Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S2E15 - Game Shows As Marketing

Episode Date: April 13, 2013

They’ve been around for almost 80 years, and entertain millions. But game shows are also powerful marketing vehicles. We’ll trace their history from early radio to their debut on network television, and explore their interesting evolution from quiz shows (and the quiz show scandals) to the modern game show format. We’ll also analyze how Let’s Make A Deal and The Price is Right work with advertisers to sell thousands of products, and we’ll tell a fascinating tale of how one contestant broke down the basic advertising formula of The Price Is Right to win big. 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. In case nobody's told you, weight loss goes beyond the old just eat less and move more narrative. And that's where Felix comes in. Felix is redefining weight loss for Canadians with a smarter, more personalized approach to help you crush your health goals this year.

Losing weight is about more than diet and exercise. It can also be about our genetics, hormones, metabolism. Felix connects you with online licensed healthcare practitioners who understand that everybody is different and can pair your healthy lifestyle with the right support to reach your goals. Start your visit today at Felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X dot C-A. From the Under the Influence digital box set,

this episode is from Season 2, 2013. You're so king in it. Scores of it in an instant. Your teeth look whiter than no, no, no. You're not you when you're hungry. You're in good hands with us. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Way back in the late 1970s,

I had just finished high school in Sudbury, Ontario and was accepted to study radio and television arts at Ryerson. All I knew was I had to be in Toronto by a certain date, and that I would be living in a residence called Neil Wisick. The letter said I would be assigned a roommate when I got there. Arriving in Toronto, I immediately headed to the residence. When I got to the front desk, I gave them my name and asked if my new roommate had checked in yet. The girl behind the desk scanned her list and said, yes, he had. I said, can you tell me his name?

She hesitated for a moment and slowly said, Egger Blattis. I said, what? Egger Blattis? She nodded. I remember thinking, So, with much trepidation, I went up the elevator, found the room, knocked on the door, and braced myself for the first view of my new roommate. When the door opened, a normal human being was standing there with a smile. I said, Edgar Bladis? He said, close, Edgar Blades.

That's when I said, I am so glad to know that. Edgar was from Middle Muscadabit, Nova Scotia. He was studying photography and he turned out to be a terrific roommate. He also turned out to be terrifically bright. While I toiled at the bottom of a Falcon Bridge nickel mine in Sudbury during the summer to make enough money to come back to university, Edgar only worked a total of about five hours and ended up earning more than I did.

He did it by going on game shows. He was on skill-testing Canadian shows like Definition and Headline Hunters and an Australian one called Sale of the Century. Edgar did particularly well on Headline Hunters. The premise of the show was to identify a newsmaker or event from clues given in the form of headlines. He was one of the highest scoring winners of the year

and was invited back to the Night of Champions, pitting him against the other two top winners. And finally, our third contestant scored 1,440 points in the semifinals. Let's meet again, Edgar Blades. Hello, Edgar, Chris, and Ed have came down to three gentlemen, and all three of you with a mustache. That championship game came right down to the buzzer, with Edgar in the lead,

but he was beat to the punch on the very last question, losing by only 10 points. But even though he didn't to the punch on the very last question, losing by only 10 points. But even though he didn't win the championship, Edgar won lots of prizes along the way and sold them to friends and relatives for about 50 cents on the dollar, making more than enough money to come back to university and have the best stereo system in residence. Not bad for five hours' work. Edgar went on to do quite well.

You might know him today, by the way, as Ted Blades, the host of CBC Radio's On The Go in St. John's, Newfoundland. Game shows are an interesting aspect of pop culture. They've been around for almost 80 years, continue to entertain millions, and give away millions in prizes. But there's another interesting aspect to game shows. They are incredible marketing vehicles.

Because just when you thought you were only being entertained, you were also being heavily targeted by advertisers. So, grab a coffee and come on down. You're under the influence. Game shows have been part of our lives for decades. While they have always been sponsored by advertisers, over time they have become powerful marketing vehicles unto themselves. As a matter of fact, you could say that game shows became big hour-long commercials.

The very first game show began on radio in 1936. It was called Professor Quiz and was sponsored by the George Washington Coffee Company. The premise of the show had Professor Quiz posing questions to audience members. From this simple program of questions and answers, the entire giveaway aspect of the game show industry began. All the contestants

got a can of George Washington coffee and the professor paid the winners by dropping 25 silver dollars into their hands at the microphone. The second game show in history began airing four months later on NBC.

