20th century movies and TV shows were dominated by the traditional “hero.” With high morals and an ethical code of honour. The 21st century has a different take. Today, we cheer the antihero. Like the Sopranos, Dexter and Breaking Bad. Antiheroes are liberated from that line in the sand that holds the rest of us back. They do things we are afraid to do. And do it unapologetically. And if advertising is the great mirror to pop culture, it just may explain the emergence of antihero brands – who dare you to like them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For over 100 years, “free” has been one of the most powerful words in the marketing world.And believe it or not, companies love freebies as much as their customers do.Because giving away free products generates a lot of goodwill. And goodwill generates free press.We’ll talk about a ketchup company who gave a man a free boat.A hotel who gave a couple 18 years of free stays because they had nookie in one of their rooms.And we’ll tell the story of how one company helped a teenager with huge feet – by giving him a pair of size 23 shoes.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marketing contests can be tricky business.On one hand, contests can be designed to help companies achieve certain business goals.On the other hand, companies can lose control over them pretty quickly.This week, we look at some of the most interesting – and hilarious – marketing contests.Including one about a city that held a contest to name a new building – and the public voted overwhelmingly to name it after a past mayor named Harry Baals.True story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jesse Brown, founder of Canadaland Podcast Network, and Terry O'Reilly have a fun conversation about the business of podcasting, the line between journalism and advertising and how Terry had to get used to being touched by strangers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Billboards are one of the biggest creative challenges in the marketing world. They need to be seven words or less. They need to contain an idea. And they need to communicate quickly as people speed by. This week on Under The Influence, we look at the most creative billboards from around the world. We’ll talk about a car maker that used tiny billboards to get inside their competitor’s vehicles. How one airline used a billboard that could detect planes passing overhead. And we’ll tell you the hilarious story of a billboard stunt gone wrong that involves a giant… muffin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.