Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S9E15 - Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking: Advertising Torture Tests

Episode Date: April 9, 2020

This week, we explore the world of torture tests. Torture test commercials are one of the advertising industry’s most powerful techniques - because when a product can survive a dramatic test, it can convince a lot of people to buy the product. Unless, that is, the torture test goes very wrong… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please, do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling.

Subscribe now, and don't miss a single beat. This is an apostrophe podcast production. Your teeth look whiter than no nose. You're not you when you're hungry. You're a good hand with all teeth. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Back in 1974, Ralston Purina launched a new cat food brand. It was christened Meow Mix.

Ralston's advertising agency was given the task of creating the launch campaign. They came up with a good slogan, Meow Mix. Tastes so good, cats ask for it by name. The ad agency had an idea to create a jingle and film cats eating the new cat food. So they hired a top jingle company to compose the tune and then hired a singer named Linda November to sing it. When they filmed the cats eating meow mix for the commercial, one of them choked a bit on a hairball.

And when the ad agency viewed the footage, it looked like the cat was actually singing. That's when they realized they could make it look like the cats were actually singing the jingle by using a simple animation trick. Linda November watched the footage and lip-synced to the cat's mouth movements while singing this. Meow Mix comes in two varieties, original and seafood middles.

A medley of mackerel, tuna, and crunchy centers bursting with seafood flavor. Meow Mix tastes so good, cats ask for it by name. The commercial was a huge success, becoming one of the most recalled ads of all time. By 1976, Meow Mix was a top cat food brand. People sang along for over 20 years, until the jingle was finally retired in 1996. But it was such a catchy jingle, people thought it was still running. As a matter of fact, in a survey done 16 years after the jingle was taken off the air, 81% of respondents claimed to have heard the jingle in the last 12 months, and 39% said they remembered the jingle better than they remembered their online passwords.

Just last year, Meow Mix brought the jingle back with a Meow Remix. There was a contemporary version. There was a Latin pop version. And a heavy metal version. Yes, the Meow Mix jingle is an advertising classic. But here's something you may not know. It is also a CIA classic. According to declassified reports, the CIA used music as part of its interrogation program.

The music would be played in a loop for hours on end to wear prisoners down or to induce sleep deprivation. The CIA chose very specific songs that were either offensive or incredibly annoying. The list included heavy metal and rap songs. But the one song that was near the very top of the torture list was the Meow Mix jingle. The advertising industry is also known to employ a torture program,

except the technique is used to torture products. I'm talking about the age-old advertising technique of torture test commercials. From the very first torture test ad ever done on television to the inventive torture tests done today, it's still a powerful advertising technique. Torture tests are dramatic, they are persuasive, and occasionally,

they backfire. You're under the influence. Advertising torture tests have been around a long time for one very specific reason. They are incredibly persuasive. For starters, they are entertaining. People tend to lean in when a product is being put to a dramatic test. Second, in the world of dubious claims, seeing a product withstand a difficult test proves that a company is willing to walk the walk. Third, a torture test must be legitimate

because eagle-eyed competitors and regulators are always ready to pounce. Last, when a product survives a difficult torture test, its value goes up in the minds of viewers. For years, print advertising showed photographs of various torture tests, but the technique really came into its own when television arrived. Maybe the earliest torture test on television was done in 1948 for Band-Aid plastic strips. It demonstrated how the Band-Aid

stuck better than any other Band-Aid. Look, here is the new Band-Aid plastic strip with new Super Stick. It sticks better than any other Band-Aid. The proof? Take a dry egg at room temperature. Touch the egg with any other Band-Aid. Brand X, brand Y, brand Z. Not one sticks. But a Band-Aid plastic strip with new Super Stick sticks tight instantly. We see the egg being lifted by the sticky Band-Aid. Then comes the torture test. No pressure, yet we can lift the egg, even boil it. And the Band-Aid plastic strip Boiling water. The Band-Aid still sticks. Simple and persuasive. Even though Madison Avenue was just beginning to assemble television departments to tackle this new medium,

this torture test would inspire many future campaigns. In 1954, the RCA Victor Company launched a new line of portable radios. Portable meant they could be dropped or damaged, and shoppers had to be convinced these new RCA radios were durable. Singer Vaughn Monroe was hired as a spokesperson, and a campaign was developed to promote the new RCA Victor non-breakable impact case. In one commercial, two radios are dropped from the top of a 12-foot ladder.

