My business world centres primarily on marketing. The creative work and service that I provide, emphasizes protecting and increasing client’s top of mind position when a customer has a need for their product or service. Persuasion is a skill and an artform.
During this lengthy career, there are few people who have had more influence on my creativity than Terry O’Reilly.
For those who don’t know Terry, he is widely considered to be the most talented and effective creative writer, director, and producer of Radio ads in Canada over the last thirty five years. To refer to Terry as a marketing guru would not be an exaggeration.
After an incredibly active and successful career with his company, Pirate Radio, Terry now is best known for his very popular Radio show on the CBC: “Under The Influence”. The program explores the world of advertising and marketing in general, in a fun and irreverent way. With over a million listeners a week in Canada alone, Terry knows how to target consumers and listeners!
A successful writer of books, Terry also has recently delivered a wonderful new effort called “This I Know – Marketing Lessons From Under The Influence”.
Other than being a fan, and enamored with Terry’s work over the years, you might wonder about our connection. For me professionally, I was most fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, as a Sales Manager in Toronto at CKFM, or what was then MIX 99.9 (owned by the Slaights of Standard Radio, now Virgin Radio, owned by Bell Media).
Working on a heady project back then, likely considered impossible to accomplish today, we corralled EVERY Radio station in Toronto for a common cause: to promote the use of Radio advertising. To prove to advertisers that people actually listen to Radio ads. This meant ultimately persuading the media owners of the day, the likes of Gary Slaight, Allan Waters, Ted Rogers, to name-drop a few, to agree to a project thought up, by what was called the Toronto Radio Action Committee (TRAC).
I was on that committee, with several talented Sales Managers. Gary Murphy (“Murph”) of Rogers fame and I were given the creative assignment for the project. Who do you think was the marketing talent of choice for our Committee? Right! Terry O’Reilly. To make a long story short, Terry created two memorable campaigns for that project which aired on every Radio station in Toronto with heavy frequency for several weeks.
A risky venture it might have been, but for the fact that Terry had such an amazing track record for delivering results for SO many ‘A list’ clients. One of the two campaigns, “Basil’s Pre-owned Warehouse” won a GOLD that year at the Marketing Awards.
Those campaigns caused quite a stir, one promoting and encouraging listeners to visit a store that did not even exist, and the second, books, where the Radio creative gave away the story endings in the ads! Unthinkable tactics to most. Not to Terry. Radio enjoyed a great deal of water cooler talk during the time these campaigns aired, not to mention people running around downtown Toronto, looking for a store that did not exist. Incredibly, to their credit, the Toronto Star showcased the campaigns with a front page article. The results were dramatic.
Fast forward thirty years or so. Terry has been very influential in assisting me with some of the Business Development Media Training that I have presented the last several years. When talking to Account Executives (and clients) about the power of Radio and Marketing in general, I have been able to replay some of the incredibly successful ads written and directed by Terry. All of which enjoyed results that altered opinions and often, dramatically influenced sales curves in an upward direction. One realizes how effective Radio can be, utilizing the power of a great and original idea.
Which brings us to the now. Will you be in Muskoka September 27th? If so, you are in for a treat. If not, perhaps a change of plans is a consideration. Terry O’Reilly will be speaking at the Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville on that Thursday evening. If you enjoy the stimulation of creativity, this talk is for you. If you own a business, and struggle with marketing, Terry will be focused on assisting you with concepts of big ideas on small budgets. Hmmm, sound like an oxymoron? Not at all. Skillfully weaving the use of emotion and story-telling, your take-away will be memorable and potentially quite profitable. All in all, a very entertaining evening is anticipated.
Have a listen to Terry:
(if you are viewing this message via email please click this link to listen to the audio)
Tickets available by calling the Algonquin Theatre box office or on line at:
Oh… and pleased to report that Terry’s talk is sponsored by a plethora of local Home Hardware, and Home Building Centre dealers in the Muskoka, and Mid Ontario area. Thanks all!
See you there!