The 20 best Super Bowl commercials of all time
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
In this era of streaming, subbing, and unsubbing — basically running in terror from all forms of advertising — the concept of looking forward to a bunch of television commercials is kind of wild. Love 'em, hate 'em, or use 'em as a bathroom break, Super Bowl ads are unique in that they are shared cultural memories, little 30-second time capsules.
Clicking through YouTube demonstrates how these ads have evolved over time, from the basic sex-sells/dudes-like-beer approach of the '80s and '90s to the "viral" aughts to our current era of super-clever meta-ness. And while we'd like to think this shift happened because we've all gotten so media savvy, it could also be because a 30-second spot now costs a cool $7 mil, up from the still scary (but far more reasonable) $700,000 mid-'90s price tag. In other words? There's a lot on the line, and the pressure to deliver is intense. Luckily, we're not ad agency creatives — we just get to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor, as we snack on Popchips™ washed down with an ice-cold Pepsi©.
So, how did we choose which ads made the final cut? They had to:
Make us want stuff (duh)
Make us feel stuff (ha ha or awww)
Have star quality (we can't look away)
Explain the product (in a nutshell)
And while most of the commercials on our list manage to do all four, some got away with just three (because they were so funny/charming/brilliant). If you're the kind of person who thinks the game is something to sit through so you can get to the commercials, you've come to the right place. Betcha can't watch just one!
"Hey Kid, Catch!" Coca-Cola (1980)
As an injured (and concerningly sad-looking) "Mean" Joe Greene hobbles off the field, a kid straight outta Sesame Street offers him a cold glass bottle of Coke. Green downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world. Sweet, simple, effective — Don Draper couldn't have done it better.
Though it actually debuted in 1979, this ad was best known for airing during Super Bowl XIV in 1980, when the Pittsburgh Steelers faced off against the Los Angeles Rams, because guess who was on the field that day? None other than Greene, celebrity multitasker — drinking Coke in the ads and kicking butt in the game, driving the Steelers to their (and his) fourth SB victory. Amazing! This commercial wound up winning a bunch of awards and inspired a made-for-TV movie — The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid — about a football team (yes, team) that adopts a 9-year-old boy, starring Greene and E.T.'s future Elliott, Henry Thomas.
"1984," Apple (1984)
No list would be complete without mentioning the SB OG, Apple's "1984." But first, a quick history lesson. Back in (yes) 1984, Apple was still a scrappy 8-year-old company, an underground underdog fighting against the evil squares (a.k.a. corporate-suited IBM overlords). Not only did they need to sell personal computers, they needed to sell the idea of personal computers, a tall order for a small company with a limited budget. They knew there was no better way to reach the masses in the pre-internet era than a Super Bowl spot — the challenge was how to get a big message across in a short amount of time.
By bringing in the big guns: Alien director Ridley Scott and George Orwell in spirit (his novel 1984 inspired the whole thing). So, as an onscreen Big Brother preaches about "Information Purification Directives" to a crowd of sheeple (London skinheads cast as extras!), a lady wearing shorts and a tank top runs in, pursued by the Thought Police. Hurling a hammer at the screen, she destroys it (we don't have room to discuss the irony of how all we do now is look at Apple screens) and, as it explodes, these words scroll: "On January 24, Apple will introduce Macintosh…"
So was this Chiat/Day creation worth the money? Setting aside the fact that this article was written on a MacBook and you're probably reading it on an iPhone... after the ad aired, people rushed into Apple stores and the company reported a huge spike in sales.
"Hare Jordan," Nike (1993)
Back in 1993, history was made when Bugs Bunny met Michael Jordan, with this charming commercial spawning a successful movie franchise: A little thing called Space Jam. Though it is true that this Nike spot from the Wieden & Kennedy agency wasn't the only movie that started as an ad (there are a few more, including Uncle Drew and Max Headroom), it's arguably the most well-known and enduring. Bugs declares to Jordan, "This could be the beginning of a beauty-ful friendship!" Indeed, it was.
