Pioneers and Poop Jokes: A Letter to Provo
It might be kind of strange to write “thank you” letters to the town you work in, but I feel like I really owe you one. See, I thought you were a liability, but it turns out you’ve been a strength.
When Harmon Brothers got started, we thought our humble roots and industry-outsider status would be obstacles to overcome. We thought that maybe, if we worked hard and somehow found talented people to collaborate with, we could perhaps compete with bigger, more prestigious ad agencies in spite of our location.
Most heavy-hitting ad agencies are based in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, you see. They’re run by the urban elite. They’re filled with talented people who have been in the business for years.
Compared to that, Provo, you’re kind of the boonies. (No offense.) I mean, you’re a city of people that come from Mormon pioneer stock, a college town whose school proudly has born the title “Most Stone Cold Sober” school for the last 21 years. For fun, people here drink chocolate milk and play frisbee-golf and watch Moana. We’re a peculiar, quirky people with a peculiar, quirky, clean sense of humor.
But, not that long ago, I was at a convention full of people from the advertising world — people from New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. At dinner, I happened to be seated next to one of the few other outsiders at the convention — Abe Adams from Alabama.
Abe told me, “You know, you’re lucky to be based out of Provo, Utah. It makes it so that you understand normal people, so you know how to relate to them, how to market to them. You know what they think is funny, and what they want to buy. These people from big ad firms in the big city — it’s harder for them: they’re detached from the average American.”
His words made me think. I realized that we aren’t succeeding in spite of you, Provo. Rather, we are succeeding, at least in part, because of you.
The uniqueness of our community infuses our work with a fresh perspective. While some other ad agencies try to imitate our “edgy” style, they often cross the line into crass humor that makes the viewer squirm. The squeaky-clean, Mormon-ness of our humor seems to help us create ads that deal with taboo subjects like poo-stink, toilet posture, politics, and even abortion in a sincere and approachable way. We do our best, and it seems we usually succeed, at keeping our ads entertaining and appropriate for the whole family.
In addition to this, little Utah town, you’re surrounding us with a wealth of talent in the entertainment industry. Devin Supertramp and Studio C (now JK! Studios) are right here in town. The Piano Guys, Derral Eves, King of Random, Scott Winn, Jake & Katie Schwarz, and several others are just a short drive away. The Sundance Film Festival brings the industry’s best talent here every year. And there are several feature film production companies that are congregating here to make use of the beauty of our landscape and our incredible local talent. Utah has become a fresh new haven for the entertainment industry.
So, Provo, thank you. You’ve taught me that what I perceived as a weakness is actually an incredible and defining strength. Provo, you help differentiate us from the norm. Please stay peculiar.
With Love,
Benton
