more, Shondaland is a brand I greatly admire. It takes a lot of energy, chutzpah, and courage to create a brand that matters and lasts.

Over 100 million people worldwide play Yahtzee on a regular basis. Baskin-Robbins is still thriving after all these years, probably because of Irv Robbins' insightful philosophy. He said, We sell fun, not ice cream. In over 90 years, no one has spent a cent on a mechanical repair of a Zippo lighter. The 100% warranty still applies, and Zippo still lights up Hollywood screens. Not long ago, Shonda Rhimes was named one of Time magazine's 100 people who helped shape the world. In an industry mostly ruled by white males,

she is an African-American woman who calls the shots. She is a force of nature. Every successful brand is the result of the collective intent of the people behind it. Edwin Lowe, Irv Baskin, Burt Robbins, George Blaisdell, and Shonda Rhimes drove their companies to the top. That's why Yahtzee, Baskin Robbins, Zippo, and Shondaland are brands that are envied the world over when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terrastream Airstream Mobile Recording Studio. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly.

Sound Engineer, Jeff Devine. Research, Patrick James Aslan. Under the influence theme by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. Tunes provided by APM Music. Follow me on social at Terry O. Influence. This podcast is powered by ACAST. And if you'd like to read next week's fun fact, just go to apostrophepodcasts.ca and follow the prompts.

See you next week. Hi, this is Kelly Seymour from Orillia, Ontario. Fun fact! Frank Sinatra was buried with a bottle of Jack Daniels, a pack of Camel cigarettes, and his trusty Zippo lighter.