On TVTropes, there is one page titled Repeating Ad. This would list all of the companies and products that had their ads play twice in one commercial break or repetitively throughout a series of breaks. Such examples include an ad airing twice in a row or in the same break, or in some cases two different ads of one product advertising in the same break or in a row. While this applies to ads that have aired nationally, a number of local businesses have taken a liking to this trope.
A number of local businesses in Northwestern Pennsylvania or the Erie, Pennsylvania metropolitan area seem to be fond of this trope in many ways. I have listed a few long-runners whose ads would get awfully irritating after seeing them a number of times.
Braendel Services
I would like to start this one off with the construction company Braendel Services. They’ve been around for half a century now since 1972. Unfortunately, their ads play way too much due to the sheer amount of airtime they buy every year. Simply put, it’s difficult to find anybody in the area who hasn’t seen their ads. In fact, one Google review said they’re overpriced because of this trope!
Their ads usually air once every hour or half-hour. Since the 1980s, the worst offender has been during the holiday season, playing almost every single ad break. Some breaks would air it twice. My mother said their holiday ads are the most irritating because of the child choirs they bring in for those ads. Not to mention I’ve also seen their ads on street benches in the area.
Warner Theatre
The Warner Theatre, which houses the Erie Philharmonic orchestra, usually avoids this trope for most of their Symphonic Series of concerts. What about their Pops Series concerts? Well, this is where this trope for them comes in.
They have a really bad habit of doing this for any major concert, especially in the case of any children’s touring production. Perhaps the worst offender had to be whenever Sesame Street Live would come to the area. They would run it constantly and start the ads weeks before the day of said performance, usually once every hour or half-hour. Some breaks would play it twice. They would be annoying enough to anger those who aren’t or are no longer fans of said franchise. Many long-time goers are keeping their fingers crossed that they don’t do the same for Blue’s Clues and You! Live On-Stage, which is expected to be performed in December 2022.
It’s not just limited to Sesame Street Live. They also did the same when Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert came to the area, but unlike the one mentioned above, the ad for that started months before that was performed.
Sander’s Markets
Sander’s Markets is a local chain of grocery stores that opened in 2000. They don’t run very many ads for the most part, but wait until they host their Moonlight Madness sale, which is usually done multiple times throughout the year at random. That’s when they start airing their ads, usually twice in the same break.
It’s not just Sander’s Markets who have their ads air twice a break whenever they have a sale. The local furniture stores John V. Schultz and Arthur F. Schultz, as well as Presque Isle Downs and Casino, alongside Oliver’s Beer Garden (a new addition since the 2020s) also do the same for any special event they have.
Auto Express Superstore
Good lord. Try going for at least one hour without seeing an ad for this used car dealer. It’s impossible thanks to their ads playing once almost every break. Sometimes, two different Auto Express ads will be shown in the same break, and some would air twice in a row.
Not to mention a local Mitsubishi and Nissan dealership appear to do the same but have a jingle at the end of their ads. Unlike the Auto Express ads, those ads air once every hour or half-hour.
Waldameer and Water World
Not even the local amusement and water park is safe from this. Theme park ads are no stranger to this trope. Waldameer first opened during the late Victorian period in 1896, which was before television was even a thing. They air a lot during the summer, and like the Braendel Services holiday example, some of their ads feature a child choir!
Last Words
Those are just a number of businesses that I have named that are known for repeating certain ads in order to freshen the minds of the Erie community. If you live in my area and know another repeating ad, let me know in the comments.
Drillimation Systems 