Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S5E11 - Liar For Hire: And Other Strange Service Companies

Episode Date: March 18, 2016

While there are many strange products in the world, there are even stranger service companies. This week, we talk about a company that rents wedding guests, a company you can hire to actually cuddle you, and we’ll explore a company that promises to cure your hangover in just a few hours. And if you need an alibi to go with that hangover, there’s a company that markets lies, too. 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. From the Under the Influence digital box set, this episode is from Season 5, 2016. You're so king in it. Scores of it in an instant. Your teeth look whiter than noon, noon, noon. You're not you when you're hungry.

You're in good hands with all things. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Jim Stickley has a very unique skill. He breaks into banks. He's so good at it, he never gets caught. But here's what's really strange about Jim Stickley's job. Banks pay him to commit robbery. Jim Stickley is a security specialist.

He's paid to quietly break into banks and major corporations and steal all the information he can. Then, report back to the company about how he did it and how they can prevent something like that from happening in the future. Stickley says breaking into banks is child's play. He just walks in posing as an expert like a pest control company or a health inspector. Before posing as a fire safety official recently, he simply went to a local supply store

and bought a firefighter outfit, a badge, and a walkie-talkie with pre-recorded chatter on it. Then he just walked right into the bank, said he was there to check the computer room for fire hazards, and was shown right in. Stickley says people never ask to see if a badge is real.

Ever. Once he's inside a computer room, people assume he wants to be left alone. So they leave. If they don't leave, Stickley tells them he has diarrhea and asks to be shown to the restroom. He stays in there for about 15 minutes.

He knows people will be too embarrassed to wait. Then he leaves the washroom and is free to wander around all alone. When he's in computer rooms, he just inserts keyboard capture keys and grabs all the information. Or he goes to the server room and installs devices that allow him to hack in later. He gathers troves of information. As he told Fortune magazine, he leaves with social security numbers, addresses, credit card information, and account numbers. It takes all of about 20 minutes. He doesn't even break a sweat.

Jim Stickley is in the service business. The service he provides to banks is theft. In the world of marketing, service companies are an interesting marketing exercise. Unlike a product, you can't hold a service in your hand. A product is a physical item, whereas a service is a task. It's all about people. So marketing a service company is an exercise in making the invisible visible. Where products have a consistency, service companies are all different, because people are all different.

But more than anything, marketing service companies is endlessly interesting because the services they provide are often stranger than any product you could ever imagine. You're under the influence. I was having dinner at the famous Mr. Chow's restaurant in Beverly Hills one night. Suddenly, the entire restaurant lit up in flashing lights. I had no idea what was going on, but the entire restaurant looked like it was having an Armageddon-sized electrical malfunction. It was literally alarming. Then I noticed all the flashing was coming from the direction of the entrance. When I looked, I realized what was happening.

Movie star Dennis Hopper had just entered the restaurant, and all the flashing was the paparazzi. I had never seen anything like it. I had heard about it, I saw moments of it on television entertainment shows, but had never experienced it in person. It was absolutely startling. Later, I was waiting for a cab outside the restaurant, and I saw about two dozen paparazzi waiting across the street.

Then, out from the restaurant behind me came actor Tom Arnold. The street completely lit up. The camera flashes were blinding. Later, when I got back to my hotel, I wondered if that Tom Arnold moment had hit the internet yet. I googled Tom Arnold plus Mr. Chow plus the word tonight, and sure enough,

already there on TMZ's website was a video of Tom Arnold coming out of Mr. Chow's being ambushed by flashing cameras. And if you looked really closely, in the background, you could see all the flashes reflecting off my bald head. The paparazzi is both a gift

and a pain to celebrities. There is no doubt tabloid photographers are intrusive and invade actors' privacy. But at the same time, those photos keep actors in the spotlight. Attention is the oxygen of celebrity. And some of us are willing to pay for that oxygen. One day, Ellen Yoon got out of a Rolls Royce on Rodeo Drive

and was instantly swarmed by paparazzi. Ellen! Ellen! Over here! As the flashes went off, a small crowd quickly gathered and began yelling out questions like, Ellen, when's your next movie coming out? And, Ellen, can you sign an autograph? Tour buses stopped. Cars slowed down. Pedestrians whipped out their smartphones

