Super Bowl Commercials That Stole The Spotlight And The Ones That Missed The Mark
According to NPR, ads that played during the Super Bowl cost up to $7 million per 30 seconds. And while that's certainly a staggering price to pay, it's no surprise that some brands would consider that cost worth it, as they can typically expect over 100 million viewers to tune in to the massive football championship.
However, some companies are better at making the most of that opportunity than others. For every commercial that truly gets its money's worth, there's usually at least one brand that probably fired its ad agency after the game was over. And it can help a lot to contrast the two.
BEST: Nike Air, 1993
Those who were blindsided when Space Jam came out in 1996 obviously weren't watching the Super Bowl a few years earlier. That's because the super-successful blockbuster that combined the legend of Michael Jordan with the zany charm of the Looney Tunes had its proof of concept debut at the 1993 Super Bowl.
Although Bugs and Jordan face off against a team of rival players rather than the Monstars, it was clear that America was raring to see them team up once this ad put the idea in everyone's heads. The beginning of a beautiful friendship, indeed.
WORST: GoDaddy, 2013
Although website hosting platform GoDaddy made its rise in the late 2000s possible through ads that trade on racy humor, it seems that not even this tried-and-true titillation tactic worked every time. And that was particularly evident in one infamous Super Bowl ad that was neither funny nor enticing.
In it, model Bar Refaeli shares a long, sloppy kiss with character actor Jesse Heiman, which Danica Patrick tells the viewer is supposed to represent the union between GoDaddy's flashy and smart sides. In reality, it just made viewers uncomfortable, especially as the sounds of their lips smacking came in crystal clear.
BEST: Coca-Cola, 1980
Although this classic ad technically debuted in 1979, its most notable airing was during the following year's Super Bowl. In it, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene shuffles off the field after an injury, where a young boy nervously reassures him he's the best ever.
He then offers Greene his Coke, which Greene reluctantly takes. The child starts to walk off dejectedly before Greene says, "Hey kid, catch" and toss him his jersey. Although the ad is well known enough to have been spoofed many times over, there's something timeless about its wholesome magic.
WORST: SalesGenie, 2008
Aside from its surprising resemblance to a cheap Flash cartoon from the mid-2000s, this infamous SalesGenie ad sparked widespread backlash during its Super Bowl slot for its use of exaggerated Asian accents. Curiously, the panda that's supposed to be the Sales Genie goes without this fake accent.
According to Wired, the ad's creator — Vinod Gupta — eventually pulled it from the air in the wake of the backlash but remained confused as to why it was deemed so offensive. As he said, "We never thought anyone would be offended...The pandas are Chinese. They don't speak German."
BEST: Apple, 1984
During Super Bowl XVIII, Apple Computers ran a high-concept ad that was directed by Ridley Scott and referenced George Orwell's 1984. In it, Big Brother broadcasts propaganda to a theater full of men in gray jumpsuits before an athletic young woman runs in with riot police chasing her and hurls a sledgehammer at the screen, destroying it.
The point of the ad suggests that Apple's then-new MacIntosh line of computers would prevent the year 1984 from resembling the dystopian novel. Although this ad has been parodied over the years as well, it was striking and well-executed enough to remain a classic decades later.
WORST: Mountain Dew, 2016
On Super Bowl Sunday in 2016, viewers were introduced to Mountain Dew's Kickstart drink and with it, the creature known as Puppymonkeybaby. This abomination was supposed to illustrate the combination of "three awesome things," much as Kickstart combined Mountain Dew, juice, and caffeine.
Although Puppymonkeybaby has its fans, most people who remember this ad tend to be relieved that it wasn't a fever dream. Whether it's due to its unnatural movements, the fact that it can only say its own name like a Pokémon, or the forced meme inherent in its creation, Puppymonkeybaby is more annoying and unsettling than anything.
BEST: Volkswagen, 2011
The concept for Volkswagen's 2011 Super Bowl ad promoting that year's Passat model is undeniably cute. A little boy dressed as Darth Vader tries to harness the powers of the Force on everything in the house, including his unimpressed dog. But finally, his dad lets him think he's done it by secretly turning on the car with his key fob.
