SALT LAKE CITY — Google recently dropped a 30-second advertisement encouraging people to support small, local businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and the Utah-based clothing store Mr. Mac got a shoutout.
With Mark Morrison’s 1996 song “Return of the Mack” playing in the background, the Google ad highlights several businesses across the country connected by name: Mack’s Wings, Mack’s Sports Depot, Mac’s Place, Mack’s Apples and Mack’s Fit Camp.
Mr. Mac, which has been around for more than 50 years and has several stores in Utah, gets a mention near the end of the ad. In the video, an employee from the clothing chain says, “We’re here to keep you safe.”
The ad came out July 16 and has more than 5 million views on YouTube.
The store’s founder, Mac Christensen, died last year on Oct. 11 at the age of 85. Following news of Christensen’s death, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said the entrepreneur was “a living legend here in Utah and beyond,” according to the Deseret News.
Christensen’s sons, Spencer and Stuart, run the flagship store located at the City Creek Center in Salt Lake City. Upon Christensen’s passing, the sons spoke with the Deseret News about their father’s legacy.
“He also operated by the theory, ‘You don’t sell just one time,’” Stuart Christensen said. “He wanted customers for life. You weren’t a customer, you were family. He had a natural ability to put people at ease, to build relationships that lasted.”