Tara: Local commercials. The quality is bad, the actors are worse, the sound is atrocious. Lots of them like to choose announcers to scream at you. (I learned in an Ad class in college that they do this on purpose. Advertisers understand that by being loud and obnoxious, they’re annoying you. Yet research has shown that their name will stick out in your head before the competitors because they’ve gotten through to you. Hey. Any attention is better than no attention at all. Ask any toddler. Or Michael. And strangely enough, you may actually go to that “screaming Mimi store first” because of that commercial.)
However, my pick this week, isn’t one of those kind of local yokels. It’s a brilliant piece for the Detroit Red Wings. Here in my city, we love our sports teams. And we are inarguably Hockeytown baby! But. We’ll still greet you with those old Midwestern values. Then we’ll get down to business and check your ass into the boards.
Michael: Well, Tara, I don’t know what to tell you. You see … here in California, we have culture. You may have mid-western values, but we have 75° sunshiny weather in the dead of winter. So there.
Plus! We have Cal Worthington! And his dog Spot, too! As is evident in the commercial below:
Tara: You are so right. That is culture! I so remember that dude from when I lived in California in the ’90s. How long has he been around?
Michael: I hear — and this is just a rumor, Tara — he was stepping out on Henry Ford’s wife when Henry was putting together his revolutionary automobile factory. (Wow. Two references in one. See how I did that?)
Tara: Wait a second … is that another dig on Detroit? We love our Fords and the Ford family. (Even though we’re secretly extremely jealous of them.) Because, if that is a dig, I know people. People who can find out where you live. Values be damned. I’m strappin’ on my skates and pads, just like my Wings.
Michael: *rolls eyes to the heavens* Speaking of values, I’m sure if you come on down to Worthington Ford in beautiful Long Beach, Cal would be happy to provide you with values aplenty. When can I expect you?
Tara: As the high is still 25° here, I’m saying mighty soon. Will you buy me a cowboy hat like Cal’s?
Michael: No.
But! One of those nifty nerd propeller hats would suit you mighty fine. Haute California couture!
Tara: *twirls here hand, suggesting Michael wrap it up* In three words, tell me why you love Cal Worthington.
Michael: Piece of cake. His. Dog. Spot.
Tara: Just as I suspected: You portray yourself as high-maintenance, but you’re oh, so easy to please.
Michael: Don’t let it get around. I have a reputation to protect.
Clacked by Tara Shrodes
on Mar 25, 2011 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
I know there are a lot of Clackers in the Boston area. Here, all the good ones seem to be Furniture stores, namely Berny and Phyl’s (they are laughably bad, but EVERYONE here can sing the jingle). Back in the day the Jordan’s Furniture commercials used to be awesome (I remember the Gap suing them because they had a series of them copying the Gap swing dance ads from the 90s, with some chairs and sofas thrown in there for good measure).
I miss Sunday afternoon Family Film Festival on KTLA… I think they and channel 9 (KHJ back then, KCAL now) aired those Cal Worthington commercials a lot! I don’t know that I’d ever heard the whole Cal Worthington jingle, and mostly I remember the tiger and the elephant, probably because I’m a wee bit younger than you two. ;)