Impure Michigan: Spoofs on ad campaign display its effectiveness

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
On the flip-side, spoofing is the insincere form of flattery, the misbehaving little brother of imitation.
This week, John Kerfoot is that naughty little brother. He’s responsible for the parodies of the Pure Michigan ads that have the Internet buzzing. The fake commercials became a statewide phenomenon after the Free Press did a brief write-up about the 34-year-old filmmaker from the Detroit area and his iconoclastic shorts.
I’m sure you’ve seen the originals on television the past couple years, part of the award-winning tourism campaign. They feature the smooth and serene narration of Michigan native Tim Allen of “Home Improvement” fame over images of our fair state’s natural beauty.
They all end with Allen pausing ever-so slightly, and with dramatic flair, saying, “That’s pure Michigan.”
The billboards, radio and TV spots were enormously successful, and gained even more attention when funding became an issue -- the campaign continues, but with about half as much cash.
As we know, the more successful something becomes, the larger it becomes as a target for parody.
That brings us to Kerfoot’s own campaign.
The five fake ads he’s made have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. And for good reason.
They’re funny.
And while some would argue their in bad taste for their foul language and subject matter, I applaud the videos.
I have a feeling Kerfoot loves Michigan just as much as I do. And sometimes being critical about something, but with a sense of humor, is just another way to express that affection.
So, what exactly are in the videos?
There are five in all, each poking fun at a different place or aspect of our wonderful state: Royal Oak, Construction, Mackinac Island, Lake St. Clair, and Grosse Pointe’s downtown known as “The Village.”
The video dealing with Royal Oak, a northern suburb of Detroit known for its hip, trendy nightlife atmosphere, talks about the types of, uh, er, male jerks who populate the streets. Except Kerfoot doesn’t use the term “jerks.”
By the way, before I continue, don’t watch these clips with children around. They are intended for mature audiences only.
Anyone who has sat in traffic surrounded by orange barrels and sweaty workers will appreciate Kerfoot’s ode to road construction, which seems eternal on our state’s roadways.
The Mackinac Island clip is a little on the gross-out side, drawing a visual comparison between the vacation spot’s famous fudge and what the horses leave behind on the streets.
Kerfoot, who is from the Grosse Pointe area, muses about the beauty of Lake St. Clair, and the irritating, swarming fish flies that take over the Pointes each summer. The Village video pokes fun at the number of coffee shops and lack of black people in the downtown area of Grosse Pointe.
It made me wonder how Manistee would fair under such an ironic attack.
Kerfoot’s love letters to Michigan may be cynical, ribald and irreverent, but they are love letters nonetheless. I hope he makes more of them.
In any case, you can judge them for yourself. They are posted at http://notsopuremichigan.com/.
The videos also display how effective the Pure Michigan campaign has been, and why it needs the cash to continue. Tourists need to know how beautiful and wondrous our state is.
Even if us natives know it’s not always fudge.