and started taking pictures. Except Ellen Yoon wasn't a celebrity. She was an ordinary person who had hired the paparazzi. The company she had called was Crowds on Demand. Founded in 2012, Crowds on Demand specializes in pop-up crowds and staged paparazzi

moments. For the experience Ellen Yoon just enjoyed on Rodeo Drive, which included the Rolls-Royce, a crowd of fans, VIP treatment at stores, champagne, paparazzi, and souvenir photos, she paid $5,000. Crowds on Demand markets itself as a company that cultivates perception. In other words, it sells the illusion of success. It has since expanded to include corporate events and PR stunts. But one of its biggest sources of income comes from politicians. For candidates with a lack of excitement, an enthusiastic crowd can generate buzz in media coverage. So, besides paparazzi moments,

the company can gather fake campaign crowds from 10 to 1,000 on short notice. Donald Trump got into trouble in 2015 after hiring fake crowds to cheer at his presidential campaign announcement rally, which led to a lot of you're hired jokes on Twitter and a shout-out on The Simpsons. Can you hold a sign? You know it.

Want 50 bucks? Woo-hoo! Do you care who the next president is? No. Come with me. The appropriately named Anthony Weiner paid crowds on demand to cheer at his mayoral announcement rally in New York in 2013. The company now has offices in Los Angeles,

New York, San Francisco, and, of course, Washington, D.C. They'll work for anyone but hate groups. Crowds on Demand was profitable after one month in business. Last year, we did an episode on strange products. This is a show on strange service companies. Service companies have to be marketed in a different way from products. As I mentioned earlier, the product of a service company is people. That makes for an interesting marketing

challenge. I always enjoyed marketing service companies because you were advertising a kind of intangible product, a task, so it called for a different type of creativity. How do you photograph what an investment firm does? How do you photograph the service your lawyer provides? When you're advertising a car, the main image will be the car. But when you're advertising a car detailing service, the main image can be much more creative. You have to sell the experience a service company provides. The advertising has to be based on the result of the service. It isn't a static

product, it's a service rendered. With that in mind, it's remarkable to discover what kinds of services are rendered. In Korea, you can rent professional wedding guests. Often, couples want to save face and make sure they have a full church for their weddings. It all stems from a cultural obsession with image in Korea and a pressure to impress. One psychology professor there says Koreans feel compelled

to achieve an image of perfection. He calls it face inflation, where people construct a perfect image, then must live up to it. As a result, there are hundreds of companies who rent out wedding guests. About 70% of the clients

are brides who are self-conscious about having fewer guests than the groom. In Korea, the number of guests is often a sign of a family's power. Many times, the brides won't even tell the grooms they are hiring guests. And vice versa. This is how it works. Companies advertise online. They show clients photos of rentable guests so they can choose accordingly.

It's no surprise good-looking guests get hired the most. Everyone wants good-looking friends. Hired guests arrive at the wedding about 40 minutes early and are given information about the couple they then memorize. Names, ages, careers, family relations, etc. The fake guests are given envelopes of money to give to the happy couple as wedding gifts, which have been provided by the bride or groom. When the wedding reception is over, fake guests get another envelope on the way out that contains their pay, the equivalent

of about $25 per wedding. But in Japan, you can make even more money. There, rented guests make about $250 per wedding. They will even deliver an emotional speech for an additional $125, or sing a song for an extra $65. Listen to this. You can even rent fake parents, fake bosses, fake secretaries,

and even fake mistresses. Not sure why you'd want a fake mistress at your wedding, but there you have it. Competition for wedding guest jobs is fierce. For every five available positions, 100 people apply. And the most in-demand fake guests can attend up to three weddings a day.

It's good money. You just have to remember which wedding you're at. Congratulations, Bill. Bob. Bob. There are a lot of joys being a parent. Potty training isn't one of them. But did you know you can hire someone to potty train your children?

NYC Potty Training is a professional service that promises to toilet train your kid in one to two days. Founded by Samantha Allen, she realized that Manhattan parents were under a lot of pressure for their kids to outperform other kids. Apparently, parents are so competitive in New York City that if your three-year-old isn't potty trained, it raises a lot of eyebrows at the playground. So, Samantha and company will actually come to your home and train your child to go potty.

