Presidential Car Wash

Dead presidents have long been used to sell things. The deader the better in most cases, since presidents that are still in living memory tend to have too much baggage. Successful presidents with name recognition are also much more common in the advertising realm. It's unlikely that Lincoln Auto Insurance first considered the name Buchanan Auto Insurance, for instance, though Millard Fillmore had his moment a few years ago.

The custom continues. Here's a commercial for a car wash in California that offers a George Washington Wash, a Teddy Roosevelt Wash, an Abe Lincoln Wash, a Thomas Jefferson Wash, a Martin Van Buren Full Detail, Besty Ross Express Polish, and Uncle Sam's Deal (107 car washes for $1,776).

Apparently it's a real commercial, as much as it looks like a Saturday Night Live commercial parody. Presidential Car Wash is a real car wash at 10515 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood, and the commercial was created the duo Rhett & Link.

Adweek says "Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal have made a name for themselves by creating intentionally bad commercials for local businesses across America... Here's the latest — an intentionally atrocious rap for Presidential Car Wash that makes all other intentionally atrocious raps from commercials pale by comparison.

"Rhett and Link definitely have a knack for mimicking the worst aspects of local ads — the terrible acting, the awkward moments, the crappy production values. But what really sets them apart is that they aren't really being irreverent. They're legitimately trying to drive traffic to these businesses."

The entire Adweek article is here.