It was called Uncle Jim's Question Bee, and it too was sponsored by George Washington Coffee. Then, in 1940, two legendary game shows hit the air, Take It or Leave It and Truth or Consequences. Take it or leave it, I am to sharpen your wits with every sharp. If a contestant answered a question correctly, they were asked to either take the prize or leave it and go on. The first question was worth a dollar,

then the value doubled for each successive question up until the seventh question, which was worth $64. Hence the phrase, the $64 question. Truth or consequences would run for 17 years on radio. Hello there, we've been waiting for you. It's time to play Truth or Consequences. The premise was to give contestants two seconds to answer impossible questions. And when they failed, they had to face the consequences,

which were usually humorous or embarrassing stunts. The show had big sponsors and a big audience, and soon, a new medium would beckon. Television broadcasting began in the U.S. at the New York World's Fair in 1939. But commercial television didn't officially begin until July 1, 1941. On the very first day of programming, station WNBT broadcast two game shows, Uncle Jim's Question Bee and Truth or Consequences. Have you done your part to make it a success by buying that extra bond?

Why don't you do it, gang? Hello, what is your name, please? Marion J. Crabtree. How do you do? While those shows were one-time broadcasts to inaugurate the arrival of the new medium,

it was a start to what would become one of the most popular genres in TV history. In the mid-40s, a new game show began on the Dumont television network called Cash & Carry. It was shot on a grocery store set lined with shelves of Libby's food products. And contestants answering questions correctly could win $5, $10 or $15. CBS aired a game show called Mrs. Goes a-Shopping.

It was the first radio show to make the transition to a weekly television series and was broadcast from different supermarkets in the Manhattan area. Two months later, CBS chose a radio quiz program called Winner Take All as their first true network television game show. It was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman,

a team that would go on to create an empire of over 60 game shows. Does this sound familiar? A Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production. By the early 1950s, television was becoming the dominant medium for entertainment in the home. When NBC and CBS began daytime programming in 1950, both added afternoon game shows. Most originated from radio, like Beat the Clock, Name That Tune, and You Bet Your Life. By 1955, television had entered the era of big money quiz shows. But the large cash rewards

and the pursuit of high ratings soon became mired in scandal. Tonight here on 21, Herbert Stemple, our 29-year-old GI college student, can win $111,500, the highest amount of money ever to be

won on television. But to do this, he's risking much of money ever to be won on television. But to do this, he's risking much of the money he has won thus far. So right now, let's meet our first two players as Geritol, America's number one tonic, presents 21. From New York City, Mr. Charles Van Doren, and returning with $69,500 from Forest Hills, New York, Mr. Herbert Stemple. On the quiz show called 21, contestants were isolated in booths and asked to answer difficult questions. When 21 first aired, the story goes that sponsor Geritol

was furious at the lackluster performance of the contestants. So, the producers looked for brighter players and found a Mr. Herb Stemple. Stemple turned out to be a brilliant participant and soon had won over $50,000. America was enthralled and the ratings shot up. But the show's sponsor wasn't happy with Stemple either, feeling he was unattractive and not an acceptable representative of the sponsor's sponsor wasn't happy with Stemple either, feeling he was unattractive

and not an acceptable representative of the sponsor's product. So, under enormous pressure, the producer of 21 brought in a good-looking All-American contestant named Charles Van Doren. As would later come out in court testimony, Charles Van Doren was provided the answers ahead of time and champion Herb Stemple was coerced into

throwing the show. It all came down to this question. Herb Stemple, you have 16 points. The category is Movies and Movie Stars. How many points do you want to try for from 1 to 11? I'll try 5. Which would give you 21 points if you

get this right, and you will be the winner again. Stemple bet big on this category. The question, as it turned out, was an easy one for him. What motion picture won the Academy Award for 1955? You need some extra time to think about it? I sure do. I'll tell you when your time is up. He didn't need

extra time to respond. The answer was his favorite movie, Marty. As you look at his face in this clip, which you can watch on our website,

you can see Stemple struggle with this moment. He knows the answer. He knows he can win the game legitimately. But, against his better instincts and buckling under the pressure to lose,

Herb Stemple answered. What motion picture won the Academy Award for 1955? I don't remember. You want to take a guess at it? If not, I'll have to call it wrong, Herb. On the waterfront? No, I'm sorry, the answer is Marty. Marty.

You lose five points, it puts you back down to 11. Better luck on the next round. With that, Charles Van Doren pulled ahead and won the game as planned. Months later, Stemple couldn't live with the fact he had been pressured to lose and came forward with his story. Around the same time, another game show called Dotto was discovered to be rigged as well. Those two scandals

led to the demise of all big money quiz shows and almost spelled the end of the quiz show industry itself. The government enacted regulations making it illegal to rig TV shows

and the networks set up standards and practices departments. And maybe most importantly, networks took control away from sponsors. The scandal had one other huge impact on our story today. Quiz shows transformed into game shows, and the prizes changed from money to products. And that opened the doors to making game shows powerful marketing vehicles. And we'll be right back. New year, new me. Season is here and honestly, we're already over it. Enter Felix, the healthcare

company helping Canadians take a different approach to weight loss this year. Weight loss is more than just diet and exercise. It can be about tackling genetics, hormones, metabolism. Felix gets it. They connect you with licensed healthcare practitioners online who'll create a personalized treatment plan that pairs your healthy lifestyle with a little help and a little extra support. Start your visit today at Felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X dot C-A. perryoreilly.ca for a master episode list. In 1963, Canadian Monty Hall and his business partner had an idea for a game show. Here's how Monty described the new show in the very first pilot episode. This is television's only trading floor, where every day the individuals who control the finances of America, very first pilot episode. bring in their old white elephants, and try to deal me out of big cash or big gifts. There are millions of deals to be made, and we'll make them every day on Let's Make a Deal.

