EOB #18: Local ad lore

As a perpetual carpetbagger (non-derogatory), I’ve experienced the slow transition from newbie to native a couple of times. There are a few things that make me feel like I’m settled in my new city: a library card, merch for the local sports teams, a go-to dive bar, etc. But hands down the #1 thing that solidifies the “I live here” feeling is learning the lore of local ads.

What is local ad lore? It’s the deep cultural knowledge about the city’s businesses and characters you gain only through osmosis. Knowing and understanding this lore makes the billboards and tv spots of your new home shift from completely unhinged to normal - even logical.

Hands down, I believe that the best local ads are in mid-size cities.

Too large of a city means the local brands are actually national. They’ve got the budget and resources for a strategic, polished campaign, and a real allergy to anything too wild. Tech startup billboards in San Francisco do not feel like community-wide inside jokes.

On the other end of the spectrum, too small of a metro means companies are so entrenched in the fabric of the city that they barely need to advertise. At best, they’re slapping their logo and a phone number on a paper placemat and assuming consumers have all the information they need.

The sweet spot, in my opinion, are the #25 to 50 MSAs by population. Your Clevelands, Raleighs, and Milwaukees, if you will. Big enough for a little chaos, small enough that everyone is in on the joke.

Today, I’m bringing you some of my favorite local ad lore from the cities I’ve lived in. There is a big risk that this is far too inside baseball and only fellow occupants of these cities will care. But it’s a risk worth taking.

Here are five local ads deeply embedded in each city’s psyche.

Philadelphia

Forman Mills

I have yet to set foot inside a Forman Mills, but the sound of the “Fooooor. Maaaannn. Millllsssss.” yell is forever burned into my brain. It will probably be the last thing I say before I die, curled up with my spouse in our nursing home bed, Notebook-style.

Forman Mills ads played on loop on the radio stations of my youth. (Y-100, RIP 🙏 ) You could not escape them - especially during back-to-school season. Speaking at a pace typically reserved for cattle auctions or severe medication side effects, the announcer will rattle off deal after deal, from school uniforms to “20,000 dozen [sic] tank tops, 8 for $10.”

But this is the magic of Forman Mills: their chaotic energy.

Much like rug stores in New York City, Forman Mills seems to perpetually be in the midst of a “going out of business” style sale. Their ads are the auditory equivalent of a wacky inflatable balloon man outside a used car lot.

They have a password-protected employee swag store on their Wordpress-branded corporate site. (If anyone has the password, my DMs are open.) They have an email sign-up form with blank fields and check boxes. (DMs are also open if you know the size of their subscriber list.)

Would you believe me if I told you this company has 44 locations, including stores as far away as Michigan and Wisconsin? I would not believe me.

Perhaps this level of success is inevitable when every person in Philadelphia knows the “Stretch Those Bills” song.

Does advertising work? It just did.

Steven Singer

If you even driven through or around Philadelphia, you’ve probably seen multiple billboards scribbled with what reads almost as a threat: I HATE STEVEN SINGER!

So who the hell is this guy that all of Philadelphia hates with such venom?

A jeweler, though reasons for hating him may vary.

On his website, Steven explains the origin of the campaign. TL;DR - A guy bought his wife some jewelry from Singer. One thing led to another that night (😉 😉 amiright fellas??) and they ended up with a baby. Nine months later they stopped into the store and the sleep deprived, miserable dad (classic!) let Steven know he hated him.

Hypothetically the wife now also hates Steven Singer for highlighting what a garbage dude she married and turning her misfortune into an ad campaign.

Steven’s enmeshment in Philadelphia culture and lore goes beyond just his billboards. He’s also a sponsor of the annual Wing Bowl, designing the winner’s ring. He hosts “the world’s largest bubble bath” at his store. He sells green gold-dipped roses for the Eagles’ charity and offered Travis Kelce a million-dollar ring to propose to Taylor.

He’s tacky as hell. But he also gets how to play the local ad game. He’s loud, repetitive, and not afraid to be a little petty. And in a market like Philly, that’s not a bad strategy.

Austin

David Komie: The Attorney Who Rocks

A weird city needs a weird lawyer. Enter David Komie: a dreadlocked attorney who plays in a band. (Fun fact: he was also, briefly, an assistant tennis coach for UT. Enjoy the jump scare of a dreadlock-less Komie.)

As the self-appointed “attorney who rocks,” David’s billboards were a fixture during my drives in Austin. They’re such a ubiquitous part of the Austin experience that every year several people dress up as the billboard for Halloween. This is peak local ad lore.

The ~*iCoNiC*~ billboards even won a Best of Austin mention from the Chronicle in 2012. Sadly, David discontinued his billboards in 2021. He also allegedly had a deeply acrimonious split from his former law partner Chris Morrow, who now advertises himself as “the attorney that works.” (Zing!)

Some might say the end of the billboards only solidified their place in Austin local ad lore. New Austin settlers will only know of them through photos and stories, handed down through generations.

Scott Elder, The Dealer FOR The People

While many will say the defining feature of a true Austinite is a 512 area code, I propose asking so-called locals to finish the phrase “I’m in a pickle and…” (correct answer: “you can drive for a nickel.”)

Scott Elder was the self-proclaimed dealer for the people and owner of Scott Elder Mitsubishi (neè Dream Cars Austin). His ads were ubiquitous for nearly a decade. I mean, every commercial break on any local channel.

It’s hard to capture in words the experience of seeing a Scott Elder commercial for the first time. The theme changed monthly (sometimes even more frequently) and was typically anchored on a pop culture moment, like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, or Pokemon Go.

The energy was unhinged and the commercials played constantly on tv and the radio. There was a lot of rhyming. There were a lot of unlicensed character costumes.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. When Scott made the switch from used car lot to Mitsubishi dealership, he wasn’t able to continue with the majority of his (cease-and-desist-tempting) ads anymore. Another Austin icon taken from the people by corporate America. 😔 

Richmond

Joel Bieber Law Firm

While I’m much newer to and less immersed in the Richmond lore, there is one biz that quickly landed on my radar: the Joel Bieber Law Firm.

Yes, it’s another personal injury group looking to stand out in what we marketers like to call “a sea of sameness.” But where David Komie had dreadlocks, Joel Bieber had Bunky, a small long-haired chihuahua.

While some believe that Joel Bieber was part of the inspiration for Saul Goodman of Better Call Saul, Bunky is who really secured the firm’s place in locals’ hearts and minds. He was even named the official dog ambassador of Richmond. Most recently, he starred in a tropical-themed billboard campaign for the summer that kicked off with a contest to win Bunky gear. (Actually devastated I don’t have one of those t-shirts.)

Sadly, Bunky passed away in August, but in a true testament to his place in local lore, his death made the news. Richmonders are waiting with baited breath to see who will take up the mantle as both law firm spokes-dog and RVA dog ambassador. For now, Tropical Bunky looks over us from his billboards around town.

Links that taste better than a marshmallow peanut

• Happy Halloween! My life is exclusively B2B SaaS memes now.

• “You are not serious people.”

• This book was not great but I have some tinfoil hat theories I’m dying to discuss. If you also read it, or if you’ve read any of the author’s op-eds, plz email me. (And if you have good book recs, also email me.)

• Enjoy wondering if your spouse is actually honey trapping you for the rest of your life. 🙃