Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S2E24 - This I Know

Episode Date: June 15, 2013

This penultimate show of the season features the various lessons I've learned over the course of my 30-year advertising career. From the fact small brands need big personalities, to thereason why committees aren't creative, to the truism that all marketing is theatre, to six tips for presenting ideas that have never proven me wrong, to a secret my car mechanic taught meabout presenting invoices to nervous clients, it's a collection of insights and learning. This I know: All knowledge should be shared. 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. new year new me season is here and honestly we're already over it enter felix the health care 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. From the Under the Influence digital box set, this episode is from Season 2, 2013. You're not you when you're hungry. You're in good hands with us. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Back in 2006, before Tiger Woods came crashing back down to earth, he was transcending his sport.

And he's picked out a landing spot that is a good 25 feet above the hole. There's a good chance he doesn't get this inside DeMarco's ball. Well, here it comes. Oh my goodness! Oh wow! In your life have you seen anything like that! His coach, Hank Haney, called him maybe the greatest athlete

not in golf history, but in sports history. Tiger was in the middle of a remarkable run. He had just won the British Open. That victory made him the first player in history to win multiple professional majors in consecutive years. It was also the third of what would be seven consecutive wins in official tournaments. His next event was the Deutsche Bank tournament in Boston. According to Haney, in his insightful book titled The Big Miss,

Tiger had shot 67 in the third round to trail Vijay Singh by three shots. Tiger felt something was wrong with his game, and he called Haney, who was in Dallas. He described the flight of his shots to Haney and asked what he should work on before the final round the next day. Tiger needed a long-distance golf lesson. Haney hadn't watched any of Tiger's play on television, so he told Tiger he would analyze the taped broadcast and call him back.

Then Haney leaned forward in his chair and carefully studied Tiger's swing on the screen. When he called Tiger back, Haney told him to get in front of the mirror in his hotel room before he went to bed and practice his backswing for 30 minutes. He told Tiger to work on starting his takeaway straighter while keeping his eyes level. Then he told Tiger to practice his downswing for 30 more minutes in the mirror.

Do that and you'll be good to go tomorrow, Haney reassured him. Tiger called him back the next morning, a few hours before his tee-off time. Remarkably, this is what he told Haney. Tiger had worked for two hours in front of the mirror before going to bed. Then, when he awoke at 2 a.m. to go to the bathroom,

he looked in the mirror and started working on his swing again for another 90 minutes before going back to bed. Then, after getting up in the morning, Tiger did another hour of mirror work. Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer the game has ever seen, had spent a total of four and a half hours practicing. In other words, as his competition was settling into their comfortable beds for the night,

Tiger took a golf lesson in his pajamas and had put four and a half hours into learning that lesson before the next day's tee-off time. He ended up shooting 63 to win by three strokes that day. I was able to make that putt and basically took all the momentum away from Vijay. When Hank Haney analyzes his student, he says that Tiger had an insatiable hunger to learn, even while he was winning majors by an astounding 15 strokes.

And that's what made him a champion. Tiger had a strict goal of constant improvement. And to improve, he had to be open to learning. That philosophy is something I've believed in my entire life, to never stop learning. Even 30 plus years deep into my career, I still feel as hungry to learn as I did in year one. And when I do learn something new,

be it a tiny nugget or a huge epiphany, or even if it's a blinding flash of the obvious, it's still valuable. I was inspired by Haney's book to talk about learning today. Because this is our second last episode of the season, I thought I'd pass on some of the lessons I've been fortunate enough to learn, or be in the right place at the right time to absorb. And much of that wisdom came from an interesting mix of teachers.

This much I know. All learning should be shared. You're under the influence. In my career, I've been in the privileged position of working with the smartest marketers, the most creative art directors and writers, the wisest creative directors, the most gifted actors,

and quite a few legendary communicators. As a result of watching and power listening, I've learned a lot. I've also made more than my fair share of mistakes along the way and learned the good hard way. Mistakes are the greatest teachers and their sting ensures the lessons are never forgotten. In over 30 years of being an ad man, I've created hundreds of ads,

directed a few thousand commercials and been in hundreds of high-level presentations. This much I know. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that marketing is theater. In a marketplace where people are exposed to over 3,000 advertising messages a day, only the spectacular ideas break through. I have seen, time and again, how ideas need to be fearless and need to be wrapped up in the most surprising packages possible.

