A few weeks ago a local commercial for the North Carolina furniture store The Red House caught on fire. As of this writing there are over 600K views on YouTube.
The low budget commercial touts that The Red House is a place where Black and White people can “just get along”. Clearly the racial references in this are what has prompted its “popularity”.
The spot was created by the North Carolina-based comedy duo Rhett & Link. In an interview from a local paper, it’s clear that the two love the creativity that’s born of the low budget limitations of local commercials - they view it as an art form.
It’s always refreshing to watch brands and small businesses really leverage the limitations of a low-buget spot. Geico has been using this as its platform for years - though they look like they’re spending a lot of money to make their spots look low budget. Slim Jim’s commercials however were truly born out of their budget limitations - and were hugely successful for them.
I remember growing up outside of Philadelphia and seeing the commercials for Krass Brothers every Saturday morning. When done right, these things can really stick.
As far as the Red House, be sure to check back here later when I finally realize that I’ve unwillingly become a shill for some ironic big brand ad campaign.