Under The Influencewith Terry O'Reilly

It's called "floriography." And it conveyed anything from conjugal love, to anxiety to celibacy.

Come take a walk through the Museum of Failure.

It's an exclusive club, with one member from an unexpected genre.

The unbelievable story of how Mickey Mouse went from movie character to movie merchandising icon.

The unexpected history of Harlequin romance novels involves a Hudson's Bay fur trader and the Toronto Star.

The famous repeating Meow Mix jingle is one of the most memorable jingles of all time. A fact the CIA uses to their advantage.

Over 90 per cent of us read online reviews before purchasing a product these days. And those ratings can make or break a company or product.

ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, is a new phenomenon being embraced by brands everywhere, in an attempt to tingle your senses and open your wallet.

From big beer and tobacco companies, to the war effort, to Hollywood, to the smallest mom and pop businesses, matchbook advertising was effective and affordable for everyone. And believe it or not, even the U.S. State Department used matchbook advertising recently to hunt down Osama bin Laden.

There was a time when the only weddings we saw were the ones we attended. But in today’s social media world, we see thousands of weddings, from every imaginable angle.

The word “airport” is also code for the word “brand.” Believe it or not, airports compete heavily for airlines, passengers and retail sales. As a result, airports have redesigned themselves to become highly competitive brands.

The world of business is all about growth. To stimulate growth, companies have to win new customers by taking a chance and thinking outside the box. Or the bucket.

Companies often change valuable brand names when expanding to other countries. Sometimes the reason is a language issue. But other times, the reasons are far more interesting.

It may have been the 1700s, but the early days of the classified ads were surprisingly relatable.

The Emmy Award-winning television series Breaking Bad put Albuquerque on the map. But for less-than-desirable reasons.

Before coming up with the dangling dollar bill, the grunge band had a few other ideas.

Some rock 'n' roll groups will go to great heights for an eye-catching record jacket.

Sports teams can’t always count on winning games. That means marketing becomes the other player on the roster. A lesson the Toronto Raptors took straight to the bank.

Sometimes, small brands manage to outsmart their giant counterparts. And this tiny soda brand has done it for over a century. Goliath, meet David.

We're within earshot of our 2020 season. Under the Influence returns to the airwaves January 2 at our usual times - Thursdays and Saturdays at 11:30am on CBC Radio One. The podcast drops every Thursday morning. See you soon.

From Volkswagen to Nestea, bold brands approach advertising with a little self-deprecating humour.

This Mustang commercial was banned for unsafe driving when the car in question never exceeded 24 km/h.