We live in an attention economy. Marketing has to compete with entertainment, time-starved attention spans, and general indifference. Look at the best marketers, like Apple and Nike. They never just market information. They create advertising theater with a clear message. For the first time in history, a personal computer has been classified as a weapon by the U.S. government. With the power to perform over one billion calculations per second, the Pentagon

wants to ensure that the new Power Macintosh G4 does not fall into the wrong hands. As for Pentium PCs, well, they're harmless. I have also come to believe that small brands need a big personality. A small company can't compete with large budgets, neither can arts organizations. Instead, they need to big personality. A small company can't compete with large budgets. Neither can arts organizations. Instead, they need to be bold.

Here's a radio ad I wrote for the Art Gallery of Ontario. They were having a Matisse exhibit and wanted to advertise it. They had a small budget but needed immediate attention.

So I asked the AGO to send over slides of the Matisse paintings that would be on display. And when they did, something occurred to me. Large cliff. Fish. Woman in striped pullover. Violin on the table.

Head of a woman with veil. Head with necklace. Small head with comb. Henri Matisse created some of the most cheerful and colorful art of the century. He just sucked at titles. The Incredible Matisse Exhibition, on now at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Don't miss it. It was a commercial that got a lot of attention because it was surprising, coming from the AGO.

The Matisse exhibit was a success, even though the art gallery had a very small budget. It just had a big personality. Let's talk radio while we're on this subject. People always ask me if radio will survive. Radio has always survived. It has survived movies, television, the internet, and social media. By the way, in the last five

years, CBC Radio has had the best ratings in its history. And that's saying something. Radio is intimate. It is a human voice whispering in your ear. It's personal. When I was on my book tour a few

years ago, I noticed something very interesting. Listeners of our radio show would touch me when we met. They would touch my arm or my shoulder or my elbow. Whereas I've noticed that in the presence of TV personalities, people stand back. There is an implied

distance with television, a divide. But not so with radio. People feel they know you. That is radio's great power. It is the most personal medium. This I know. Humor is a great device in advertising. All advertising is an intrusion.

Using humor is a way to make that interruption polite and entertaining. Ronald Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan says humor is the great shock absorber of life. I agree. Humor can make up for a lot of bumps in the road. When I worked with Bob Newhart, he showed me how the smallest moment can be the best moment. He taught me not to be afraid of silence, that a long pause can be the funniest part of a commercial. I took that lesson about the power of silence to the limit in a commercial I wrote for organ donation. I wasn't asking people to sign their donation cards. I was asking them to make their

wishes known to their family. And I wanted them to do that during the commercial. If you've signed your organ donor card, we thank you. But did you know that it's still your family that makes the ultimate decision? That's why you have to discuss it with them. So, if you're listening to this right now with someone in your family, look at them and say, I want to be an organ donor. We'll wait a moment while you do that. There, it's done. Thank you, From the Kidney Foundation of Canada. I've learned that all advertising can't just be information. It doesn't have to be humorous, but it must provoke an emotion. All good advertising should be polite, entertaining, and surprising. Not blunt, boring, and rude.

If we advertisers are going to take up real estate on radio, TV, posters, print ads, and on the Internet, we must be a good host to people's attention spans. This I know. Good advertising should not be like a line of identical hamburgers coming out of an oven. Creativity is not an exercise in consistency. Good advertising is more like a shish kebab. It should be a string of surprising treats, a tomato, a green pepper, a mushroom,

all skewered by a consistent strategy. Each ad should be surprising and different, but the entire campaign is held together by a consistent communication strategy. Nike is a great example of this. No two commercials look alike, but they are all anchored by Nike's attitude, which never, ever changes. I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to be a role model.