"Budweiser Frogs," Budweiser (1995)
You know how commercials are often louder than the actual show? The legendary Bud Frogs ad takes the opposite approach — it is, in the words of Björk, oh so quiet. This is especially clever when you consider what viewers were subjected to before the ad aired: the noise of the game, the cheering crowd, the hyped-up announcers, and then... this. The spot's use of literal crickets works like an audio magnet, drawing attention to itself in an instant.
And we haven't even mentioned the stars — three frogs sitting in a swamp, croaking out the name of the beer, sometimes in order, sometimes not. Paragons of chill, the equivalent of three buddies drinking a few beers, too tired to get up off their lily pads/sofas. Quite the cool concept, which is not surprising, given its director, a young Gore Verbinski, later went on to helm three of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
"Bud Ice Penguin," Budweiser (1996)
From Frank Sinatra's lips to a penguin's ears (or something), this unsettling series for Bud Ice presents like an inside joke you don't understand and, thus, really want to. The "concept," if you could call it that, seems to be a connection between the name of the product and the fact that penguins, uh, live where there's ice. But hey, this was the '90s, when being weird for weird's sake was a thing, and a creepy animatronic penguin lurking in the shadows and terrorizing humans in a variety of '90s-ish noir settings is definitely that. Plus, the fact that the expressionless penguin announces itself by singing Sinatra's "Dooby Dooby Doo" scat part from the end of "Strangers in the Night," a song he famously hated, is the real key to the spot's success.
"Wassup!" Budweiser (2000)
Airing at halftime during the 2000 Super Bowl, this Budweiser ad about friends talking in shorthand instantly went viral. Adapted from a short film by Charles Stone III (who went on to direct Drumline and Uncle Drew, among others), Stone also directed the ad (casting himself and his best buds), preserving the sense of realism, friendship, and silliness that made it such a classic. The guys are great, the sentiment is great, and it's all anchored by Stone as the dude on the couch who initiates the now-infamous phone call.
"Cat Herding," EDS (2000)
Like the best Saturday Night Live sketches, this ad personifies the beauty of taking a ridiculous concept and running with it. Considered by ad aficionados to be the best of the best, it takes a hard-to-explain concept ("Managing the complexities of a digital economy?") and visually explains it in a way even someone halfway through a six-pack could comprehend. Not to mention, the thing has so much pure entertainment value — herds of cats running across the prairie as a bunch of rough-edged cowboys chase them — it remains irresistible to this day.
"Terry Tate: Office Linebacker," Reebok (2003)
"Hey Janice!" This is THE funniest Super Bowl commercial of all time, and if you don't agree with us, well, you better watch your back because Terry Tate is coming for you. Lester Speight, the actor who plays "Terry Tate," possesses the delivery and timing of a true comic master. He's so convincing, in fact, that until we did the research for this article, we thought Terry Tate was, um, a real NFL player (though he did play in college). But it's not exactly a surprise, seeing as how Speight is closer to SNL than NFL (and makes us ROFL).
And while we have to admire this ad for being almost an anti-ad (Reebok is scarcely mentioned), this win for comedy was a loss for the shoe company, which considered it a failure and ended the campaign soon after it began. The director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, went on to a successful comedy career (no surprise!) directing and acting in Dodgeball and Central Intelligence, among other projects.
"Cast Away," FedEx (2006)
Spoiler alert: If you haven't seen the movie Cast Away, you probably won't get the punchline that makes this such a great ad. The 2000 film stars Tom Hanks, with supporting roles played by (seriously) Wilson Sporting Goods and FedEx. The question was how to parody a movie in which the company itself played a pivotal part. The ad agency BBDO New York rose to the challenge with a simple — but effective — O. Henry-style twist.
