Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S3E16 - Brand Envy 2014

Episode Date: April 20, 2014

This week on Under The Influence, it's Terry O'Reilly's annual episode where he features four brands he admires. It might be because the brand broke new ground, or has managed to stay #1, or just because it has been a part of our lives for so long. With that in mind, he'll celebrate a certain mac & cheese that has been with us since 1937, a TV show that broke ground in 1969, a condiment that has been #1 for over 100 years, and the most successful movie franchise of all time. 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.ca. From the Under the Influence digital box set,

this episode is from Season 3, 2014. You're in good hands with us. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Not long ago, my youngest daughter was home for a visit from university. I was sitting at the kitchen counter while she was making lunch and we were chatting about school. When she finished stirring a pot on the stove, she asked me if I wanted some. It was Kraft Dinner.

I hadn't had KD in years, so I said sure. It was a full-circle moment, as Kraft Dinner got me through my university years. Macaroni and cheese has a long history. It's actually mentioned in a 13th century Italian cookbook. Ironically, it was a dish for the upper class, until the Industrial Revolution made pasta production fast and cheap. Kraft launched Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner

back in 1937 at the end of the Great Depression, promising to feed a family of four for 19 cents. It was marketed as, quote, the housewife's best friend, a nourishing one-pot meal. Eight million servings were sold in that first year. J.L. Kraft had grown up on a dairy farm in Ontario and later moved to Chicago with $65 and a dream to launch a wholesale cheese business. The idea for Boxed Kraft Dinner came from a salesman in St. Louis who wrapped elastic bands around packets of grated Kraft cheese and boxes of pasta and persuaded retailers to sell

the package as a unit. Kraft liked the idea and by 1939 was selling over $8 million worth a year. By the end of World War II, that figure jumped to $14 million, as families could get two boxes for one food ration stamp. Kraft Dinner was one of the world's first and most successful convenience foods. Today, Canadians eat 3.2 boxes a year, 55% more than Americans. There are now dozens of KD variations, and by the way, consumers called it KD, Kraft just picked up on it. And that nickname sums up the affection people have for that brand.

Welcome to my annual episode that celebrates my favorite brands. My list may not include the coolest brands, the newest brands, or even the hippest ones, but I admire them for other reasons. Maybe it's because they've lasted so long in this disposable world, or they made a big impression on me when I was a kid, or maybe because they've been number one in their category for years. But whatever the reason, the object of my desire has to give me a big case of brand envy. Let's begin today at a dinner party in New York City, circa 1966. At this soiree is a mix of business and entertainment people and their spouses. The chit-chat is of the usual variety.

Canapé. Thank you. Then an ex... Napé. Thank you. Then an ex... Napkin. Thank you. Then an executive from the Carnegie Foundation named Lloyd Morissette mentions that his young daughter is so enthralled by television that she even sits and watches the early morning test patterns.

Another guest was amazed at that story. Her name was Joan Ganz Cooney. She was a at that story. Her name was Joan Ganz Cooney. She was a young TV producer, and that comment prompted her to wonder if television could be used to package education as entertainment. In other words, what if education could go down like ice cream instead of spinach? Cooney also knew there was a gap on TV as nothing was aimed at preschoolers. Cooney and Morissette envisioned a show that taught everything from arithmetic to empathy,

was rooted in education research, showed diversity in a proud way, and featured urban lifestyles as a positive influence. The Carnegie Foundation liked what they heard and provided an $8 million grant. That enabled Cooney to form the Children's Television Workshop, which brought her innovative new show, To the Airwaves. To the Airwaves 1, 2, get to Sesame Street. 1-2-3 Sesame Street has become one of the most famous addresses on television,

with a theme song that everybody knows. And if you listen really closely, you'll hear the five-year-old voice of Canada's own Molly Johnson singing those words. The name Sesame Street had an interesting origin. Early promotional materials simply referred to the program as a, quote, preschool educational television show. But at the 11th hour, the show still had no name. The publicity department was going crazy because they had no way to promote a show without a title.