One smashes to pieces, but the RCA Victor radio survives without a scratch. In an even more sensational torture test, two radios are dropped from a helicopter. The helicopter then lifts off the ground and drops two radios from about 50 feet up. It was pretty dramatic stuff on television in 1954, and the RCA Victor Impact, with its, quote, ear-filling golden throat tone, became the nation's best-selling portable radio. When it comes to torture test commercials, maybe the most famous of all time was for Timex watches.

But another watchmaker actually created a torture test a few months before Timex launched that famous campaign. The brand was Bulova. In early 1955, Bulova dared send one of its watches over Niagara Falls.

Can a watch survive the Niagara Falls test? Attached to this heavily weighted ball, can this watch take the full impact of the rocks and rapids? It's going over, watch it, down into that raging torrent, buffeted and jolted by the force of that terrific current, and here it is, still ticking away, the world's greatest watch value. I'm Lyle Vann. I'm a newscaster, and I covered this Niagara Falls story. This is the watch. The 17-jewel Boulevard Clipper, handsome, rugged, in the charm and color of natural gold.

Ah, the color of natural gold. The Clipper sold for a price of $49.50. Then another watch started to make waves, and it sold for under $10. That brand was Timex. Beginning in 1956, the watchmaker launched its famous campaign of torture tests that would continue for 22 years.

Timex had one of the top 100 slogans of all time. It was coined by ad writer Julian Koenig, who would go on to write the famous Think Small Volkswagen ad. His Timex line? Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Timex hired ex-newsman John Cameron Swayze to be its spokesman. He brought a credibility to the campaign, and his presence felt like a reporter covering

an exciting live event. In each commercial, Timex wristwatches were put through dramatic torture tests. Like this early Timex commercial where the watches are put into an agitator.

We're going to place these watches as we've done. We've placed them embedded in ice in our famous Timex agitator to see what happens to place these watches as we've done. We've placed them embedded in ice in our famous Timex agitator to see what happens at 1,300 vibrations per minute. Here we go. Look at that ice break up

and bang against those Timex watches. When the agitator is stopped, Swayze reaches in and retrieves the Timex watches. All right, let's see now how these handsome new Timex 100s stood up under that test. Yes, they're still running perfectly. For only Timex, with its exclusive V-Conic movement, can take such a licking and keep on ticking. In a decade where products were constantly breaking down, television viewers sat transfixed as Timex survived a succession of brutal torture tests.

The campaign contained two very persuasive elements. One, the commercials were well over a minute long. And this was important because time means persuasion. And two, there were virtually no edits in the commercials. It was almost always one continuous camera shot, proving it was done in

real time. The various tests were inventive. Timex watches were put through the spin cycle in washers, tied to the hands of Acapulco cliff divers, immersed in the Dead Sea, spun inside vacuum cleaners, attached to jackhammers, one even went through a family pet's digestive tract, and one was even strapped to a porpoise.

Ladies and gentlemen, John Cameron Swayze for Timex. And since the program is originating in Florida, we thought it would be appropriate if we came to the famous Marine Studios here in Marineland, Florida, where the porpoises are not only playful, but educated as well. This porpoise is Nellie. Nellie is going to give us a very educational demonstration that will prove that Timex waterproof watches can really stand up to their claims for being completely waterproof and shock resistant. And she is going to do it by taking this Timex waterproof watch right here over the hurdles in every sense of the word. We've affixed this Timex waterproof to this baton.

Now, Andre, will you place the baton in Nellie's mouth? And then Nellie will go over the hurdles. We'll see two really remarkable demonstrations. One by Nellie, one by Timex. A 300-pound corpus going over three three-foot hurdles. There's the first one. Remember that Timex takes the full brunt of the blow each time. The porpoise jumps over three hurdles going one way,

then turns around and jumps over the three hurdles again. And let's see how that Timex took the torture test. Thank you, Andre. Let me move over here, ladies and gentlemen, so you can get a good close-up and see what I have just seen. By 1960, Timex had captured over 25% of the watch market. The torture test campaign would continue until 1977. In the very last test hosted by John Cameron Swayze, they had a four-ton elephant step on a Timex.

It was crushed to pieces. Well, it worked in rehearsal, said Swayze with a smile. It was all planned as a way to end the 22-year campaign. And what a campaign it was. By the late 1980s, Timex would command over 50% of the North American watch market. While an elephant ended the Timex torture tests, a gorilla began a series for a certain luggage brand. 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. Master Episode List. In 1971, one of my favorite torture test commercials was created by the agency that produced all those incredible Volkswagen ads,

Doyle Dane Burnback. The ad was for American Tourist or Luggage. The idea was simple. To demonstrate how durable the luggage was, they threw a suitcase into a cage with a ferocious gorilla. Dear clumsy bellboys, brutal cab drivers,

careless doormen, ruthless porters, savage baggage masters, and all butter-fingered luggage handlers all over the world. Have we got a suitcase for you. Such great writing. Luggage 1, Gorilla 0. In 1974, Masterlock created one of the most famous Super Bowl torture test commercials. With this high-powered 30-caliber rifle, we're going to try to blast open this Master Lock model number 15. We blew a half-inch hole clear through,

but the Master Lock still holds tight. If you want to hold on to what you've got, insist on genuine Masterlocks, known for being tough under fire. With that long-running campaign, Masterlock sales jumped from $35 million per year to over $200 million. Later in the 1970s, another famous torture test hit TV screens. It was for Bic pens. At just 19 cents each, Bic revolutionized the then expensive ballpoint pen category. But the torture test commercials showed the public they got more than their money's worth with Bic. The theme was, writes first time, every time.

In one commercial, a Bic pen is locked into the heel of a champion Spanish flamenco dancer. And when the pen is removed from his heel, no matter how you punish it, a Bic ballpoint pen writes first time every time. In another test, the pen is used as a drill bit to drill through solid wood. Despite this punishment, Bic writes first time every time. Bic pens were strapped to the hockey stick of my hero Bobby Orr, where it withstood multiple slapshots. And in maybe the most famous torture test, a Bic pen is inserted into a rifle. This is a high-powered hunting rifle.

At the trigger, champion, Doc Park. Target, solid oak. Bullet, a Bic ballpoint pen. Impact, so great the pen barrel is shattered. Yet the Bic point is still intact, even after penetrating solid oak. Will it still write? Bic still writes. First time.

Every time. By the mid-70s, Bic commanded 60% of the ballpoint pen market. As Time magazine said at the time, Bic has done for pens what Henry Ford did for automobiles. Torture test marketing campaigns have echoed right into the 21st century. Will it blend? That is the question. The hilarious Will It Blend YouTube videos are a must-see. Company founder Tom Dixon demonstrates how tough his Blendtec kitchen blenders are by blending everything from garden hoses to golf clubs to even an iPad.

And that iPad video alone has over 18 million views. The detergent category has done some very inventive torture tests recently. In Australia, a closed detergent called Radiant wanted to prove it kept colors newer for longer. So it created a campaign called Radiant Return. The idea was this. Radiant staff went into retail stores and purchased 14 items of clothing and filmed the purchases using a hidden camera. Then they took those clothes and put them through the dirtiest, most disgusting torture tests. People wore the new shirts while being tackled on muddy rugby fields.

They wore pants while playing paintball. They wore the clothes while feeding pigs. They squirted ketchup and mustard all over dresses at a barbecue. They dumped wet garbage on the clothes. They even wore them in hot Bikram yoga classes. Then, they cleaned the clothes with radiant detergent, ironed them, carefully folded them, and then returned them to the original stores for refunds.

Now, would the stores take the clothes back after all that torture? Remarkably, 13 out of the 14 garments were returned to the stores with no questions asked. The videos showed store clerks carefully examining the clothes, then happily refunding the money, fully assuming they had never been worn. Only one item couldn't be returned because it tore during the test. Then, after the money was refunded,

the Radiant staff showed the store clerks videos of what the clothes had just been through. That's the blue shirt that we've just returned. That's the exact shirt. Was it really? Did they pass the test? Oh my God, yes! The clerks could not believe it.

Buy it, wear it, wash it, return it. A very persuasive torture test. 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. 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 push, find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. Another detergent called Breeze XL in Thailand wanted to convince skeptical shoppers that it could remove big stains after just one wash.

Here's what they did. They took a white t-shirt and wrapped it around the outside of a small box. Then they addressed the boxes, by writing right onto the t-shirt, to select women's social groups. Many of which were sent to rural areas where TV and print rarely reached. As expected, the Postal Service almost ruined the T-shirts.

When they arrived, they were grimy and barely white anymore. The recipients were then asked to wash the T-shirt with what was inside the box, which was a package of Breeze XL. And sure enough,

the dirty T-shirts came out sparkling white. It was a very persuasive torture test because the postal service did all the dirty work and the washing results were witnessed firsthand by the brand's potential customers. Of course, not all torture tests go as planned. Recently, founder Elon Musk was unveiling Tesla's newest electric vehicle, the Cybertruck. The futuristic-looking vehicle is being positioned as better than a truck, more performance than a sports car.

Tesla says the Cybertruck is built with an almost impenetrable exterior, made from ultra-hard, coal-rolled stainless steel skin, designed for superior strength and passenger protection. The windows are made with ultra-strong Tesla armor glass with a polymer-layered composite, which, Musk said, can easily absorb and redirect impact force. At the Cybertruck launch, Elon Musk asked his chief designer to throw a baseball-sized steel ball full force against the driver's window to demonstrate its impenetrable qualities.

Franz, could you try to break this glass, please? Sure, yeah. Which the designer did. Then something unexpected happened. Oh my God. Well? The window shattered. To the utter surprise of Elon Musk.

Then Tesla's chief designer suggested he try throwing the steel ball at the rear passenger window, which he did. Let's try that one. Try that one, really? Yeah. Okay. Sure. Oh, man. And that window shattered, too.

The unbreakable glass was clearly breakable. Proving that some torture tests can be torture on brands too. Back in the 1920s, James Webb Young, a famous ad man, wrote that every advertiser has the same problem, namely, to be believed. In a world with so many competing claims, brands struggle to be the one shoppers choose to trust, which is the very reason why torture tests emerged as a powerful technique in advertising, Because seeing is believing. When a company is willing to put its products through devastating tests,

it often achieves two things. First, it convinces skeptics the product can last. And second, it often strikes fear into the hearts of rival companies who know their products can't possibly pass that test. Some torture tests are devised to be sheer spectacle, like when Bulova sent a watch over Niagara Falls. Some are created to demonstrate that a cheap price doesn't always mean a cheap product,

as Timex and Bic proved. Some torture tests are meant to make you laugh and think, as American Tourister did with an unfriendly gorilla and Blendtec does with its friendly founder. And every once in a while, torture tests are put into the hands of the public, as BreezeXcel did by mailing filthy T-shirts to skeptical customers and letting them see the cleaning proof in their own homes.

It takes a lot of confidence to put a product through a licking to see if it's still ticking while all the world can see. When it works, it's magic. When it doesn't, it's torture. Just ask the CIA when you're under the influence.

I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terrastream Mobile Recording Studio. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound Engineer, Keith Ullman. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. Research, Patrick James Aslan. If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy What a Difference a Difference Makes, Season 6, Episode 4.

You'll find it in our archives wherever you download your podcasts. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Terry O. Influence. See you next week. To prove my watch can take any punishment, I'm going to step on it. Never mind.