"Talking Babies," E*Trade (2008)
Merging Look Who's Talking with Wall Street bro audio (and purposely low-fi video to add to the realness), E*Trade hit the conceptual jackpot and stuck the landing with magnetic results, leaving viewers everywhere unable to look away. What better way to convey the message — so simple, even a baby can do it — than literally using babies? This low-budget-looking spot was way more successful than the company's previous 2000 Super Bowl ad, the one that bragged about wasting 2 million bucks while showing a monkey dancing on a bucket. Funny, isn't it, how that one didn't inspire people to trust E*Trade with their money?
Enter these pint-sized financial wizards, so successful they inspired countless spin-offs, guest spots, and reboots. The tots' looks and gestures somehow communicate an offhand, casual understanding of the financial topics they're discussing — perfectly paired with the almost drowsy, adult male voice — and the result is a comedy alchemy that cannot be explained, only admired.
"Parisian Love," Google (2010)
While we never imagined a touching short story could be told through the medium of a search window, Google proved us wrong. Meticulous from the first piano notes — perfectly matching the pulse of the blinking cursor — to the last search, "how to assemble a crib," Google demonstrates the power of their product via a 52-second romantic tale that rivals many two-hour movies.
"Betty White for Snickers," Snickers (2010)
She has just two lines, and she absofreakinlutely nails them. All hail Betty White.
"Brotherhood," Budweiser (2013)
Budweiser loves showing its sensitive side, especially when it comes to its Clydesdales. Despite being purchased by brewing behemoth InBev in 2008, they're hanging on to the draft horse tradition, including the farm in Missouri where these beauties are raised. As even the most casual football fan knows, the Budweiser Clydesdales have starred in many Super Bowl classics, from a somber 9/11 tribute to a rousing horse football game. These ads may be simple, and they may be corny, but they are also an apple-pie American tradition — and we kinda love that.
In January of this year, four baby Clydes were born at the Missouri farm, and in honor of these guys, we chose this commercial about the farmer who raises a Clydesdale from birth only to let him go. This ad is a guaranteed tear-jerker, so if you click on it in public, well, don't say we didn't warn you.
"Viva Young," Taco Bell (2013)
Taco Bell's wild Cocoon-inspired slice of life shows off what's best about the chain: The food is cheap, fast, and preferably consumed after partying and in the company of friends. In other words, it's ideal broke teenager food. And if the "teens," in this case, are played by a group of adorably nutso octogenarians? Even better.
Bopping along to a Spanish language version of Fun.'s "We Are Young," this spot sums up the nostalgia many of us have for the Bell while beautifully connecting the restlessness of youth with the restlessness of old age. As it turns out, eating tacos (and pranking neighbors) is something we can enjoy forever — from senior year to the senior years.
"It's a Tide Ad," Tide (2018)
Shhh. Hear that? It's every other Super Bowl ad jealously fuming at the audacity of Tide's 2018 campaign. Straight outta Hawkins, Ind., David Harbour deadpans his way through basically every television commercial you can think of, from cars to beer to Mr. Clean. The commercials look SO real that the effect is like an extended April Fool's prank, with Harbour popping up in each one, declaring in his signature dry style, "Nope, it's a Tide ad."
These commercials were sprinkled throughout the whole game, which drove the point home — and landed the campaign on many "best" lists the next morning. Mattresses, Alexa, insurance, you name it... once Harbour points out that everyone's clothes are clean (which they are, at least in ads) and throws out the tagline, it's done. ALL the ads become Tide ads in your mind, and you can't unsee it. Not to get too Twilight Zone about it, but isn't that the ultimate goal of every ad: Buying space in your head?
"Michael Bublé vs. Bubly," Bubly (2019)
Remember that kid who got straight As, starred in the school play, won the science fair, and was a star athlete? That kid you wanted to hate but couldn't because he/she was so dang charming, funny, and talented? That's what this ad is. It checks every box on our list and drives the message home like a perfect field goal. It also gently reflects one of our favorite recent advertising trends as of late — a star (in this case, Michael Bublé) in "real life" is actually kind of a dork, not the sharpest tool in the shed, and is maybe even a bit… aggravating.