However, this ad isn't just cute; it is oddly revolutionary in how Super Bowl ads worked from then on. According to Time, this was the best ad the car manufacturer had that year, but its minute length made it too expensive to air during the Super Bowl. That is until ad agency Deutsch and Volkswagen's marketing department made the risky decision to broadcast it on YouTube first. But as Deutsch CEO Mike Sheldon put it, "It paid for itself before it ever ran."
WORST: Groupon, 2011
In 2011, online coupon startup Groupon ran a series of ads called "Save The Money," where celebrities appeared to be genuinely championing important causes only to segue into a sales pitch for the company. While the ads doing this bait-and-switch with the rainforests and the whales didn't drum up much controversy, the same could not be said for the Tibet-themed ad featuring actor Timothy Hutton.
This starts off with Hutton warning that Tibetan culture is in jeopardy, only to drop the punchline that Groupon helped 200 people save on Tibetan fish curry at a Chicago restaurant. Although controversy can work with advertisements at times, this one alienated customers from the brand due to what was considered a crass trivialization of a legitimate human rights issue.
BEST: Budweiser, 2002
In 2002, America was reeling after the devastation of 9/11, and in that year's Super Bowl, Budweiser threaded a difficult needle. The tragedy was inescapable in viewers' minds, but any reference to it obviously needed to be handled delicately. The answer was to incorporate the brand's famous Clydesdale horses.
In the ad, they pull a cart past bewildered urban onlookers before coming to rest in a park overlooking the New York City skyline. Faced with this sight, the horses bow in respect, honoring those who had fallen just months prior. Budweiser only aired the ad once but remade it for both the 10th and 20th anniversaries of 9/11.
WORST: Nationwide, 2015
Viewers of Super Bowl XLIX were treated to an ad from insurance provider Nationwide that featured a frustrated young boy lamenting that he'll never get to do the things he wanted. But as the ad progressed, viewers learned that this wasn't mere pessimism but rather a revelation that the child had died in a household accident.
According to Bleacher Report, the ad prompted such backlash that Nationwide did not submit a commercial to Super Bowl 50, and the company's Chief Marketing Officer Matt Jauchius resigned months after it aired. The problem wasn't the ad's production or even necessarily its intentions, but the time and place in which it aired. After all, it brought the mood down for viewers who were otherwise enjoying the big game.
BEST: Old Spice, 2010
Although the famously off-beat and seductive Old Spice "Man Your Man Can Smell Like" commercials lasted years for being amusing and unpredictably written, they didn't come from nowhere. After the deodorant maker received an overwhelmingly positive response to this ad's appearance, Super Bowl XLIV actor Isaiah Mustafa essentially became a household name from similar ads.
Although prolonged exposure to the concept had a way of wearing out the concept's welcome, that took years to happen as Mustafa, Terry Crews, and LL Cool J all brought their worldly charisma to the cleverly-written ads. That's not bad for some lighthearted wish fulfillment.
WORST: FTX, 2022
According to Gizmodo, Super Bowl LVI was nicknamed the "Crypto Bowl" due to the high concentration of cryptocurrency firms buying out ad slots that year. However, the most infamous of that year's ads came from former trading platform FTX, which ran a lengthy commercial featuring Larry David's snarky dismissals of various significant inventions throughout history.
But while the company smugly advised viewers not to be like Larry after he showed similar skepticism for FTX, the ad aged incredibly poorly very quickly. Not only did the world of cryptocurrency see a major downturn in the year that followed, but FTX has since been revealed as a fraudulent operation that saw its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, convicted on multiple fraud and money-laundering charges. It seems fictionalized Larry David was right.
BEST: EDS, 2000
Considering that the internet had only been commonly available for about a decade by 2000, it wasn't always easy for technological service companies like EDS to explain what they did. But this Super Bowl ad found a clever method that involved taking the phrase "it's like herding cats" and presenting it literally.
