Season 4: "Looking For the Admen in Madmen"

21 June 2010 -- Season 4: "Looking For the Admen in Madmen"

The Emmy-winning TV series "Mad Men" is all the rage right now. The writing is remarkable, the Madison Avenue characters riveting, and it has been praised as being true to the early 60s period it depicts. As with any show that begins to work its way into pop culture, it is slowly becoming regarded as an accurate record of the advertising business.

But is it?

Join Terry O'Reilly this week as he analyzes the show, compares it to the real advertising world he works in daily, and searches for the Admen in Mad Men.

Season 4: "Ask Terry Some More"

June 11, 2010 -- Season 4: "Ask Terry Some More"

Why do commercials seem to play louder than the programs they sponsor? Why do advertisers seem so obsessed with younger consumers? Why do so many ads portray husbands and fathers as idiots? Terry O'Reilly dips into the 'ol Age of Persuasion mailbag and tackles the question's he's asked the most. He'll explain how advertising changed after 9/11, and offer up his candidate for the worst ad on the air.

Season 4: "More Remarkable Brands"

14 June 2010 -- Season 4: "More Remarkable Brands"

Brands aren't just products on shelves. Brands are people, and places, and events, and moments in time: anything that leaves a distinct emotional impression. This week, Terry checks under the hood of a handful of fascinating brands, to see what makes them tick. One is the only 'A' list celebrity to survive the entire television age. One is an unforgettable era. Another is a cultural icon. And one may be the world's most spectacular piece of real estate. Terry explains the magic of these mighty brands, and what makes them unforgettable.

Season 4: "Categories"

5 June 2010 -- Season 4: "Categories" -- All ads are not alike. Not when you consider the ad 'categories' they come from. This week, Terry O'Reilly tours major ad categories- from automotive to confections, from fast food to banking: each with its own personality, rules and language. He'll show how vastly different the tourism category is from, say, no-for-profit or sports marketing. He'll show how ad categories can be big, small, fascinating, and, in at least one case, downright mysterious.

Season 4: "Opportunism"

31 May, 2010 -- Season 4: "Opportunism"

Terry O'Reilly is fond of noting, "there's an opportunity hiding in everything." This week he explores the way advertisers seize opportunities. He'll explain why Nike chose to launch its latest Tiger Woods ad just as the golfer was drawing worldwide headlines during his return to the Masters; how a car brand turned a viral video into a marketing opportunity, and even how NASA manages to sneak a little brand building into the launching of its rockets.

Season 4: "Negative Advertising"

22 May 2010 -- Season 4: "Negative Advertising" -- Attack ads have become the staple of political campaigns. Now negative advertising is gaining in popularity throughout the ad business. But do negative ads work? This week, Terry O'Reilly explores the attraction- and danger- of ads that take shots at rivals. He shows how some great campaigns are negative without seeming negative. And he'll recall some notable negative campaigns that backfired.

Season 4: "Slogans"

May 15, 2010 -- Season 4: "Slogans" -- The word slogan- (which by the way, is a word ad people never, ever use) derives from the Gaelic "slaugh gairn", meaning "cry of the host," or "battle cry." Slogans were once an advertising staple- the brief, pithy line that embodies a brand and its promise- from "A Little Dab'll Do Ya" to "Trust your Car to the Man Who Wears the Star," to- dare we say- "Canada Lives Here." But nowadays, as Terry O'Reilly explains, the slogan is dying out, as major brands turn from words to sentiments, emotions and icons.