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Screengrab from Visit Philly's new commercial.

Visit Philly's new tourism ad pokes past the meaty stereotypes

While Ben Franklin and cheesesteaks literally fight for attention, the new ad encourages would-be visitors to look beyond the icons.

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Visit Philly launched a new commercial Tuesday that literally pits together two of the city's time-tested icons: Ben Franklin and the cheesesteak.

The tourism promotion agency terms them "Philazillas." We see the skyscraper-sized legends duke it out with each other as Philadelphians go about their normal lives, casually avoiding Franklin's giant clogs and the occasional splattering of cheese whiz. At the end of the 60-second spot, one observer explains it: "Those two? They're always fighting for attention."

A narrator then encourages would-be visitors to look beyond the legends to "plan your legendary stay," suggesting that there's much more to city than its two most recognizable figures. It's an effective and cheeky (cheesy?) commercial with potential for broad appeal. Unfortunately, the full 60-second clip (which you can view above) won't get any TV airtime.

Shorter versions will air on TV beginning on Feb. 1 in the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia areas, and will run through Feb. 21. They'll be aired again in July and September of this year.

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