So, the staff at the children's television workshop frantically brainstormed a list of potential names. The frontrunners were The Video Classroom and 123 Avenue B. Then, Virginia Schoen, a writer on the show, suggested Sesame Street. Everybody hated it. Everyone except executive producer David Connell. He issued a memo saying that if nobody could come up with a better idea by Monday, the show would be called Sesame Street, end of debate. As Joan Cooney says, they ended up going with it because it was, quote,

the least bad title. When that first episode aired on November 10th, 1969, a camera panned down from the green and yellow street sign that said Sesame Street, and Gordon said to a little girl named Sally, Sally, you've never seen a street like Sesame Street. Everything happens here. You're going to love it. Thus began one of the most beloved and famous children's shows of all time. Creator Joan Cooney took cues from two aspects of television to create Sesame Street.

One was from Ronan Martin's Laugh-In, as that groundbreaking program showed the power of quick, funny segments. The other cue was from the world of advertising, as Joan Cooney herself explains in an early promotional film. You'll note in one or two of the animated cartoon sequences in this film, which are among the very first that we've commissioned, that the short, simple, 60-second form used by TV advertisers in commercials to sell products is used here to teach numbers and letters.

As teachers and parents know, young children learn through repetition, and so, as with television ads, this material will be repeated many times during the 130 hours of original programming in our first season. So short, humorous segments based on repetition became the teaching structure of Sesame Street. But the best decision Cooney made was to bring Jim Henson and his Muppets on board. One of the first times the Muppets had appeared on television was in a series of over 300 seven-second TV

commercials Henson created for an instant coffee called Wilkins back in the late 1950s. Have a cup of Wilkins instant coffee? Wild horses couldn't make me. Okay, okay, give me a cup. While the Muppets had appeared on various TV programs like the Ed Sullivan Show, it was the coffee commercials that made Joan Cooney fall over laughing and made her want Henson on the show. Although Henson worried about being labeled a children's puppeteer, he was drawn to the challenge of a new kind of television show. Henson also waived his performance fees in exchange for full ownership of the Sesame

Street Muppet characters and agreed to split any revenue the characters generated from the show. A very smart idea, as we'll soon see. Originally, the Muppets didn't interact with the human cast on the show, but research showed that kids only paid attention when the Muppets were on screen. So, the producers asked Henson to create

two new characters that could interact with the actors. Enter Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. As Cooney says, Jim Henson's Muppets made learning not just noble, but fun. He had a knack for driving home a point very quickly and humorously, a skill he learned while making seven-second commercials.

One of the reasons kids loved the Muppets so much was because Henson gave them flaws. Oscar complained, Bert was uptight, the Count was compulsive, Cookie Monster had no self-control, Big Bird was awkward, and Ernie had a short attention span. Kids could see themselves in the characters.

Sesame Street was an immediate hit. It taught kids how to count, how to spell, and how to value friends. After only one year, Time magazine anointed it not only the best children's show in history, but also one of the best parent shows ever. And that was the genius of Sesame Street. It was made for children, sprinkled with jokes and references for parents. Co-viewing was the secret sauce of Sesame Street from day one.

Let her be, let her be, let her be, let her be. She whispers buh-buh--ba means let her be. When government funding eventually stopped, Sesame Street was forced to produce its own revenues. By 1984, Forbes estimated that Sesame Street characters were appearing on over 1,700 products, generating $200 million in sales. Oh, rubber ducky, you're the one. generating $200 million in sales. The show has won 120 Emmys,

more than any other show in television history. Over 95% of all preschoolers have watched it by the time they turn three, and it's viewed by 8 million people a week in 140 countries. For all that and more, Sesame Street is one of my favorite brands. Rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you. as you're back all season long. From puck drop to the final shot, you're always taken care of with the sportsbook Born in Vegas. That's a feeling you can only get with BetMGM. And no matter your team, your favorite skater, or your style, there's something every NHL fan is going to love about BetMGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM

is your hockey home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a sellie, is your hockey home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a selly, and an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager. Ontario only.

Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. 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. Way

back in 1869, Henry J. Hines and L. Clarence Noble established a food company in Pittsburgh. Their goal? To make cooking less onerous. Their first product was bottled horseradish. But in 1876, they introduced another product.

Heinz ketchup. Actually, it began as Heinz tomato catsup, not ketchup, but Heinz changed the spelling early on to distinguish it from competitors. Those rivals used a lot of rotten tomatoes in their products because rotten product was cheaper and could be stretched further. They masked the rotten smell by using vinegar and spices. Heinz was completely against this practice and chose to use transparent bottles to prove to customers that his tomatoes were fresh and had nothing to hide. He eventually lobbied President Theodore Roosevelt to enact the Pure Food and Drug Act, which

was passed in 1906. That act pushed most of the Heinz competitors out of business. He capitalized on the vacuum in the market and became the leading ketchup. One day, Henry Heinz was inspired by an ad he saw for 21 styles of shoes. So he decided to add a number to the label of Heinz Ketchup. He chose 57, which he considered a lucky number, adding the slogan 57 Varieties, even though his company had over 60 at the time.

The Heinz Ketchup brand has had a remarkable run, remaining a category leader since 1906, and today it has an astounding 60% market share with the closest competitor paddling in its wake at 16% part of that magic is the ketchup itself it's sticky but doesn't drip off a french fry it's a slow pour exiting the bottle at a glacial 0.28 miles per hour, creating anticipation, which is a testament to its thickness. But it doesn't squish out the other end of a hot dog.

Over 10 billion ounces are sold in North America every year, where it's mostly used on hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries. But in other countries, ketchup is used quite differently. In Sweden, it's used on pasta. In Russia, it's mostly put on eggs. In China, ketchup is poured on fried chicken. And in Japan, people put it on cabbage rolls. In Thailand, they dip potato chips in it,

and in Eastern Europe, ketchup is a favorite pizza topping. Heinz is the number one choice in seven of the world's top ten ketchup markets. The Pittsburgh Steelers play at Heinz Field, which the company holds the naming rights to for 20 years. They paid $57 million to put their name on that stadium. Does that number ring a bell? And here's a secret. The best place to tap Heinz ketchup to make it flow

is on the 57 number on the bottleneck. Apparently, only 11% of the population knew that secret. Until now. Interestingly, McDonald's stopped using Heinz ketchup in its restaurants once and for all in 2013, after 40 years. The reason? Heinz was purchased for $23 billion by a consortium that included Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Company and a private equity firm called 3G Enterprises.

3G owns a majority stake in Burger King. So McDonald's said, bye-bye. But even with that loss, Heinz Ketchup is still the runaway market leader and has been number one for over 100 years. And for most of us, if the restaurant is out of Heinz, it's out of ketchup. Personally, I like my ketchup shaken, not stirred. Harry Saltzman was born in St. John, New Brunswick in 1915. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and went on to become a theater and movie producer in England.

In 1961, he purchased a six-month film option on Ian Fleming's James Bond novels for $55,000. And for the next half a year, he has no luck generating interest in James Bond, as American studios find it too British. Then, just before the option expires, he meets producer Cubby Broccoli.

Broccoli wants to buy the option from Saltzman, but Harry is not looking to sell. He wants a partner. So the two team up and form a production company called Eon, which stands for Everything or Nothing.

They manage to convince United Artists to back a movie based on Dr. No, which was actually Fleming's seventh Bond novel. But first, they need to find the actor to play Bond. Ian Fleming wanted David Niven. Saltzman and Broccoli wanted Cary Grant, but Grant was expensive and didn't want to be pinned down to a three-picture deal.

