about my father's business

Comment by Marie on March 15, 2013 at 7:07pm

One of the most brilliant programs on marketing was O'Reilly on Advertising that ran on CBC radio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Reilly_on_Advertising

Due to legal issues it is not available on podcast, but it's followup program The Age of Persuasion is. It is like a free master class while managing to be cheeky, funny, and relevant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Persuasion

Podcast links:

http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/episode/

Considering this video, I think you might really enjoy the show.

Comment by BlancheNoE on March 16, 2013 at 11:04pm

"...and if you don't, lie and say you do."

Ugh.

...but yeah, the bible salesman's worse. At least with the time-share you get SOMEthing for your money.

Very nicely juxtaposed. The contrast of the old and new clips seemed to more brightly expose the similarities in content. Half way through I stopped noticing the change from black & white to color.

Comment by Geoff on March 18, 2013 at 10:55am

Actually, Amy, those Las Vegas timeshares were teetering at the brink of bankruptcy by the end of the movie and the monthly fees had gone through the roof (because the relatively few owners had to cover the entire maintenance nut). If you bought yourself one of those madly expensive bibles some might regard it as a down payment on a nice condo in Pearly Gate Estates, a well-established gated community.

Marie, I actually found that O'Reilly had co-written a book--presumably--based on that first series and I've ordered it from the library. I bet I'll find some video ideas in it. I'm working on something right now featuring Harry Reichenbach, a bizarre genius who straddled the traditional carnie barker and modern PR worlds. He wasn't above arranging an apparent suicide or organizing the kidnapping of an early Hollywood starlet by Mexican bandits to promote a project. His memoir, if you can find it, is called "Phantom Fame".

Comment by Marie on March 18, 2013 at 3:16pm

Sales techniques are very fluid and change to reflect society. Will take a peek at "Phantom Fame". Hopefully we've got a little past the antics of carnie barkers. ;-)

Strangely, or not, there will always be a place for aggressive sales techniques as 25% of the population will respond well to authoritarians. Also, when the sale is a 'one off' there is a higher probability that the focus will be solely on making the close. You video is a good example of this selling orientation as opposed to customer orientation. Not a good style for any company that wants brand loyalty.

haha You sound hooked on advertising.... Then you'll love O'Reilly. Its probably co-authored by Mike Tennant if I remember correctly. Too lazy to google...

Comment