• Putting the Motion in Motion Pictures: Movie Theatre Marketing
    Mar 1 2025

    Today, movie theatres have to compete with home theatre systems and streaming services.


    This week, we look at how cinemas are transforming to attract more movie goers.


    To survive, theatres now offer restaurant meals and full bar menus.


    They offer loyalty programs and special theme nights.


    And many cinemas now offer patrons “atmospheric” movie experiences – where wind blows through your hair, rain falls from the ceiling, and seats not only jolt back and forth, they also emit smells that mirror the action on the screen.


    It puts the motion in motion picture.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    27 mins
  • Forbidden Branding
    Feb 22 2025

    There are things in the world of marketing that are forbidden.


    It’s illegal to use certain sounds, for example. If an advertiser does use them, they are heavily fined.


    In some countries, there are rules around using national anthems in commercials. In other countries, there are no rules.


    And even Winnie the Pooh is forbidden in one country because it apparently makes fun of their leader.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    27 mins
  • SNL & Commercial Parodies (Encore)
    Feb 20 2025

    During SNL's recent 50th anniversary special, it showed a montage of their famous commercial parodies. Here’s an episode that talks about those and many others - and how SNL influenced the ad writers of my generation.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    27 mins
  • Hug the Cactus: Advertising to Haters
    Feb 15 2025

    This week, we look at how some companies advertise to haters.


    Every advertiser gets negative comments on social media. Some brands shrink away – and some take those negative comments and spin them into marketing gold.


    Supercuts took negative comments about cheap haircuts and created a hilarious advertising campaign.

    Spirit Airlines gave haters a place to vent – then offered them 8,000 free air miles.

    And drink maker Oatly, actually dedicated a website to their haters.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    26 mins
  • Strange Smells: The Marketing of Unusual Fragrances
    Feb 8 2025

    This week, we take a whiff of some of the strangest fragrances being marketed today.

    Choosing a perfume or cologne is a form of personal expression. What you smell like says something about you.

    But does that include bacon perfume? Or mayonnaise cologne?

    There’s a fragrance that makes you smell like a bakery, and a soap for men that smells like gasoline.

    Uncommon Scents.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    27 mins
  • Purple Comb-Overs: The Power of Personal Style
    Feb 1 2025

    This week, we talk about some of the most interesting people throughout history – and the fact they all had a consistent personal style.

    Consistency is the key to branding, and these famous people all understood that.

    We’ll take a look at Julius Caesar, who shocked fellow Romans with the way he dressed and acted.

    We’ll examine the incredible popularity of Charlie Chaplin’s “Little Tramp” character that never changed throughout 25 films.

    And we’ll talk about celebrities who adopted a singular colour as their personal branding – like Prince and Johnny Cash.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    27 mins
  • The Iceman Cometh: How Ice Transformed Our Lives
    Jan 25 2025

    This week, we look at the marketing of ICE.


    It may sound like a strange topic, but our obsession with ice - as a product - is only 200 years old.


    The history of ice marketing starts with an amazing story about a bold entrepreneur with a vision, the cutthroat clash between competing ice companies, and the long list of ice brands and products that has transformed our lives.


    It's a remarkable story.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    27 mins
  • Last Chance Tourism
    Jan 18 2025

    This week, we take a look at Last Chance Tourism.


    Tourism companies around the world have started to advertise specific destinations to travelers, because those locations have a very unique offering.


    Namely, they are vanishing.


    From glaciers, to polar bears, to the Amazon Rainforest. Marketers are using a strategy called “Loss Aversion” – where the emotional impact of a loss is felt more intensely than a gain.


    So people are rushing to these locations, afraid they might miss their last chance to see them.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    27 mins