2009.10.29

Terry O’Reilly and Mike Tennant

Terry O'ReillyThose who think radio is lifeless and uninteresting, probably haven’t heard the voice of Terry O’Reilly. He’s an advertising guy in Toronto, Canada and we won’t hold either of those facts against him. He’s also the co-creator and host of an insightful and entertaining radio show that explores the history and evolution of marketing and advertising (The Age of Persuasion). Together, he and Mike Tennant tell the stories of people and events that have shaped advertising and consumerism.

Where books used to lead to radio shows, Terry and Mike went the other way. On October 27th, they released their book The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture. Just days earlier, Terry, knowing me to be a fan of his radio show, left a message on my blog, making himself and Mike Tennant available for cross-examination.

Little ol’ me. I guess it’s true what they say: “bloggers and podcasters really do have influence…”

Subjects covered:

  • marketing
  • advertising
  • collaborating
  • creativity
  • curiosity
  • Do This Or Die
2009.10.27

A good day

Ahhhh. October, 26, 2009. I’d been looking forward to it for 13 days and it lived up to my expectations, and some.

Out, damned lump! Out, I say!

Andrea’s lumpectomy went very well. We had planned on it being a mastectomy and when we learned that the surgical date would be pushed out two weeks because of the extra time required, we decided on the lumpectomy. We wanted to get the cancer out without delay. And out it is. We’re looking forward to a good pathology report that confirms the surgeon got everything. After Andrea’s recovery from surgery, we’ll prepare for chemo.

… in The Age of Persuasion

I’ve written a few posts about The Age of Persuasion, a brilliant radio program produced by Pirate Toronto for CBC. Terry O’Reilly (host and co-creator) left a comment on one such post last week to notify me that The Age of Persuasion book (by Terry and producer/co-creator Mike Tennant) is being released today (October 27) and offering to be available for an online Q&A with me. I’ll be interviewing Terry and Mike this Thursday morning and will publish the audio shortly after.

Social media and the workplace

CHQR (Calgary) has invited me to talk about social media and the workplace later today. The discussion stems from reports that a growing number of businesses, sports organizations and entertainment companies are preventing the use of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter as communications channels by employees, athletes and movie stars (respectively). In some cases, companies are blocking access to these tools from internal networks using technology such as firewalls. In the case of sports and entertainment organizations, the prevention is being written into contracts.

2008.07.31

Interrupting the Age of Persuasion

One of CBC radio‘s best offerings, a weekly documentary on the history of marketing and public relations, is not in the fall 2008 schedule. That’s right… The Age of Persuasion will go back into remission, falling into the down curve of the on-again-off-again nature of the show as accepted by the program’s cult following.

Fortunately, the back catalog from 2007 is being trickled out on the show’s website which goes to show you that in this topsy-turvy world of terrestrial radio and digital media, there are many opportunities for disappointment and excitement in The Age of Persuasion.

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