Then one day, an unknown named Sean Connery auditions. Connery was an ex-milkman and coffin polisher who had some acting experience. And even though he's Scottish and not English, the producers are taken with his size, his confidence, and his looks. As they watched him stride across the street after leaving the meeting, they said Connery moved like a big jungle cat. In that moment, they decided to hire him. That decision led to one of the most famous James Bond moments as Connery introduces himself in the very first scene of the very first James Bond movie. I admire your courage, Miss...

Trench. Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mr... Bond. James Bond. It's remarkable how many of the iconic aspects of the Bond franchise were established with Dr. No. First, there was that fantastic theme.

Is there anyone who doesn't recognize that sinister guitar riff? Sonic branding at its best. It was written by theater composer Monty Norman, who had originally written this for an Indian musical. I was born with this unlucky sneeze And what is worse I came into the world the wrong way round When the musical failed to make it to the stage,

Norman pulled it out of his drawer at the last minute and refashioned it to become the James Bond theme. The iconic Bond opening was also established in this first film. We see 007 through a gun barrel as he walks, then turns and fires his gun. By the way, it wasn't Sean Connery in that gun barrel opening. It was stunt coordinator Bob Simmons. Connery wouldn't appear there until the fourth film, Thunderball. We are also introduced to Bond's boss M,

the gadget master Q, the concept of Bond girls, Bond's license to kill, his 007 designation, his martini preference, the famous Bond logo with the gun barrel extending from the 007 numerals, the criminal organization Spectre, and the start of a long line of ambitious master criminals,

beginning with Dr. Julius No. We are also introduced to a Kitchener, Ontario actress who would play a recurring role in the first 14 Bond films. Lois Maxwell took the part of Miss Moneypenny because of a tragedy. Her husband had just suffered a massive heart attack, and she needed to generate money to support her family. The role was offered, and she took it, not knowing where it would lead. Dr. No would launch James Bond on its way to become,

arguably, the most profitable movie franchise in cinema history, with worldwide grosses exceeding $14 billion, with Star Wars and Harry Potter behind it at $9.1 and $9 billion, respectively. Twenty-three Bond films have been made to date, the series has survived six leading actor changes, and has inspired countless imitators, from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Our Man Flint, to parodies like Austin Powers and Johnny English. It is unique, enduring, singular in its style, and it has been estimated that a quarter of the world's population has seen at least one Bond film.

For those reasons and more, it's a super brand galore. 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. Sometimes the key to life is to do a common thing uncommonly well.

And I'm endlessly curious about that ability. After all, how special can a box of macaroni and cheese be? Yet, Kraft Dinner grew to become Canada's top selling grocery item by 1997 how special is ketchup and in a world of condiments can one ketchup rule over all others the answer is yes Heinz ketchup is so dominant it can't even see the number two brand in its rearview mirror some super brands are the result of sheer luck and timing Joan Cooney was at the right cocktail party at the right moment and overheard a remark that set

her mind racing that remark put a historic children's show in motion then there is the machine that is the James Bond franchise. Canadian producer Harry Saltzman couldn't interest a studio in the project. He and partner Cubby Broccoli couldn't get the actor they wanted. Then it all fell into place when a big jungle cat strolled into their office. Kraft Dinner has been selling since 1937. Heinz Ketchup has been number one for over 100 years.

Sesame Street has won over 120 Emmys. And the 23rd Bond film Skyfall had the biggest box office to date. Just a few of the brands that leave us shaken and stirred when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. Thank you. Hi, Dad. That was an interesting story you told about Kraft Dinner.

I didn't know KG got you through university. Mom always said beer got you through university. Talk to you later, Dad. Under the Influence was produced at Pirate Toronto. Sound engineer, Keith Oman. Theme music by Ari Posner and

Ian Lefevre. Series coordinator, Debbie O'Reilly. Research, James Gangle. Okay, I won't beat around the bush. I like the cut of your jib. And your jib would look even better in an Under the Influence t-shirt. You'll find them on our shop page

at terryoreilly.ca slash shop. See you next week.