The overall image of grizzled cowboys wrangling adorable cats is humorous enough, but details like some of the men stoically using lint rollers or winding balls of yarn made the ad especially charming. Although EDS would be bought out by Hewlett-Packard before the decade was out, they clearly started it off right.
WORST: Lifeminders.com, 2000
According to SFGate, about 20% of the commercials at Super Bowl XXXIV were paid for by internet companies that rose to prominence during the Dot-Com Bubble of the late '90s. And personalized email firm Lifeminders.com set out to make the worst Super Bowl commercial ever when they secured their slot. And indeed, the results were a valiant attempt at that goal.
Featuring plain black text on a yellow background explaining the company's purpose and the size of its user base, the ad was set to someone's shoddy rendition of "Chopsticks" on a piano. Although Lifeminders.com's stock dropped by 38% during the following year, it's more likely that this was due to the Dot Com Bubble bursting than this ad's reception. Still, that result makes the "worst commercial" seem like a Pyrrhic victory.
BEST: Reebok, 2003
Although the concept was a little older, the first time the public was made aware of the hilarious "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker" ad series was Super Bowl XXXVII. There, the now-famous Reebok commercial featured the fictional linebacker tackling coworkers for then-common office faux-pas like making long-distance calls or playing Solitaire during work hours.
Of course, the best moment features him berating someone after one of these tackles, only to cheerily greet a coworker named Janice after she walks into the frame. Although many Super Bowl ads don't actually have much to do with football, this clever commercial was a great way to incorporate the game creatively.
WORST: General Motors, 2007
During Super Bowl XLI, a General Motors ad depicted an assembly line robot being fired and trying to take a few less prestigious jobs (such as being a drive-through speaker) before jumping from a bridge. In the last few moments, this was revealed to be just a robot's nightmare, which the ad copy described as borne from GM's obsession with quality.
Despite the fake-out at the end, CNN Money reported that the damage had been done, and the ad was deemed to be in poor taste, particularly by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This backlash prompted the company to edit out the bridge portion of the ad.
BEST: Chrysler, 2012
Judging by the ad copy recited by Clint Eastwood in this hopeful Super Bowl commercial, it was intended to be shown at halftime. This positioning led Eastwood to compare the tense strategics held in both teams' locker rooms to that happening in the United States at large since the country was still in the wake of the 2008 world economic crisis.
As Eastwood, this meant it was halftime in America as well, and people were similarly wondering what they would do after losing their jobs and growing increasingly desperate. However, Eastwood presented the city of Detroit and its automakers like Chrysler as examples of institutions that retained their fighting spirit even when all seemed lost. It was a deeply motivational ad that resonated with people during some of their hardest struggles.
WORST: Holiday Inn, 1997
For those unfamiliar with this long-reviled Super Bowl ad, it features a woman strutting through a conference hall as a narrator lists off the thousands of dollars she spent on cosmetic surgeries to look the way she does. But when she meets an old classmate, he recognizes that she used to identify as "Bob Johnson." Although the Holiday Inn was trying to imply that its new renovations made it as unrecognizable as her, the metaphor didn't play well with viewers for multiple reasons.
While Forbes reported that the hotel chain's middle-American viewers were repulsed by the ad, the LGBTQ+ community wasn't any more impressed by this depiction. To add insult to injury, the ads touted renovation that wouldn't take place for another six months. It was a disaster on all fronts.
BEST: Squarespace, 2023
In this bizarre commercial, Adam Driver ponders Squarespace as a website capable of making websites, as it provides easy-to-use templates for those seeking their own sites. But since this is presented as the company's tech generating websites on its own, Driver's pondering causes him to generate more copies of himself.
As his clones attest, Squarespace brings about the singularity, which then sucks all of his clones into an otherworldly vortex. The trippy ad doesn't necessarily make the service any easier to understand, but its use of creative visuals and Driver's mysterious performance makes it an oddly compelling watch.
WORST: Sony, 2011
This strange ad features a man pushing through the streets of a densely-populated Asian city before he reaches a grey market clinic. Inside is the Android logo, which is revealed to have human thumbs at the end of its non-descript hands.
