Terry O'Reilly lectured students and staff as part of yesterday's Radio and Television Arts Leadership Panel.

Otiena Ellwand

About a year ago, I was sitting on a Kingfisher flight from India to Nepal enjoying a complimentary can of beer. The red label on the side of the can was the same as the one on the side of the airplane.

Alcohol advertising is banned in India, which is why advertisers have developed a strategy of advertising one thing via another, in this case, the beer via the airplane.

This was just one tidbit of advertising and marketing strategy that Terry O’Reilly, host of the CBC radio show, Age of Persuasion, shared with a crowd of students and faculty at last night’s Radio and Television Arts (RTA) Leadership Panel.

O’Reilly, a RTA alumni, regaled the audience with advertising success stories and doled out some advice in the process.

“Not all business problems can be solved with advertising,” he said. “First you have to ask yourself, what is the problem?” O’Reilly told the story of an advertising agency in Buenos Aires, Afghanistan, that was given the task of promoting a new commercial complex located on the wrong side of the river. The adman’s solution? Build a bridge that would make the complex accessible and turn the bridge into a national landmark.

Of course not all companies—especially if they’re student owned start-ups—have that sort of cash to burn. O’Reilly said that you don’t have to outspend, but you do have to outwit the competition. It’s a lot easier said than done. The first obstacle is coming up with ideas. O’Reilly recommends mining social media for research and input. “Use social media to listen,” he said.

O’Reilly’s stories are fascinating because they reveal the creative brilliance behind simple slogans and pictures, like the famous “Think Small” Volkswagen Beetle ads that captured the essence of the little car that could.

The whole vibe of the night felt like a live recording of O’Reilly’s radio show...wait a second, was the speech an advertisement?