Convention wisdom says that Super Bowl commercials are the best in the business. Funny, provocative, thought-provoking, alluring — the ads that cost, by 2018 standards, more than $5 million per 30 seconds are worth watching.
That’s great and maybe it’s true. But the ads you see on a regular basis in good ol’ Central Illinois are worthy of, well, their own degree of attention. In fact, some of these commercials are so good, we’ve decided to honor the best local ads with the Chambanamoms inaugural award for the most unique local ad. We’re calling it the “Downer! Downer! Downer! Award.”
Without further ado, the nominees:
Decatur Coin & Jewelry: “This is Helen, our chicken …”
Decatur Coin specializes in campy, tongue-in-cheek commercials. There’s a tab on their website for “Our funny videos.” The biggest question: Which one to choose? There are more than half a dozen doozies. But we couldn’t resist Helen.
Pilson Auto Centers: “We’ll give you what you want, what you really, really want …”
No doubt — the highlight of the video is the dude doing The Worm. About 27 years too late.
Landmark Auto Outlet: “We’re the Dealz Brothers …”
It’s as if Landmark saw Pilson’s commercial and said, “We’ll see your 1991 reference and raise you a 1980 reference.” A rip-off of the Blues Brothers? If you’re under the age of 30, you probably have to ask your dad who the hell that is.
And the Downer! Downer! Downer! Award goes to … Decatur Coin!
“… she likes to be squeezed.”
What are your favorites?