I'm paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids. This I know. Do not give a committee a creative task. Large groups are not creative. I'm with famous ad man George Lois on this one. Large groups are okay if you're Amish and you're building a barn.

But creativity is an individual pursuit. Charge one person or a team of two to solve a problem. Great moments of creativity should never be clouded by the politics of groups or drowned out by a cacophony of voices. Look at Apple's Think Different campaign. Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels.

The troublemakers. It only showed individuals, like Einstein, Picasso, Lennon, and Jim Henson. It didn't show groups. Groups are excellent at implementing a creative idea. They're just not good at coming up with one. And we'll be right back. If you're enjoying this episode, why not dip into our archives? Available wherever you download your pods. Go to terryoreilly.ca for a master episode list. This I know.

Reward those who pay particular attention. Every marketing campaign is an ongoing conversation with customers. I was reading an interview with Bruce Springsteen in Rolling Stone the other day. In the article, he said, The one thing I keep in mind is that I'm in the midst of a lifelong conversation with my audience, and I'm trying to keep track of that conversation. Bruce is very insightful. What he said applies to marketing.

When advertisers lose track of the conversation, they lose customers forever. I've always believed that great marketing is like a book. It's a story with chapters. The goal is to have an ongoing conversation with customers, chapter to chapter. Conversations create relationships. That's what Springsteen was talking about. When creating this radio show, I always put in small details to reward listeners who pay close attention. No piece of music is randomly chosen, for example. Every piece is picked to underscore what I'm saying. Or sometimes, a piece of music is chosen

to say the opposite of what I'm talking about. Sometimes I'll make a wry reference to a past show. But only those paying close attention will connect the dots. I count on the intelligence of my audience. And I love it when I get emails or tweets from people

who catch the subtleties. These six quick things I know. Women are the CFOs of the family. People over 55 have the most money and buy the most products. When a man goes into a fitting room with clothes, he is buying them. Women may not be. Phone numbers don't work in radio ads. You can judge a company by how it handles complaints.

And there is too much advertising in the world. This I know. Even though there is too much advertising in the world, creating great advertising is harder than brain surgery. I'm only half kidding. It is so difficult to create great advertising for a product day in and day out. A creative advertising idea has to run a gauntlet. It has to be approved by account teams, creative directors, junior clients,

mid-level clients and directors of marketing. The idea usually has to survive research and focus groups and advertising regulations. It is usually asked to create a big result with a small media budget. Then, it has to compete with the other 2,999 ads you'll see tomorrow. What was the name of that movie Jeff Bridges made in 1985 with director Hal Ashby? Anything can happen when there's 8 million ways to die. Exactly. That sums up the journey

of an advertising idea. This I know. A lot of good ideas die in the boardroom. Few people are taught to be great presenters. An idea will never survive out there in the world if it can't survive its first test

in the boardroom. So, here are my six tips for presenting ideas, and it doesn't matter what business you're in. 1. From the moment you step into a boardroom, begin creating what I call an atmosphere of approval. Command the room with an easy-going positive tone. Don't slip into business-ease jargon. Just talk like a real human being. If you've got your clients smiling and comfortable and nodding their heads at this stage, the air in that room favors approval. Then, casually slip into your presentation without a formal throat clear or a sudden change in tone. 2. Presentations need structure, like a good story. They need a beginning, a middle, and an end. A well-structured presentation feels professional and persuasive. 3. Above all, prepare the end of your presentation.

Most people think the lead-up is the most important part, but they're wrong. After you've revealed your idea, the minds on the other side of the table will be racing like a pinball machine. It will be equal parts excitement, fear, and paralysis by analysis. This is your opportunity to calm all this down while the cement is still wet. Your first words after the idea has been exposed should be, Now, let's look at what we've achieved here. Then, clearly explain how your idea answers everything your client asks for, point by point. This is your chance to persuade the client to buy your idea.

