So I’m liking commercials now?  Yep, I do like a few of them. I always enjoy seeing the happy lady in the red top that advertises Toyotas. (Thanks to a smart salesman I now drive one of that brand, which I’d never thought about before.) I enjoyed the Toyota commercial with the guy driving a Corolla and noticing the odd vehicles on the interstate but the smart Corolla braked on its own and saved him from an accident. 

  I like the Rooms to Go ads, and am amazed at some of the specials they offer. Of course the former football player has a warm and inviting smile and I think that helps the company achieve their goals. I love all of the Chevrolet pickup truck ads with the actors so excited about what that company offers as they all admit they love the trucks! Interestingly enough, Walmart and Kroger have very similar ads that tout their delivery and online ordering promotions. I can still remember my grandmother calling her local grocery store in Washington, Georgia and placing her order, since she never got a driver’s license. A staff member would arrive soon with her groceries and bring them into the house after she’d paid the amount due. Now that was back in the fifties!

  I was actually in a commercial myself, and this was in the seventies. The photographer that took my picture as I held up a sign about our bank’s latest offerings later became my husband. I guess being a one day actress turned out to be a good opportunity to this First National Bank teller!

  I like seeing some of my former clients on television as they tell about their great deals and mention the makes and models of all the cars they want the public to come see. I enjoy seeing the lady in pink who tells that they’ll buy your car, even if you don’t buy one of theirs. She’s been around a long time, but always seems peppy and excited. I guess if you are in a commercial, you have to be very positive about the products for sale.

  I still remember seeing ads long ago in our local newspapers touting local businesses, and of course that included Zack’s, Zip’s, Colonial Store, and lots of car dealers too. I bought my first Oldsmobile after seeing an array of beauties via a newspaper ad that caught my attention. I REALLY loved the Sears catalog that always came early in November so my two brothers and I could begin making our Christmas lists. I remember ads in our senior annual and most of them listed their phone numbers, which were only four digits! I’m glad they paid so we could have a big book of wonderful memories at a fairly inexpensive price.

  But I think my favorite television commercial of all time is centered on a Thanksgiving gathering. The family is preparing the food, the mom is watching the door, for her ‘baby,’ (a college student.) As the commercial moves along, you see her being disappointed as she misses out on certain moments with him. Then after the meal, he lets her know that he’s going out with some friends. She sighs, starts wrapping up the slice of pie she’d saved for him. And then he returns, tells her ‘change of plans’ and they sit down together as he remarks that he’s been looking forward to that moment. I’ll bet my Henry County folks already know the company providing this heartwarming commercial. Because, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about, family. The food is important, along with smiles, a grateful prayer and some memories and jokes. I got an email from Publix and it included a repeat of the commercial, so I was able to enjoy it again!