For those wondering why they're looking at this, the ad was supposed to promote Sony's new Android phone that allowed for gaming. But while that makes the metaphor of the Android having thumbs easier to understand, that didn't make the actual results any less creepy to look at.
BEST: Budweiser, 1995
Sometimes, it's the simplest ads that turn out to be the most effective. That certainly seemed to be the case for Budweiser's famous Super Bowl ad from 1995, which saw three frogs slowly croak on neighboring lily pads. Eventually, their croaks sync up to sound out "Budweiser."
As the camera zooms out near the end, it turns out they're reading a sign on a nearby tavern promoting the company. It may not sound like much from this description, but the pacing and restraint of the commercial have made it memorable even after decades have passed.
WORST: Dirt Devil, 1997
In a way, the level of editing prowess it took to make the technology of 1997 capable of putting Fred Astaire in a Dirt Devil commercial ten years after his passing was incredible. However, the problem with this Super Bowl commercial isn't that it looked unrealistic, but the ugly trend it started.
At the time, the idea of editing deceased celebrities into unrelated commercials was a new phenomenon. But that doesn't mean that people were any more comfortable with the idea back then than they are now. Whether it felt crass or just creepy, there was something ethically questionable about putting people in ads after they can no longer decline to have their likeness used that way.
BEST: FedEx, 2003
Although the 2000 Tom Hanks movie Cast Away is a little hazy in people's memories nowadays, that wasn't the case when this ad aired during Super Bowl XXXVII. Although Hanks's character comes to a crushing realization when he knocks on a similar door by the end of the movie, this ad is similarly effective at making the viewer feel for one seriously dedicated FedEx employee.
He delivers this woman's package after being stranded on a desert island, only to learn that it contains a satellite phone, a GPS system, a water purifier, a fishing rod, and some seeds. By combining a widely-understood cultural reference with the right blend of humor and pathos, this ad definitely stood out back in 2003.
WORST: Miller, 1998
During Super Bowl XXXII, a commercial promoting Miller Lite came on that featured a man dressed as the "evil beaver." After a group of settlers chop down some trees for shelter and firewood, the titular beaver takes exception to this and rides a motorcycle over to them to gnaw the house apart and even ruin one man's wooden leg.
This is scored by a rock song in which a singer screeches "evil beaver" over and over, which likely added to the ad's derision. While some are nostalgic for the commercial and lament barely seeing it at the time, their predicament is predicated on the majority opinion of the time. Although the beaver was intended to be a cool, lovable rascal, he came across as more of an obnoxious menace, and the music didn't help.
BEST: E*Trade, 2008
Although commercials that add adult voices to babies (especially CGI babies) can be pretty hit-or-miss, this one seemed to stick its landing with how it handles the concept. Instead of annoyingly precocious, the little tyke's casual and sleepy drawl comes across as casual and friendly.
And while most people rightly wouldn't take financial advice from a baby, the amusing images of similar babies showing off their luxuries work better than it seems like it would on paper. That's partially due to the skill of the video editors, but it also comes down to clever copy-writing.
WORST: E*Trade, 2000
Although E*Trade was able to make a positive impression with its baby commercial in 2008, that was less true when the then-fledgling company made this wacky ad in 2000. After this ape dances for a while while the two men next to it clap, some text finally explains what the point of the ad is. It says, "Well, we just wasted $2 million. What are you doing with your money?"
Although intentionally bad Super Bowl commercials seemed to be the trend among dot-com companies at the turn of the millennium, that doesn't mean the strategy proved effective. SFGate noted that E*Trade performed the best out of them that year, but this was partially attributed to a different commercial that saw someone rushed to the hospital because money was coming out of an unpleasant place. That fared better than this comparatively awkward, pointless waste of time and money that suggested more fiscal irresponsibility than a company like E*Trade should want to associate itself with.