The reactions from the "regular people" Bublé encounters (and annoys) in the store are priceless, as is the singer's full commitment to lunkheaded-ness (and the way he pronounces "Dave"). They're all tolerating him, but just barely. We should add that this commercial was probably inspired by a very famous, extremely beloved sketch about mispronunciation, though the conclusions are quite different.
"The Mix-Up," T-Mobile (2021)
A celebrity Mad-Lib mashup that does a bunch of things at once, including getting the point of the product across while simultaneously commenting on Gwen Stefani's odd-couple relationship. Clever personified, it begins with a phone call from Stefani to her Voice cohost Adam Levine, asking him to be a matchmaker. But in the middle of describing her wish list for the perfect man, her phone cuts out a few choice words, completely changing their meaning. And guess what? This mix-up describes her now-hubby Blake Shelton to a T (Mobile), the man she didn't even know she wanted. Which, now that we think about it, actually encourages you NOT to purchase this product? But we'll give that detail a pass because the spot is smart, funny, and satisfying. It's a four-chair turn of a Super Bowl ad!
"Alexa Loses Her Voice," Amazon (2021)
We all have a love-hate relationship with technology, and Amazon explores this concept in their brilliant "Alexa Loses Her Voice'' commercial. It's funny, but also threaded with a lot of the conflicting feelings we have about our daily robot interactions, Amazon-branded or not. With the exception of the Jeff Bezos cameo (we're kidding, please don't cancel our Prime), this spot is glamorously star-studded and super clever.
The concept is perfect — Alexa is "sick" and has to take a day off, so her fill-ins are celebs with distinctive voices (Anthony Hopkins, Gordon Ramsay, Rebel Wilson). But the greatest star turn of all comes from Cardi B. The look on the Alexa user's face (a stern-looking middle-aged white guy) who asks for country music and receives Cardi, only to ask again and receive silence (somehow dripping with attitude) before she starts rapping again is priceless. And knowing how much money even a few seconds of Super Bowl airtime costs makes it even better, okurrr?
"Zeus and Hera Retire," BMW (2022)
This is one of those Super Bowl commercials that's so good, you feel let down when you realize it's an ad and not a trailer. Shot like prestige TV, the brilliantly cast Arnold Schwarzenegger (as Zeus) and Salma Hayek (as Hera) have retired to Palm Springs, where Zeus fumbles with the microwave and recharges his neighbor's garden tools with his lightning bolt fingers, as Hera strolls around looking amazing in her toga and asking her husband to walk their tiny pet Pegasus. How does a midlife crisis, Greek mythos, the music of Eddy Grant, and a single moment of breaking the fourth wall (credit: Hayek) sell BMW's all-electric car? Brilliantly.
"Don't Miss Out," FTX (2022)
Before you say anything about how this, in hindsight, is now more sad than funny, let's look at the commercial on its own merits (putting aside the fact that FTX likely illegally financed the ad with customer funds). Not only did Dentsu, the ad agency, produce something incredibly clever, it also succeeded in tackling the biggest Super Bowl ad challenge of 'em all: Introducing a relatively new idea (in this case, crypto), which is a much harder sell than shilling toothpaste or hamburgers. Bonus points for pitching it as a fantastically funny story, during which we see Larry David, the stand-in for every crypto naysayer, moving through time, declaring inventions like the wheel, indoor toilets, and electric lights to be useless, idiotic, or unnecessary.
By building on an established character (LD) whose traits we're already familiar with, the commercial makes its point clear in the first 10 seconds, letting us enjoy the pure humor for the rest of the running time. The crazy thing is that the man who purchased this ad (CEO Sam Bankman-Fried) is now in serious hot water, to say the least. But even crazier? Larry David was right! And since he never said crypto was a good idea, he actually comes out of the whole mess clean (cleaner than other celeb endorsers, at least). And if THAT doesn't sound like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, we don't know what does…
Related content:
