In a few, short weeks, one of the most-anticipated sporting events will kick off and I’m not talking about the Super Bowl. Well, I am, sort of.
I’m talking about the Super Bowl ads, those sometimes strange, oftentimes funny, weirdly high-tech, always memorable, or just plain entertaining commercials that are usually more discussed the day after the big game than the game itself. At an estimated cost this year of $5.5 million-plus per 30-second commercial, advertisers lay a lot on the line to reach millions of potential customers and entice them to buy their product.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the cost to run one 30-second commercial during the first Super Bowl in 1966 was a mere $37,500. My, how times have changed.
When I was a high school English teacher, I used school-appropriate Super Bowl ads to teach my students about the literary terms of mood and tone. I’d ask them questions like “What mood does this ad evoke in you?” and “What’s the tone of this ad?” It really generated some lively discussions among my students, but let’s face it, showing Super Bowl commercials in class was always a lot of fun for me, too.
In no particular order, here are the Super Bowl commercials considered all-time favorites, according to the article “The best Super Bowl commercials of all time” posted Jan. 25, 2021, on www.digitaltrends.com (Please note that I’m not endorsing any of these products; I’m simply offering them up for discussion.)
- “The Showdown” [McDonald’s] (1993) “Basketball legends Larry Bird and Michael Jordan face-off for a Big Mac in this classic Super Bowl commercial,” according to authors Michael Bizzaco, Christine Persaud and Nick Woodard. “Underscored by early ‘90s R&B, the two titans start making a series of increasingly wild bets with each other, including “no dunking,” “off the glass,” and “one knee.” In a match where the loser watches the winner chow down on a full McDonald’s lunch, the burger kingpin delivered an iconic commercial that has more than stood the test of time.”
- “It’s a Tide Ad” [Tide] (2018) The authors had this to say: “Starring Stranger Things’ David Harbour, Tide rolled out a hilarious series of commercials in 2018 that poked fun at not just its competition on Super Bowl Sunday but at the concept of these larger-than-life ads altogether. It was a clever, well-executed campaign highlighted by spectacular moments from Harbour, like when he shared a horse with the Old Spice guy or took the place of Mr. Clean and showed off a few dance moves.”
- “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” [Coca-Cola] (1971) “Not just one of the most iconic Super Bowl commercials of all time, this musical pitch for Coca-Cola is also widely regarded as the best ad ever made,” the authors stated. “The commercial epitomized the spirit of the early ‘70s by gathering an international cast of students and young adults from around Rome to join in a song about peace, love, and, of course, buying the world a Coke. The ad was so popular when it aired that the tune was later re-recorded by The New Seekers and The Hillside Singers and released as a full-length song that became a hit record in both the U.S. and the U.K.”
- “1984” [Apple] (1984) “Faced with stiff competition from IBM, Apple hired famed movie director Ridley Scott for this controversial but iconic ad that suggested viewers break the mold and opt for the upcoming Macintosh computer instead of those bland boxes,” the authors wrote. “The powerful message: Avoid creating a society that can be likened to George Orwell’s terrifying one from the novel 1984. While Apple almost pulled the ad for fear of its reception, we’re glad they didn’t. It demonstrated what Steve Jobs was capable of, as well as his unwavering confidence in taking the company on its own path toward success.”
- “The Force” [Volkswagen] (2011) According to the authors “. . .In the ad, a young boy in a Darth Vader costume walks around his house, trying desperately to use ‘The Force’ to move anything in his home. Clearly disappointed, he runs outside when his father arrives home to try one last time. He outstretches his hands toward the car, and well, his reaction to what happens next is priceless. It’s no surprise this ad has become the most-shared Super Bowl video of all time.”
How many on this list have you seen? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments.