The other day I did something odd. I walked into a bookstore and bought a book right off the shelf. It might have been peer pressure (Lindsey/Nadine!), or it might have been the bright red starbursts on the front and back covers (Brad’s favourite!). But really, I think I can chalk it up to 2 small words: Terry O’Reilly. Anyone familiar with this name will know they’re in for a treat with this book. An extension of his popular CBC radio show Age of Persuasion, O’Reilly waxes poetic on a variety of advertising topics. A consummate storyteller, he’s brought his A game with this offering, switching nicely back and forth from amusing anecdotes to advertising parlance to historical references. In an effort to organize all this in an aesthetically interesting manner, he uses “callouts” in the margins of each page to provide further information.

O’Reilly sets the tone for his book by sharing a story about the definition of advertising. No, not the textbook one we all learned in University. This one is much simpler, sweeter and perhaps closer to the truth. The truth behind it all is that advertising is simply “Salesmanship on paper”.

Clutter

There’s something we’re all familiar with, both as laymen and professionals in the industry, and that is clutter. He puts the problem in context by using a great analogy (p.14). The irony of it is that in an attempt to break through that clutter, more often than not, we simply end up creating more clutter. This in turn, leads us to the bane of advertisers’ existence – ad avoidance. We’re all guilty of this, O’Reilly argues, whether it’s installing pop-up blockers, turning down the radio or getting up to feed the dog during the commercials.

The Contract

The basic contract of advertising is the idea that the audience gets something in return for sitting through it. O’Reilly discusses how for a long time radio and television mostly upheld that contract, and also discusses the scourge of the ad world – telemarketers and spammers. He also outlines how billboards broke that contract, but excludes perhaps some of the most entertaining copywriting I have seen (Burmashave p. 34).

Branded Entertainment

O’Reilly provides the reader with his insights on the rise (radio) and fall (television) of branded entertainment. Naturally, having spent the majority of his 30-year advertising career in radio, his affinity for this medium comes through. He gives the histories of many well-known brands and the shows they have sponsored over the years. Ever wonder why they were called “soap operas”? Find out now on p. 55! O’Reilly also shares some really neat stories of how the Tour de France and The Guinness Book of World Records came to be – both great examples of branded entertainment. And for those of you enamoured with Mad Men, make sure to read page 64 – a little JD anyone?

Yoots

Initially confused by the title, O’Reilly provides a phonetics lesson from Cousin Vinny (aka Joe Pesci). Yes, youths and their unbelievable spending power and influence over household decisions are discussed. More media savvy than their parents ever were, O’Reilly examines how the contract with this group has had to be rewritten and why it is still a work in progress – from the initial outreach of product sponsored radio shows (like poor Ralphie in A Christmas Story) to reaching youths in code (see Get Brain and Terry Tate spots), to teachers selling ad space on exams!

To whet your appetite and hopefully persuade you to come back next week, I’ll leave you with a bit of trivia:

Which Hollywood starlet’s father was a big time radio producer in the 1940s? (Hint, he would later create such prodigious television programs as The Today Show and The Tonight Show).

[Soap opera organ music swelling] Tune in next time to “Sage of Persuasion” to find out the answer to this week’s trivia question, learn about guerillas and see what lessons we can take away from Clark Gable’s undershirt.

A Cape Breton gal born and bred, Erin traded in the tar ponds of Sydney for the windswept marshes of Sackville, N.B. where she received her Bachelor of Commerce, Major in Marketing from Mount Allison University. In addition to her formal education, Erin enrolled in the school of life and has travelled overseas extensively, living in both Scotland and The Netherlands. With respect to her work at trampoline, as the old adage goes, "if Erin doesn't know, it ain't worth knowing." In her spare time, Erin owns and operates Step Lively School of Dance, and waits for Adam to propose.