BEST: Snickers, 2010
During Super Bowl XLIV, a clever ad aired that would continue entertaining viewers for years to come. Although each one featured a different celebrity, the first saw Betty White tackled in a football game. But the twist was that her appearance was a metaphor for the doldrums a young man was experiencing due to hunger, caused by Snickers.
The idea to use celebrities in clever ways to connote either anger or a loss of energy spawned an entire series of similarly funny ads, but viewers wouldn't have seen these treasures before the more obnoxious commercials out there were it not for this one. It goes to show how much an ad's performance at the Super Bowl can matter.
WORST: Squarespace, 2021
The brightly-colored Super Bowl ad featured a musical number that reworked Dolly Parton's classic working-class anthem "9 To 5" to "9 To 5," which was supposed to be an ode to side hustles. Given that Squarespace makes creating one's own website easy, the idea is that it, in turn, makes that side business easier.
However, the tone and concept ended up rubbing viewers the wrong way. That's because side hustles are often gigs that people who are already working full-time take out of necessity, so putting such a smiling face on the concept came across as practically dystopian. It also wasn't lost on viewers how much this new version of the song undermined the struggling spirit of the beloved original.
BEST: Google, 2010
Although many of the Super Bowl's best ads have been flashy, funny, and laden with celebrities, this effective ad from Google does away with all of those qualities. Instead, the company simply turned text typed into its search bar into a heartwarming love story.
And it worked because of the progression of what the unseen protagonist is searching for. Without a word being spoken, the viewer can track this person's long-distance relationship with a woman in France and cheer once that distance unexpectedly shrinks.
WORST: SoBe, 2008
Although its popularity waned in the decades since, SoBe was an incredibly trendy beverage during the 2000s that was known for featuring a stylistic lizard logo. And that's why this 2008 Super Bowl ad entitled "Thrillicious" featured a group of lizards dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" after one of them tasted the drink.
Although the ad featured the likely expensive inclusion of model Naomi Campbell, it was hard for viewers not to regard this ad as a cheap knock-off. That's because Geico had already cornered the market on ads featuring an anthropomorphic lizard with attitude, which made SoBe seem late to the party despite their choice of logo.
BEST: PopCorners, 2023
Although there are right and wrong ways to reference a popular TV show in a Super Bowl ad, the commitment shown to the character dynamics in this Breaking Bad-themed commercial for PopCorners makes it work. Getting Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Raymond Cruz to appear obviously helped a great deal in that department as well.
Rather than what they make in the show, the ad implied that Walter White used his extensive knowledge of chemistry to invent a new snack. Jesse's exuberance and Walter's calculated condescension feel just as natural as they did when the show was on the air, as does Tuco's volatility.
WORST: Apple, 1985
Hot off the positive reception of their 1984 ad, Apple decided to double down with another high-concept video that showed Apple's MacIntosh Office suite as an iconoclastic choice in a world of mindless drones. Only this time, the blindfolded office workers in this "Lemmings" ad are being led over a precarious cliff while whistling the work song from Snow White.
Although this ad aimed for the same revolutionary sentiment as the previous year's Super Bowl commercial, it seemed less striking and exciting this time around. Rather than letting the symbolism of wordlessly tossing a hammer at oppression do its work, this ad's clear attempt to make the tech version of a choice between Coca-Cola and Pepsi seem like a matter of life and death came off as overdramatic and pretentious.
BEST: Taco Bell, 2013
Taco Bell's 2013 Super Bowl ad was all about celebrating youth, but it was clear that this has more to do with feeling young than one's actual age. And it found a funny, slightly transgressive, and honestly kind of affirming way to express that concept.
After a man in a retirement home sneaks away at night to join his friends in a waiting car, the group hits the town and gets into mischief by pranking a neighborhood and using a stranger's pool to skinny dip. Then they go clubbing, get tattooed and finish the festivities off with a late night trip to Taco Bell while a Spanish version of fun.'s "We Are Young" plays in the background.
WORST: Just For Feet, 1999
The now-defunct shoe retailer's infamous Super Bowl ad features some bizarre tactical group chasing down a Kenyan runner, rendering him unconscious with spiked water, and slipping a pair of shoes on him while he's unconscious. When he awakens, he's horrified and tries to take them off.
