# Strange/memorable/laughable local ads/campaigns of yours **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221 "2012-01-03T02:57:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/1 "2012-01-03T02:57:34Z")
Have any local TV (or radio) ads which you can’t seem to get away from? Here in Jacksonville we have a couple of used car dealers-one (Keith Pierson Toyota) has been using his cute twin daughters to sell his cars for years now (they’re like 14 y/o now), while one which sells Kias is a more typical in-your-face-and-shouting-and-waving-until-you-buy-one-of-his-heaps type. As for lawyers we have one guy ([forthepeople.com](http://forthepeople.com)) who is so bloody sanctimonious that I wouldn’t be surprised to see him break into spontaneous stigmata on camera one day. My buddy and I joke that it is more like “for the [dollar.com](http://dollar.com).” No crazy eddie types tho exactly-how about you? ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/2 "2012-01-03T04:20:07Z")
I haven’t lived in Chicago for nearly 30 years, but [HUdson3-2700](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILGCHvMSuWk) is still burned in my brain. Out here in Los Angeles, [Cal Worthington](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QeWO9K7Egs&feature=related) is still kicking around, although he doesn’t do stunts or play with wild animals anymore. The weirdest thing he does now is call 2010 and 2011 models an “Oh-ten” or “Oh-eleven”. Haven’t seen [Crazy Gideon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbVkTk9nvt0) in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/3 "2012-01-03T05:10:51Z")
The joy that is the [National Tiles radio ad](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffHtl4XGvnk) has been made into a dance remix, note that we don’t say ‘hello’ or ‘tiles’ like that here! On local TV here in Melbourne we have Chris and Marie, http: [//www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgvpgKYPhMc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgvpgKYPhMc). He’s normally running around in a pink tutu, but for this version he goes completely starkers (nothing much shown, but probably NSFW?) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/4 "2012-01-03T14:30:00Z")
All of them. Seriously, the great majority of the local ads around here are incredibly laughable. Picture stone-faced Scandinavian types with Fargo accents saying things like “Our quality is our best asset” or chubby pale 20-something chicks smiling awkwardly while pretending to hand a beer to an old guy in a Stormy Kromer and a winter jacket 3 sizes too large. And the jingles. Don’t even get me started on jingles. Apparently nobody in the area will buy a thing without an annoying jingle telling them to. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/5 "2012-01-03T14:55:59Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Have any local TV (or radio) ads which you can’t seem to get away from? Here in Jacksonville we have a couple of used car dealers-one (Keith Pierson Toyota) has been using his cute twin daughters to sell his cars for years now (they’re like 14 y/o now), while one which sells Kias is a more typical in-your-face-and-shouting-and-waving-until-you-buy-one-of-his-heaps type. > > As for lawyers we have one guy ([forthepeople.com](http://forthepeople.com)) who is so bloody sanctimonious that I wouldn’t be surprised to see him break into spontaneous stigmata on camera one day. My buddy and I joke that it is more like “for the [dollar.com](http://dollar.com).” > > No crazy eddie types tho exactly-how about you? Remember how WJXT news slogan used to be “Real News, Real People”? I want to hear made up news delivered by androids. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/6 "2012-01-03T16:37:55Z")
Hell, that’s pretty much what we have now (tho I notice you are in Maine now). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/7 "2012-01-03T16:51:21Z")
[Eagle Man](http://youtu.be/O4-e4nlfdRI) shall live on in Chicago’s collective consciousness for ages. Not as bizarre but I think [Victory Auto Wreckers](http://youtu.be/BH95UTtbmr8) has been using the same commercial for the past 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/8 "2012-01-03T17:51:33Z")
We’ve got [Mark from Norton Furniture](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2z1YroJTRE) out here in Cleveland. He’s sort of like Crazy Gideon but less crazy - just weird. Here’s a nice [article](http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/midnight-hustler/Content?oid=1489329) about him. We also all grew up - for AGES - with “[garfield 12323](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ydglEMJ7k&feature=related)” which was a local jingle promoting…I don’t know what. When I first heard it, there was no more “garfield” exchange. I had never even heard of such a thing (it was the 80s, we were using number exchanges). But they still played the jingle, just like that. The company has a website now and their URL is [www.garfield12323.com](http://www.garfield12323.com) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/9 "2012-01-03T18:02:00Z")