Or they will come to your hotel. Or they will help you over the phone. One testimonial stated the parents had tried for two years to toilet train their son, with no success. So, they called in NYC Potty Training, and in only two days, their son was a toilet champ. The service doesn't come cheap. One-day sessions are $925, and two-day sessions are $17.50. NYC Potty Training is getting so many calls, it's had to hire an additional team of potty trainers. It's flushush with Business.

We'll be right back to our show, but first, a quick word from a sponsor who supports our podcast. Would it surprise you to learn you can hire a company to snuggle you? Well, you can. The Snuggory was founded in New York in 2012. The founder, Jackie Samuel, began by offering hugs in the street for $1 each

and discovered she was making $80 per hour. So she figured there was a service waiting to be rendered. Jackie began by putting an advertisement for her snuggle services in the back of a local newspaper. And clients started calling immediately. Before she knew it, she had a business. A 45-minute snuggle session costs around $60. There are rules. No nudity allowed.

It's strictly non-sexual. There is a list of appropriate apparel and what you can and cannot touch. Not only does Jackie offer over 100 different cuddle positions, there is also a double cuddle option where you are cuddled by two people and an overnight cuddle if so desired.

Both men and women buy the service, ranging in age from 21 to 84. She sees about 30 to 40 clients a week and had to hire extra cuddlers. Jackie Samuel maintains that people are deprived of affection in this day and age and that there are incredible healing powers in human touch. Studies show that just a few minutes of cuddling can relieve stress and aggravation for up to five days. Being hugged helps lower blood pressure and boost calming hormones.

It simply makes us feel more connected. Then, there are cuddle parties. You can attend cuddle parties in Vancouver and Toronto, for example. Cuddle Party is a non-profit organization, and about 15 people attend on each occasion. Many of the folks are single or have gone through divorces. Like the Snuggory, there are rules, and your pajamas must stay on the whole time. The website, CuddleParty.com, says it's a playful social event for adults where you come to touch, be touched, and explore communication and affection.

It involves shoulder rubs, spooning, group spooning, and moments where the entire group will cuddle and touch one lucky person. The clientele ranges from bike messengers to kickboxers to CEOs. Recent studies reveal that twice as many people self-identify as lonely compared to just 10 years ago. That includes 60% of college students and 35% of people over 40. It adds up to a lot of potential customers, and that's why the cuddling business is growing. Say you're not in the mood for a canoodle. Say you're more in the mood to break something.

There's a service for that. Back in 2008, Donna Alexander was a mom with an idea. She saw a lot of frustration at the aviation company she worked at in Dallas, so she opened an anger room in her garage. For $5, people could come over and smash stuff. Word of mouth got around quickly, and soon Donna found a lineup of strangers on her doorstep with baseball bats in hand. That's when she figured she better find another location. It took her three years to find a landlord willing to rent her some space.

But in 2011, she opened a 3,000-square-foot anger room in a strip mall. Donna offers three packages. A 5-minute I-need-a-break session, a 15-minute lash-out session, and a 25-minute demolition session. Customers are given protective gear to wear and are provided weapons like baseball bats, golf clubs, and crowbars. Then use those weapons to smash computer screens, televisions, furniture, plates, and mirrors. The Anger Room averages 250 customers per month and business is brisk. The slogan? Nothing you expect, everything you deserve. There's even anger room gift cards.

So far, Donna Alexander has had over 140 franchise inquiries. 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 will 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.

Whether you're in your running era, Pilates era, or yoga era, dive into Peloton workouts that work with you. From meditating at your kid's game to mastering a strength program, they've got everything you need to keep knocking down your goals. No pressure to be who you're not. Just workouts and classes to strengthen who you are. So no matter your era,

make it your best with Peloton. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. Feeling like you have to vent a little in Toronto? You might want to visit the Rage Room.

The owners there say it's a perfect service for a high-stress city like Toronto. You're given the usual assortment of weapons, with the addition of hockey sticks, of course. A 30-minute session costs $20. Plates cost $2 each, wine glasses $3 each, and chairs $20. Most popular item to smash? Office printers. We'll let you draw your own conclusion there. Friends can watch from behind plexiglass, and you can walk away with a video of your session.