Eliminate the obstacles to approval here and now. 4. Never let there be silence. Silence immediately following the reveal of the idea smells like fear. I can't tell you how many presentations I've witnessed where the presenter did a great lead-up, revealed the idea, then just sat there in silence waiting for a comment. Wrong. Keep talking. Keep the energy in the room up.

Persuade them the idea is right. Don't stop talking until the client asks the first question. Then, roll with the ensuing conversation. 5. Never tell a client how to think. Never, ever start a presentation by saying, you're

going to love this. Because the first thought they will have is, no I won't. Why start from a deficit?

And 6. Once you get an approval, that's lunch. Don't keep selling an idea once it's approved.

I have seen presenters do this. They keep selling and selling way it's approved. I have seen presenters do this. They keep selling and selling way past the approval point until the client starts to dislike the idea. Get the approval, then move on. Those six tips have served me well in this business of high-pressure presentations. And these tips are not advertising-specific.

They apply to anybody who has to get up in front of people and persuade them to do something. This I know. The secret to a great company or organization is its culture. A corporate culture is a belief system. What a company believes, the guidelines it lives by, the goals it pursues, the philosophy behind how it treats its customers is its culture. Competitors can copy your products, they can copy your prices, they can copy your look, but they can never copy the magic reason why your company is successful.

Culture cannot be mandated. A culture that celebrates creativity and respect is untouchable. Because a great company culture is a competitive advantage. If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered. Summer runs or playoff season meditations, whatever your vibe, Peloton has thousands of classes built to push you. We know how life goes. New father, new routines, new locations.

What matters is that you have something there to adapt with you, whether you need a challenge or rest. And Peloton has everything you need, whenever you need it. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. This I know. Great companies reward instinct. Intuition is what catapults a company miles ahead of the competition.

Most companies in this day and age don't value intuition. It's too fuzzy for them. It's not quantifiable. It's seen as flaky. Universities should be teaching courses on instinct. Students should be encouraged and taught to listen to their hunches, to love, honor, and obey their gut feelings. When logic is parked, the intuitive part of the mind,

the one that takes the bigger leaps, gets a shot at the steering wheel. Instinct finds solutions in the most unlikely places. The Christmas song Silver Bells, for example, was written on the hottest day of July in 1950. Play-Doh was inspired by wallpaper cleaner. Popsicles were invented when a stir stick froze to a drink overnight on a porch.

Intuition jets across the ocean of a problem. Cold logic takes a boat. And lastly, this I know. Bad advertisers should be punished. But that task I put in your hands, Mr. and Mrs. Consumer. Don't buy from bad advertisers. Vote with your wallet. It never fails to amaze me how much I have left to learn,

and that learning can come from anywhere. My car mechanic, Gus, said an interesting thing to me once. I was staring at his bill, and he could see I was a little taken aback by the total. He looked at me and said, you lose, I lose. In that simple line, I understood that he put in more hours than were reflected in the bill and I was paying a little more than I expected. But it was fair. He taught me in that moment how to frame an invoice to an uneasy client. I once worked with a gifted actress who used to be on Saturday Night Live. I had hired her to do a voiceover on a radio ad. She looked at me and said, teach me how to be a great voiceover actor. I remember thinking how extraordinary that question was. After all, she had already scaled the mountain of New York in Saturday Night Live,

yet she still wanted to learn. When Dame Judi Dench, one of the most respected and awarded actors of our time, does a play, she stands offstage to watch the scenes she is not in. Why? To learn. Judi Dench is 77 years old. It's interesting to remember that the key to locomotion wasn't the wheel. It was the axle. The axle meant the wheel could suddenly be moved long distances

without having to be replaced or repositioned every few feet. That, to me, is what wisdom is. It is the axle that allows ideas to move long distances. every few feet. That, to me, is what wisdom is. It is the axle that allows ideas to move long distances when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. Thank you. Hello, Mr. Terry O'Reilly.

This is Gus from Alpine Motors. Thank you for using my line, you lose, I lose, on your radio program. I'm honored. You will receive my invoice for that line shortly. Thank you. 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. 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.