On Let's Make a Deal, host Monty Hall would wander through the audience and pick out people to make deals with. In the 1963 pilot, the opening would set the strategy of the show for all time. Would you make a deal to trade up to $300 in cash for one of those three doors, knowing that behind one of them is $2,005 worth of valuable merchandise? Several people will have to make that decision during the next half hour as we bring you the Marketplace of America. Let's make a deal.

The Marketplace of America was an important distinction because this game show was built to promote merchandise as well as entertain. We start off with some candy. Jay, please. Well, that's a box of Chuckles, the colorful candy Evel Knievel goes for. Enjoy fruit-flavored Chuckles from Nabisco in familiar bars or family pack. I'll tell you what you can do. You can have the candy, sit down, enjoy it, eat it, or do anything you want.

There may be something hidden inside. Or if you want, you can trade away for what's behind curtain number three that Carol is standing in front of right now. Each prize was given a full description and really was, for all intents and purposes, a mini commercial within a program on national TV. So what was behind the curtain the contestant chose instead of the Chuckles candy? $50 of the liquid car wax, Turtle Wax, new improved hard shell formula, cleans, polishes, protects in one easy operation.

Turtle Wax, the world's largest selling liquid car wax. But what contestants wanted most to hear was that the wax came with... Beautiful new car! As a marketing vehicle, Let's Make a Deal has promoted thousands of brand names over the years. Advertisers would approach the show and offer free

or deeply discounted prizes in return for screen time. It gave them a big audience for their products and even more exposure during repeats and in syndication. Giving away prizes was almost a lost leader for advertisers, but the national exposure was worth millions. Then, in 1973, another game show premiered.

A fortune in fabulous prizes may go to these people today if they know when the price is right. First broadcast back in 1956, it went off the air in 1964. But Mark Goodson and Bill Todman brought it back nine years later with the host from Truth or Consequences. And now here's the star of the new Price is Right, Bob Barker. The premise of the Price is Right was to get audience members to guess the price of products. It couldn't be a more perfect marketing vehicle, as the entire show revolved around brand names.

Contestants and viewers would listen intently to the advertising copy, then formulate a price bid. But first, nine lucky players had to be plucked from the 340 people in the studio audience with a familiar... Gina Griffith! Come on down! Creator Mark Goodson worried at first

that a show so heavily dependent on endless prize descriptions and sponsor plugs would turn viewers off. That they would feel it was a one-hour commercial disguised as a game show. But the program was inventive and entertaining, and host Bob Barker was so good at bringing out the best in contestants that Goodson's hesitation melted away. The script for The Price is Right,

and yes, there is one for every show, is more than 30 pages long. It's that long because of all the product descriptions the announcer has to read. Advertisers have strict guidelines on how their products

must be shown, and a prize information form is created for each item, stating frequency of appearance and exact wording of how the advertiser wants the product described. When advertisers supply products, they are shipped to a huge CBS warehouse deep underneath CBS TV City. According to The Price is Right writer Stan Blitz, in his book titled Come on Down, there are thousands of prizes stored at this facility. Acres of cars, boats, trailers and jet skis are stockpiled, as well as small product giveaways such as aspirin bottles, arthritis medicine,

cookies, and cans of creamed corn. In its history, the show has given away more than $200 million in prizes, including over 20,000 cars. One lucky contestant even won an airplane. Because the ratings were so high year after year, advertisers lined up to place prizes on the show and even paid a fee based on ratings to be there. It was also the first game show to extend to one hour, which gave advertisers even more opportunities for screen

time. The show had a winning formula and and its success meant many happy, repeat advertisers, which led to one of the most interesting moments in the show's history. You are the first four contestants on The Price is Right. And now, here's your host, Drew Carey! On September 22, 2008, a couple named Terry and Linda Neese went down to the Price is Right to try and get on the show, now hosted by Drew Carey. Terry was a long-time meteorologist who had an uncanny way of being accurate when it came to the weather. His gift was recognizing patterns. Years later, he got a job at a Las Vegas casino watching for gamblers who were out to beat the system. The best ones had routines, the way they bet, the tables they chose, their body language.

