Every year, millions of Americans gather round the living room eating cheese and crackers, having a cold one while watching the long anticipated Super Bowl among friends and family. However there’s one thing more important then the Big Game itself, and we’re not talking about the halftime performance either, we are of course talking about the commercials. Everyone knows the Super Bowl commercials are the bread and butter of the gameday event – so while we’re barely keeping it together waiting for the 2017 commercials, we decided to pay homage to the greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time – check it out!
Budweiser – “Lost Dog”
Is there anything more adorable than a puppy? Not really. In Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” commercial, people collectively lost their minds. Watching the little Labrador wander into a truck that drives away without knowing he’s inside got the ball rolling and the tears welling. His journey continues and he ends up right in harms way as a coyote is ready to attack, but then, just when you think the end is near for our little furry friend, the Clydesdales come to the rescue.
Budweiser Lost Dog
Tabasco – “Mosquito”
Now this one is a classic. The start of the commercial shows a man pouring Tabasco onto his pizza before each and every bite. A mosquito then bites his arm, flies away, and explodes into a ball of fire. While Tabasco doesn’t actually cause insects to explode, it is spicy as heck! Plus, viewers just had to applaud the team’s creativity here.
Tabasco Mosquito
Coca Cola – “Hey Kid, Catch”
The legendary hall-of-famer “Mean” Joe Green earned got his rather interesting nickname while playing football at North Texas State University. It was Green’s killer instincts and ability to crush his opponents that earned him the nickname and a career as one of greatest defensive tackles of all time. However, today, he is best remembered for this 1979 classic Super Bowl commercial for Coca Cola.
Coca Cola – “Hey Kid, Catch”
Tide – “Joe Montana Stain”
This Super Bowl commercial ran in 2013 and was even voted the second favorite commercial of the night! Not bad. If you remember it showed football fans watching the big game when one of them drops salsa on his 49ers jersey. Oh no! But then the stain takes on the shape of the legendary Joe Montana. The guy becomes famous, appearing on the news, doing a press conference, and even turns his home into a shrine for the jersey of course. Unfortunately, his wife, who is a Raven’s fan, uses Tide and washes the shirt, instantly lifting the salsa stain.
Why did we tell you all of this? Because the 2013 Super Bowl was between the 49ers and the Ravens. Boom. Oh yeah, the Ravens won.
Tide – “Joe Montana Stain”
Doritos – “3D Doritos”
The ultimate battle showcase of two men, a foxy lady, and Doritos. Two men inside of a laundromat are attempting to snag the gorgeous lady’s attention by dishing out impossible tricks to try and catch the chips in their mouth. They look like complete fools. The lady then shows them up by flipping a bunch of times and finishes with a split to catch a chip in her mouth.
Doritos – “3D Doritos”
Apple – “1984”
In today’s society, Apple is a major household name but that wasn’t always the case. In the 80s, IBM was the leader of the tech world and Apple was ready to break the mold with their new Macintosh computer (or just Mac for short, which we all know is one of the greatest computers available) – and they featured the Mac in a 1984 Super Bowl commercial. This commercial was unprecedented because it introduced the idea that Super Bowl commercials were entertainment, plus it helped cast Apple as an industry leader – within the first 100 days following the commercial debut, Apple gained over $150 million in sales.
Apple – “1984”
Budweiser – “Frogs”
Back in 1995, this popular beer manufacturer changed its tune and featured “Bud,” “Weis,” and “Er,” three lifelike frogs. This commercial, while it was super cute, was highly controversial at the time. A year after the commercial aired, a study was done and it showed that children recognized the Budweiser frogs as much as they recognized other icons, like Ronald McDonald. As such, a lot of speculation circulated that the frogs were placed in the ad by Anheuser-Busch to specifically target kids. They denied this allegation outright, but the frogs were retired in 1998.
Budweiser – “Frogs”
Pepsi — “Britney Spears”
The age old recipe for success, hire a mega famous pop star who is obviously wearing a Pepsi-brand outfit and give her a song to dance to. This commercial was almost like a music video instead of a commercial but hey, it worked. It shepherd in a brand new era of matching musical talent together with mass-market products.
Pepsi Britney Spears
Reebok – “Office Linebacker With Terry Tate”
There’s always that one person in the office you just can’t stand. You know the one that you’d like to body-check but because you don’t want to get fired or arrested for assault you just leave it alone. Well that’s exactly what the 2003 Reebok commercial showed, the huge linebacker Terry Tate bringing order to the office while at his new job at Felcher and Sons. This was a nod to the classic film Office Space, and we’re so thankful that the commercial brought out a few fantasies of what would happen if tackling was the office protocol.
Reebok – “Office Linebacker With Terry Tate”
Noxzema — “Farrah Fawcett and Joe Namath”
With a line like “Let Noxema cream your face,” it sticks with yah. The 1973 commercial for Noxema shaving cream featured the legendary Jets quarterback Joe Namath and future Charlie’s Angels Farrah Fawcett. However, cast the innuendo aside, because this ad combined two pop culture icons with a flirtatious edge for the first time. However nowadays, seeing celeb endorsements for brands is extremely common.
Noxzema — Farrah Fawcett And Joe Namath
E Trade – “Monkey”
The E Trade “Monkey” commercial is certainly the weirdest one to end up on this list. It quite literally shows a monkey walking into a garage where two men sitting on either side of an upside-down pail. The monkey, who as you can see is wearing an E-Trade shirt, jumps up on the pail and starts dancing to the song, “La Coucaracha.” The screen then fades to black, and the following words appear: “Well, we just wasted 2 million bucks. What are you doing with your money?”
Experts have repeatedly said that the success of this commercial was the fact that it was simply stupid. I mean, it was a monkey, dancing on a pail, listening to “La Coucuracha.” Need we say more?
E Trade – “Monkey”
Always – “Like a Girl”
Now this, this was a powerful commercial that took it to the next level. Always brought in some teenagers and asked them to do a few, simple tasks, such as running, throwing, or fighting. But they added a twist – they said, do it “like a girl.” Every single teen starts off the task in a completely over exaggerated manner, they look ridiculous. Always then brings in girls who are under ten years old and asks them to do the exact same tasks. Each girl does the task in a whole other manner, they do it with no reservations. This begs the question, when did something “like a girl” became a sassy insult?
Always – “Like A Girl”
Nike – “Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny”
Before the 1996’s Space Jam, first there was this 1993 Super Bowl ad featuring the first buddying up of “Air Jordan” and “Hare Jordan.” This commercial was groundbreaking because it combined real-world footage with cartoon images. Plus it had two of America’s most loved icons, even if one was fictional.
Nike Michael Jordan And Bugs Bunny
Budweiser – “Respect”
There’s no denying that Budweiser’s Clydesdales are regulars during the Super Bowl. But their “Respect” commercial stands apart. The ad had absolutely no narration, no celebrities, no humor, instead it had heart, appreciation and loyalty. “Respect” paid tribute to the victims of the September 11 terror attacks. It featured footage that was taken by the first film crew allowed to operate in the airspace since the attacks.
Budweiser – Respect
Pepsi – “Cindy Crawford”
Who could forget the classic Cindy Crawford Pepsi commercial? Not many as it is still one of the most viewed commercials on YouTube. Recently, in honor of its 25th anniversary, Cindy Crawford and the hilarious James Corden recreated the commercial in a spoof, of course! Both of them wore the epic short shorts and white tanks, although only one of them actually pulled off the look.
Pepsi – “Cindy Crawford”
Wix.com – “It’s That Easy”
Wix were just first-time advertisers back in 2015 and they knocked it out of the park their first time out. They rounded up five former football greats who were on a mission to find their very own small businesses with the help of a brand new website of course. This Super Bowl commercial was filled with humor, creativity and class, plus some of our favorite NFL players certainly helped.
Wix.com – “It’s That Easy”
Monster.com – “When I Grow Up”
Monster’s “When I Grow up” commercial put them on the map as a household name. Fans and critics alike fell in love with their messaging instantly. Watching and listening to kids talk about what they want to be when they grow up just tugs at the ol’ heartstrings.
Monster.com – “When I Grow Up”
Chrysler — “Imported From Detroit”
When you have the talented rapper Eminem and his Oscar-winning hit “Lose Yourself” then golly, you’ve got yourself a pretty important commercial. But Chrysler didn’t just stop there. They brought attitude, emotion and pride back to the table as they took viewers on a journey around the fine Motor City. And most importantly, the tagline “Imported from Detroit” made viewers proud to be American and had everyone pumping their fists in the air, pledging to only buy American made work.
Chrysler — “Imported From Detroit”
Go Daddy – “Perfect Match”
There are times when you see something really fascinating, yet terrible, all at the same time but you just can’t look away. It’s horrible. Well this is pretty much the only way to describe the Go Daddy 2013 Super Bowl commercial. We had the stunning supermodel Bar Rafaeli and actor Jesse Heiman show the two sides of Go Daddy – the sexy and the smart. You really need to watch it to understand the full effects.
Go Daddy – “Perfect Match”
McDonald’s – “The Showdown”
When you bring together two of the most talented and loved basketball players of all time to duke it out over a McDonald’s lunch then yeah, we’d say you’ve got yourselves a legendary Super Bowl commercial.
McDonald’s – “The Showdown”
Pepsi – “Your Cheatin’ Heart”
Ah, yes, the ultimate betrayal! This Coca-Cola delivery man believes no one is watching when he opts to grab a Pepsi out of the fridge. Immediately after this shocking turn of events, the shelves all break and cans and bottles of Pepsi fall out onto the ground, all you can hear in the background is the song “Your Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams. #legendary
Pepsi – “Your Cheatin’ Heart”
Snickers – “Betty White”
There is no doubt about it, Betty White is an extraordinary actress that we all love dearly. Her humor, strength and kindness is what draws us all in so when she was a part of the Snickers “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” campaign, we all fell in love so much more. People all over America laughed their tushes off when Betty White complained to some guy in his 20’s, “Come on man, you’ve been riding me all day.” #epic
Snickers – “Betty White”
Volkswagen – “The Force”
This adorable commercial first aired in 2011, it took us on a journey of a young boy in a Darth Vader costume attempting to use “The Force.” And boy was it a hit, in fact it is still the most shared Super Bowl commercial of all time. What makes it so special is that it was a 60-second commercial, which is unusual for a Super Bowl spot. Most are only 30-seconds.
It was also the first to be released early, which is common practice today. By the time this commercial actually aired on TV, it had been viewed about 2 million times on YouTube. Time magazine even called this commercial “The ad that changed Super Bowl commercials forever.”
Volkswagen – “The Force”
Wendy’s – “Where’s The Beef”
This iconic Wendy’s commercial introduced us all to the phrase “Where’s the beef?” and many of us incorporate the phrase into our everyday vocabulary. Even today, you can catch people using it when complaining about receiving a tiny portion or just a plain ol’ bad meal. 20 years ago this commercial was hilarious and it still is today because after all, there’s really nothing quite like watching little old ladies talk about beef and buns.
Wendy’s – “Where’s The Beef”
Old Spice – “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
To this day, this Old Spice commercial still has all the trimmings of a national treasure. Did it have a dreamy actor? Yes. How about top notch writing? You bet. What about awesome film effects? Yes. And lastly, was it funny? Definitely!
Old Spice – “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
