What’s the problem with Tyler area ad agencies? Our local ads have been nothing short of painful for years! Growing up my brothers and I often joked about starting our own ad agency, because honestly, how bad could we be? Clearly the bar had been set so low that failure seemed impossible. Both radio and television commercials are to blame by the way. And unfortunately the ads seem to be getting worse! A certain jeweler continues to produce ads that are condescending, sexist, unromantic and screechy, one local car dealer tries to double as a stand- up comedian and yuck it up with his employees while inviting his audience to the party / sale he’s throwing, and another sits around with his buddies and watches football games, making wise acre (and unfunny) remarks, while somehow promoting his car business. One of the worst is a new series being put on by a local mattress store. The business has created a new not so- superhero as a mascot, who’s powers and mission are vague at best, creepy at worst! The end of the commercial features the caped… uh crusader, or …salesman (I guess) standing atop the building, like Michael Scott poised to dive into a bouncy house. 

            Another annoyance is what these ads imply about East Texans. I’ll never forget the series of commercials put on by a local restaurant a few years back. It was run by a Tyler area buffet and portrayed its patrons as obese, bad tempered and rude. The ads went so far as to depict frenzied customers reaching for their, oh so desirable food, with bare hands and two fists! I don’t believe that this fine dining institution is still in business, so evidently there is such thing as cosmic justice. As bad as the terrible attempts at nostalgia and humor are, the dishonest gimmicks are just as bad. Who can forget the classic “key in the mail,” trick?  The local advertising in our otherwise fair city is enough to make me pine for the days of the inflatable Gorilla. Better yet, how about finding  the occasional retired Dallas Cowboy or Texas Ranger to endorse a product and maybe even show up to sign a few balls?! Now there’s an ad campaign I for one, would get behind. But maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe our problem is that there are no ad agencies and we’re just out there winging it! I hope that’s not the case. It would be sooo much more satisfying to be able to blame a particular institution. And I just really hope that we as East Texans are smarter and funnier than it appears. The upshot is this, if you’re about to create a new ad for whatever medium, please stop and consider the following questions: “Does this ad make me look foolish? Does this ad make my customers look foolish? Is my audience really going to find this ad as funny as I do? (I would also suggest getting an honest second and third opinion on this one). Please remember your audience! Inform us, don’t annoy us and we’ll patronize your business for years!