Terry saw how they counted cards, looked for the busiest tables, and chose dealers for small imperfections in their shuffling techniques. These gamblers weren't cheating. They were just exploiting opportunities. And Terry could read their patterns like the weather. His wife Linda had a gift for mathematics. So, for four months, they would tape The Price is Right every morning,

then watch it in bed every evening. Terry looked for patterns, Linda would do the math. As Esquire magazine later wrote, it was the perfect challenge and they were the perfect team. Soon, they found their edge. The Price is Right's greatest strength was its greatest weakness.

The show had survived all these years and became the longest-running game show in history because it had a winning formula. A formula it never changed. One night, Terry jumped up in bed because a certain green ceramic cooker, one that always caught his eye, kept coming up in various games. And it was always priced at $1,175. Always. Terry realized that virtually every prize on the Price is Right,

from a pack of gum to a car, repeated. Linda did the math, and Terry recognized the patterns. They would make lists and grill each other until they had the prices memorized. When they were ready, they made their way down to the studio. In a stroke of luck, Terry got picked to be a contestant. Guess what product he had to guess the price on first. A green ceramic cooker. His guess?

$1,175. Actual retail price? $1,175. He eventually found himself on the final showcase showdown. The first showcase opened with a karaoke machine, a pool table,

and a 17-foot camper. The other contestant passed on it, so Terry had to make a bid. Listen to Drew Carey's response. Terry, what did he bid for all that? If it would have been an 18-foot trailer, she might have bid on it. But it was only a 17-foot trailer. $23,743. $23,743. Wow.

That was a very exact bid. Good luck. Yes, it was an exact bid. But then again, all those prizes had been given away before, and Terry knew exactly what they cost. What happened next was fascinating. The producer backstage stopped the show. When Drew walked over to her, she was white as a sheet. She told him Terry had guessed the showcase to the dollar,

just as he had guessed the exact price of the ceramic cooker. The producer was convinced Terry was cheating, but she didn't know how he was doing it. Drew asked if the show should go on. Nobody knew what to say. So, Drew walked back on stage. Terry, you had the trailer, jukebox, bid $23,743. Now, listen to how unexcited Drew Carey is when he reads the actual retail price, which

has been guessed precisely by Terry, which has only happened once before in the history of The Price is Right. Actual retail price, $23,743. You got it right on the nose. Drew was sure Terry had cheated, but he had not. He had just exploited the one thing that advertisers wanted more than anything

on The Price is Right, and the one thing The Price wanted more than anything on The Price is Right, and the one thing The Price is Right always promised them, that their products would be shown over and over again for maximum exposure. The very marketing strategy that underpinned the show had undone it. The price was too right. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to get your pets spayed or neutered. We'll see you next time on The Price is Right.

Have a good day. Game shows have been around for almost 80 years. Without a doubt, there is something alluring about watching regular folks using their wits to win big prizes. As Mark Goodson once said, a good game show will have the viewer talking out loud to the TV. And who among us has never yelled a price out at Bob Barker? While game shows still attract big ratings, it's easy to forget they are also very clever marketing vehicles.

For a small investment, advertisers can showcase their products during a highly watched TV show where their brands are the focus of attention. It's product placement of the highest order. A television show built around advertising. A few advertisers spent all their marketing budgets just being on shows like The Price is Right. It delivered the right audience, it was inexpensive, and the messages lived on forever in syndication. The power of game shows

is that the public sees them as pure entertainment. So the commercial messages are not filtered as commercials, but as part of the game. Therefore, they are absorbed while in the best possible state of mind, undivided attention attention wrapped in fun. It's an environment a commercial break just can't create. The game show was, after all, the perfect TV invention.

One big commercial interrupted with commercial breaks that still has us under its influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. Hey, Terry. It's Ted Blades calling. Thanks for that trip down memory lane. I can't believe it's like 35 years or more since I was on those game shows. Speaking of which, roomie, I think you still owe me 25 bucks for that set of encyclopedias I sold you. Anyway, you know where to find me. Ciao. Under the Influence was produced at Pirate Toronto.

Sound engineer, Keith Ullman. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre Series Coordinator, Debbie O'Reilly Research, Warren Brown By the way, I know you've been dreaming of wearing an Under the Influence t-shirt. Or maybe I was dreaming that. But anyway, we have them for sale on our shop page. And if you listen to the show while sipping a tea or a coffee,

have we got the mug for you? Go to terryoreilly.ca slash shop. See you next week. New year, new me. Season is here and honestly, we're already over it. Enter Felix, the healthcare company helping Canadians take a different approach to weight loss this year. Weight loss is more than just diet and exercise. It can be about tackling genetics, hormones, metabolism. Felix gets it. They connect you with licensed healthcare practitioners online who'll create a personalized treatment plan that pairs your healthy lifestyle with a little help and a little extra support. Start your visit today at felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X dot C-A.