The Rage Room is now working on a mobile Rage Truck, coming soon to a street near you. Hangovers can really ruin a vacation. But there is a service for that. Hangover Heaven is a Las Vegas-based company that will cure your hangover in just an hour or two. It was founded by an anesthesiologist named Jason Burke who had an epiphany in a recovery room one day.

He realized the same meds used to help post-op patients suffering from nausea and headaches could also cure a hangover. So he bought a 45-foot tour bus, tricked it out with comfortable couches and IV stands, painted Hangover Heaven on the side, and started trolling the Las Vegas Strip for customers. Business was so good, Burke opened a storefront clinic just off the Las Vegas Strip. He offers his service seven days a week, and prices range from $45 to $300,

depending on the severity of your hangover. The service includes a mix of medications, 30 minutes of oxygen, vitamin B shots, and saline IV drips. Customers claim they can't believe how well it works. As Jason Burke says, marketing his service is easy. He just promises partiers they will get an additional day of their vacation back. It's a seductive pitch. He even offers corporate packages. But the best part is this.

Burke also has a hangover to end all hangovers, and you just can't make it to work. What you need is an alibi. Paladin Deception offers just the service you need. Founded by a former private detective, the Minnesota-based Paladin Deception markets itself as the trusted name in covert disinformation.

Not only will they create an alibi, they will back it up with phone calls and emails. Their clientele includes cheating spouses and people who need doctors to confirm sick days. But its biggest customers are job seekers who need fake references, especially if there are glaring gaps in their work history. The company says while it doesn't judge, it won't break the law, and draws the line at telling lies to law enforcement or medical institutions.

Aside from that, it's open for business. Most of Paladin's staff is made up of freelance community theater actors recruited through Craigslist. They must be convincing because they service over 300 clients per month. Clearly, the liar-for-hire business is booming. Many of the companies we've talked about today offer big services, like filling a church with guests, or ambushing you with paparazzi,

or sending an ambulance when you've had 15 too many appletinis. But some service companies offer simple services and quietly make a fortune. Take Duty Calls. It's a company that will clean up after your dog. For just $15 a month, Duty Calls will schedule visits to your yard and scoop the poop. The potential market is huge. There are over 80 million dogs in North America that leave behind 63 million pounds of waste every day, totaling 23 trillion pounds per year.

As Duty Calls points out, its customers aren't lazy, they're just busy. And their service frees up their customers' time. Business is so good, there are now 57 franchises in the U.S. in 23 states. Another pet

scooping company expanding in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is called Pet Butler. Founder Matt Boswell likes to refer to himself as the CEO. That's Chief Excrement Officer. Here in Canada, companies are pooping up all across the country,

like Poop Patrol in Toronto, Scoopy Doo in Winnipeg, and the Poop Troop in Calgary. And that's how service companies succeed. They find a need that isn't being met and clean up. A product is something that rolls off an assembly line. But a service is rendered by people. That's why marketing a service is such an interesting exercise. You can't really photograph a lie or hold a hangover in your hand. Therefore, the task of marketing is to make the invisible visible.

The best way to do that is to turn pain points into opportunities. To advertise a company as an expert in a difficult or delicate task. Or market a business that takes care of life's

unseemly tasks for us. Not enough guests at your wedding? We can fix that. Need a quick alibi? Look no further. Too hungover to move? An ambulance is on the way. It all comes down to one important aspect of marketing.

A service company has to sell an experience. Being cuddled is an experience. Being chased by paparazzi is an experience. Blowing off a little steam with a crowbar is an experience. Being chased by paparazzi is an experience. Blowing off a little steam with a crowbar is an experience. But what's even more interesting about service companies are the very services they offer. Just when you think you've seen it all, a paparazzi takes a photo of a fake wedding guest

who has a hangover and needs an alibi. When you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode brought to you by Volkswagen. It's not easy being green. Under the Influence was recorded at Pirate Toronto. It's not easy being green. Do you wear clothes when you listen to our show? If so, have we got a t-shirt for you. Go to terryoreilly.ca slash shop. See you next week. 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. Whether you're in your running era, Pilates era, or yoga era, dive into Peloton workouts that work

with you. From meditating at your kid's game to mastering a strength program, they've got everything you need to keep knocking down your goals. No pressure to be who you're not. Just workouts and classes to strengthen who you are. So no matter your era, make it your best with Peloton. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca.