🔒Wild, wonderful and totally Texas: 8 advertisers we love to watch pitch iconic Houston and Lone Star State brands

HOUSTON – Texas has a LOT of great, over-the-top advertising, but the Houston area has some of the best ads EVER.

We’re highlighting some of the absolute best local ads, but be sure to stay tuned for a few others from Texas brands that also made our list. Also -- be sure to sound off in the comments if we missed any of your favorites. We’re planning to update this article at one point or another and we’ll want to include your suggestions.

Jim Adler and Bill Adler, Jim Adler & Associates - “The Texas Hammers,” (Houston):

This prolific advertisement duo based in Houston is the producer of some of the most well-known ads in the country. The Adler firm has been featured on “Last Week Tonight” and been duplicated and parodied. Moffett Productions is behind at least some of the Jim Adler and Bill Adler commercials for “The Texas Hammer” dad-and-son business.

In a recent discussion with KPRC 2, Jim Adler said he’s been working on a number of new commercials in recent weeks, so stay tuned in the coming months for those.

Here are some of the advertisements from the personal injury firm that have become iconic:

Jim Adler gets angry.

Jim Adler has a growl and a bark. We want to get him a couple throat lozenges after this one.

It’s always a family affair for Jim and son Bill Adler. “We stand tough and carry a BIG BIG hammer,” Jim Adler says in the ad below. Did you know “The Texas Hammer” is a trademark term? It is.

Adler launched his law firm in 1973 with a one-man office in downtown Houston. These days Jim Adler & Associates has offices all across Texas in Houston, Channelview, Dallas and San Antonio, with two dozen accident attorneys and more than 250 legal support staff, according to the firm’s website.

The advertisements were a building block for the firm and a big risk when advertisements for lawyers were legalized, Adler said in a recent interview with “CBS Sunday Morning.” But it paid off in a big way. And the rest is advertising history. See the firm’s full YouTube page here for more current and vintage ads.

Jim Adler says he’ll stand tough.

Jim Adler takes on an 18-wheeler in this much-beloved commercial. “I stand tough and carry a BIG, BIG hammer!”

Jim Adler does Spanish.

Jim Adler does many of his advertisements in Spanish. Here’s a sampling of his language prowess in this advertisement.

Jim Adler on John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight”:

Adler became even more famous when comedian John Oliver took on his ads. Here are the two segments featuring the Adler firm.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Oliver clips contain explicit language.

Bob Lovell, HMS Commercial (Dallas):

Buying over renting is really important to Bob Lovell. We didn’t know this guy existed. And now we do.

Brass balls. That’s interesting.

Bob Lovell is also known for saying “bless your heart.” His condescending tone is his signature. Be prepared. We weren’t.

There are some great ads like the one below also showing him answering questions from viewers.

George Foreman - “Don’t Mess with Texas”:

George Foreman’s “Don’t Mess with Texas” commercial in which he acts like he’s a preacher making admonishments about proper behavior is a treasure.

And remember if anyone messes with Texas, gasp and immediately pray for them.

H-E-B - The Astros Stars (some former -- lookin’ at you Carlos Correa and George Springer) (San Antonio)

These ads from the Texas grocery store giant were (and are) spectacular. We especially like these. Who are we kidding -- they kind of make us cry.

Bryan E. Wilson - “The Texas Law Hawk” (Fort Worth)

Bryan Wilson is a young admeister on this list. He was born in 1986. His ads are so over-the-top that they seem like a type of second-generation parody of some of the others on this list. As “CBS Sunday Morning” noted in its profile of lawyer ads, Wilson is a bit of a next-generation advertiser, primarily using digital spaces for promotion.

These ads are wild. We’re kind of into them. He assures people in that profile that we mentioned that he has a serious side, but if he were representing us, we’d always be waiting for the moment he’d be crashing through a drywall enclosure like some white guy Kool-Aid man hopped up on his own sugar.

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale - Gallery Furniture (Houston)

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, of Gallery Furniture, is an icon in Houston and Texas. His television advertisements are a big part of that image -- or at least the start of it. The other part is probably due to his overwhelming philanthropic efforts to help the area rebound after storms like Harvey, Imelda and the arctic blast of 2021.

He continues to advertise no matter how big the icon becomes. Let’s take a spin through his advertisements, old and new. Don’t miss the earworm -- y’all know it for sure -- “SAVE YOU MONEY!”

And then there’s this remix.

He’s still not afraid to dress up. For a pre-Easter sale, he got a bunny costume on.

Watch all of the ads on the Gallery Furniture website.

Stanton’s (Alvin)

Allen Stanton of Stantonmeats.com in Alvin, Texas, is the perfect calm pitchman. His calm and endearing tone, apron, beef stick beauty shots and his beef-stick eating models feel honest and wholesome. If we need local beef sticks, we’ll be thinking of this.

Curbside Larry:

The pandemic brought out the crazy in all of us. Including the library.

It’s hard not to love Curbside Larry. Right?

Mentioned in this Texas Monthly article, which has its own great lineup of advertisers of all time in Texas.

What are your favorite ads from Texas brands and companies? Let us know in the comments. Speak up! We plan update to include more, so be sure yours is represented.