Sometimes an ad can be so bad, it’s good — so over-the-top that it just does the trick in spite of itself. And whatever else it may be, it’s memorable. I thought about that as I watched an ad for Cullman Liquidation Center.

Yes, it’s a real business, with the T-shirts to prove it. You can check out the back-story on the making of the commercial as well. And to covers the basics: “Be there, say something.”

In my locale, everyone knows about and remembers Nick Hill and his campy furniture commercials. (He’s a local advertising legend, who would talk to a station and say things like, “Remember that spot we did in the fall of ’82?”) And if everyone knows, then you could certainly argue that it’s working, couldn’t you?

• Classic Television Commercials