Terry O'Reilly

I love Terry O'Reilly's radio show, Under the Influence, which is about marketing and related topics. This book takes a thematic look at the role mistakes have played in creativity and successful product development and/or marketing. Very interesting, and so well written. The book provides so many insights yet doesn't read like a manual....it's story-telling at its finest.

This book was fine. It was engagingly laid out and is written in a conversational style. However, it was first published in 2009, and although the edition I read was a paperback published in 2020, this edition was merely a reprint and not an update. This book contained some discussion of internet advertising, but those sections became dated very quickly.

In a cool conversation tone, O'Reilly walks us through the steps to great marketing. He draws from multiple examples (albeit sometimes repetitive), showing pictures and providing resources. He convinces us that marketing is so much more than advertising - he definitely inspired me to look at a pet project through a different, inspired lens.
There's a bit of an odd chapter on people as their personal brand - useful but perhaps inappropriate in the general context.
Overall a recommended read.

I've always been secretly fascinated with the field of marketing. Maybe I should have taken a course in university. I often stopped on the distance education channel that broadcast the marketing course. The advertising agency on thirtysomething looked like so much fun. And anytime I've heard the CBC Radio program The Age of Persuasion, hosted by the authors of this book, I've enjoyed it. Terry O'Reilly's distinctive voice and humorous story telling make for a show that is very compelling. show more There may not be podcasts available, but there is streaming available for anyone interested at CBC Radio.

The Age of Persuasion gives a bit of a behind the scene look at the process, a bit of history of advertising during the 20th century, and the development of the advertising industry. Starting with print, then radio, then television and finally internet, plus all the spaces in between where advertising is present. My cynical side doesn't like the feeling that marketing is manipulation, and it is, but it gets out information that we need, and we always have the choice. If I am aware of the manipulation, then I can make an informed choice.

Stories of branding (a hot topic in the blogging world as well) Aunt Jemima or Betty Crocker, tales of the Youtube Revolution, the celebrity endorser (with an already out of date look at Tiger Woods) and lots of great stories. For a folksy, charming look at advertising - and it is all around us, bombarding all our senses, The Age of Persuasion is a great read. But don't let my little review convince you. Do you trust me? Am I a credible source? You have to make up your own mind. show less