Flashback Friday — "We'll Leave the Light on for You"

Coming home to a dark house can stir one of two reactions. On one hand the house is dark, calm and quiet; everyone has gone to sleep and the world is finally at peace.
On the other hand, the house is dark and every one of your senses has heightened. The door squeaks cause your hairs to stand on end, the floorboards creak as if they are about to crumble beneath your feet and you could swear you just saw the ghost of Abraham Lincoln eating a peanut butter sandwich at the kitchen table.
Okay, that might not all be true; maybe you have tile floors instead of hardwood.
Thankfully, the fears of returning to a dark room can be avoided when staying at Motel 6 hotels. “We’ll leave the light on for you” has been the mantra of the company since 1988 and been quoted by more people than you could fit in Honest Abe’s stovepipe hat. This Flashback Friday we will look back at one of the most memorable and successful ad campaigns and the voice behind the phrase.
“We’ll leave the light on for you” was coined by Tom Bodett, Motel 6’s first and only spokesman. Bodett was a regular commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered from 1984 to 1987 before being recruited by Dallas-based advertising agency The Richards Group. The warm and friendly Bodett balanced good humor and common sense in his commentary style – all of which aligned perfectly with The Richards Group and Motel 6.
What’s even more impressive about Bodett and the iconic tagline – it was completely ad-libbed. In the very first recording session, Bodett spoke the lucky words that have been present in ads ever since. Twenty-three years later Bodett remains the iconic voice for Motel 6, and the tagline remains at the end of all radio and television ads.

So, when you are travelling the country, perhaps to Springfield, IL to make sure Honest Abe is honestly deceased, and you need to spend the night remember that Motel 6 will always have a light on for you. If you are unsure where to find a Motel 6, just follow the faint voice of Tom Bodett, and he will show you the light.