Here’s two really bizarre lawyer ads: one [from Virginia](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62xreSr25uI&feature=related) and an older one [from upstate New York.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5hn8bhEpMY&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/10 "2012-01-03T19:16:17Z")
There’s a commercial playing on local radio here (I think it’s for an RV dealer, but I’m not sure). The only reason it sticks in my mind at all is because they give directions to the store, which apparently is just off of “I-50”. There is no Interstate 50. Not in Sacramento; not anywhere in the country. There is a US Highway 50, but nobody refers to it as “I-50”. _Nobody_. It’s “Highway 50”, or sometimes simply “50”, but \*never \*“I-50”. It shouldn’t bother me quite so much, but it does. I guess I should just be happy they don’t say “the 50”… ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/11 "2012-01-03T20:37:13Z")
I always got a kick out of the old Carvel ads featuring the voice of Tom Carvel himself… unfortunately it seems to be difficult to come up with examples of the ones I remember, in which the entire soundtrack was him hawking his latest creation, but he is heard at the end of [this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU2NufpKF2o&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![truthbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@truthbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthbot)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/12 "2012-01-03T21:01:29Z")
A local jewelry store has been running radio ads for about 20 years espousing the quality of their **jewry**. Come check out our low prices on the best **jewry** in the valley! At Tom & Sons **jewry** , you’ll get the best deals! My youngest daughter has her 30th Birthday coming up, I’m going to march in there and ask to see something in a brilliant cut .25 cw Hasidic stud (earring.) ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/13 "2012-01-04T06:00:07Z")
Never seen [Vern Fonk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItWpoUMbqJE) except on YouTube, but if I ever move to Seattle, I know where I’m getting my car insurance from. DANCE! ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/14 "2012-01-04T14:49:26Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Hell, that’s pretty much what we have now (tho I notice you are in Maine now). Actually I live in Collinsport Florida, which looks amazingly like Saint Augustine. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/15 "2012-01-04T15:36:35Z")
You probably have to be Scottish to get this one: [What’s it called? Cumbernauld!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytjg627OGrU) So deeply irritating and overplayed, that decades later, the quickest way to get someone from Cumbernauld to punch you is to ask them “What’s it called?” ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/16 "2012-01-04T20:54:09Z")
> [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](#): > > Never seen [Vern Fonk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItWpoUMbqJE) except on YouTube, but if I ever move to Seattle, I know where I’m getting my car insurance from. DANCE! Remember to honk when you drive by Vern Fonk. I was crushed the day I learned the guy in the commercial wasn’t Vern. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/17 "2012-01-04T21:01:10Z")
If you live in VT, upstate NY, and probably parts of NH, you’re familiar with Nina’s Jewelry Shop, who never sells diamonds at a profit of more than 33%, and her husband, Ray, who does the voiceover for all the ads. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/18 "2012-01-05T03:08:34Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Not as bizarre but I think [Victory Auto Wreckers](http://youtu.be/BH95UTtbmr8) has been using the same commercial for the past 30 years. Darn you, you stole mine! I’ll throw out [Empire Carpets](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyL5y0OZHyM), which used to be Chicago only and featured the live action guy, not the cartoon. In case you haven’t seen it (it’s been around a while) [Flea Market Montgomery.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vao-IfsMROA) ("It’s just like a minimall!) ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/19 "2012-01-05T04:04:31Z")
I don’t have a count on the number of local ads in Texas touting, “in bidnez since 1984”, “customers ARE our bidnez!”, etc. Made me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221/20 "2012-01-05T07:10:41Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Remember to honk when you drive by Vern Fonk. > I was crushed the day I learned the guy in the commercial wasn’t Vern. What! I used to see those commercials on cable when I lived in Vancouver and I always thought that was Vern. I’m kind of disappointed. In Vancouver we also had ‘The Captain’, who ran a secondhand store and produced incredibly low budget ads that always ended with him proclaiming “aye aye and goodbye!”. Sometimes you would see him tooling around town in a little hatchback with his catchphrase printed on the back window and a huge sail bolted onto the roof. It’s been years since I lived there but I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he was still at it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-memorable-laughable-local-ads-campaigns-of-yours/608221.md?page=2)