That's already probably not the reaction a retailer wants to associate with its products, but the optics of an all-White group chasing down a Black man proved horrifying for viewers, who believed the ad carried ugly colonialist implications. According to Ad Age, the ad proved so disastrous that Just For Feet sued Saatchi & Saatchi, the agency responsible for it.
BEST: Tide, 2018
During Super Bowl LII, Tide got more ambitious than most brands and spent who knows how much money for multiple ads to play throughout the big game. They copied the conventions of car commercials, perfume commercials, bed commercials, and auto insurance commercials, but all of them had Stranger Things star David Harbour come in to bring the viewer back to reality.
And that reality was that each of these disparate commercials was a Tide ad, which is exactly what Harbour would say whenever he came in. And what made these wildly different commercials Tide ads? It's simple. Everyone in them was wearing immaculately clean clothes. Pretty clever, huh?
WORST: Outpost.com, 1999
In 1999, Outpost.com was a significant online computer and software retailer and come that year's Super Bowl, they wanted everybody to know it. However, their method of doing so likely didn't have the impact they were hoping for. That's because the ad's big idea was to shoot gerbils out of a cannon until one made it through the second "O" in Outpost.
Looking at it now, it's pretty clear they weren't genuinely shooting small animals out of the cannon. After all, one looked far too healthy after being launched at a concrete wall at full speed. But while the idea was intended to get people talking about the company whether people liked the ad or not, it didn't seem to stop Outpost.com from going defunct two years later.
BEST: Bubly, 2019
If one were to hear a vague description of this ad in which Michael Bublé argues with store employees over the pronunciation of the sparking water brand Bubly, it would be hard not to think that it would wear out its welcome quickly. Fortunately, 30 seconds is just long enough for the bit to stay endearing without getting old.
Part of this comes from the way Bublé pronounces an employee's name (Dave) as "Dah vay" to make a point, but an underrated aspect of the ad is the restraint in the actors playing the employees' performances. Both seem like they're barely tolerating a famous person during a petty squabble, and it's a hard emotion to nail.
WORST: Taco Bell, 2022
Some brands that bring a successful ad to the Super Bowl have a habit of trying to stretch past glories further, and Taco Bell's "The Grande Escape" commercial fits that bill a little too well. It follows many of the same beats as their celebration of feeling young from 2013 but without the clever sight gags or relatability.
Instead, Doja Cat is apparently enrolled in a clown college that serves boring lunches, but she and her friends are inspired to take a joyride after they see a Taco Bell hot sauce packet. As Hole's "Make Me Over" plays while they're cruising down the street, they transform from their clown outfits to their stylish street clothes and pull into Taco Bell. Needless to say, it's hard to know what anyone is supposed to do with this ad besides ignore it.
BEST: Amazon, 2018
The concept of Amazon's big Super Bowl ad from 2020 is simple, but it proved fertile ground for some humorous situations. Amazon's Alexa assistant has somehow grown ill and lost her voice (from a computer virus, perhaps?), and the company has to substitute some celebrities to help their customers.
And the results range from Gordon Ramsay berating a man for not knowing how to make a grilled cheese sandwich at 32 to Anthony Hopkins making one woman incredibly worried about the fate of her friend. But Cardi B steals the show here, both by roasting someone for wanting to know how far Mars is and for her petty defiance of a man who wants to listen to Country music.
WORST: Planters, 2020
Every now and then, some companies will release a commercial that seems like a game-changing move to them but fails to recognize that most people don't care nearly as much about them as they do about themselves. And that was exactly the response that prevailed when Planters killed off Mr. Peanut.
That happened prior to the Super Bowl, so the company could generate interest for the ad that would play at the big game. In it, the Kool-Aid Man and Mr. Clean attend Mr. Peanut's funeral, only to learn that his watered grave springs forth a plant that grows into a Baby Groot-like peanut baby. For whatever reason, he makes dolphin noises before assuring everyone that he's back. Just an all-around eye-rolling affair.
