Which Old Super Bowl Ads Do You Love the Most?
Did you guys know that the Super Bowl is this Sunday? Like, the Super Bowl. The football one. But while you might end up spending five hours pretending to know the difference between running into the kicker and roughing the kicker (trick question: not even the officials know the difference), around here, you don't have to fake it. We know that for millions of people, the Super Bowl Sunday experience is all about one thing: the ads.
I'm sure you're all looking forward to seeing which washed-up TV actor pops up in a totally #meta commercial for a product you'll never buy (I refuse to acknowledge that they're already all online, that's basically un-American), but in the meantime, why don't we take a stroll down the Madison Avenue of yore? Simply put, which old Super Bowl ads do you love the most? I've listed a few of my favorites below, but as always, we want to hear what you folks have to say. Share your own picks in the comments!
"1984" — Apple (1984)
Hard not to include this one, right? Apple's iconic, Ridley Scott-directed spot for the Macintosh computer is dark and weird in ways that contemporary Super Bowl spots (and commercials in general) are not, complete with the descending police force and phrases like "pure ideology." Still though, pretty cool.
"Just One Look" — Pepsi (1992)
The early 1990s were a great time to be alive.
"The Showdown" — McDonald's (1993)
There's only one thing I love more than television, and that's McDonald's chicken nuggets basketball. This legendary ad features two of the greatest dudes to ever play it, engaging in a famous game of trick-shot hoops. As a born-and-bred Indiana resident, I tend to believe that Larry Bird ultimately defeated Michael Jordan and then didn't even eat the Big Mac and fries because it was really just a matter of pride, but that's just one humble man's interpretation.
"Attitude" — WWF (1999)
You guys, pro wrestling is cool—don't let anyone tell you otherwise. This commercial aired near the height of the then-WWF's (now WWE) mainstream popularity, a time when Monday Night Raw pulled in massive ratings on cable and the company was selling out arenas every night all over the world. Nonetheless, the wrestling federation's decision to fork over the big money for an ad that poked fun at the art form's reputation was a big, symbolic flexing of muscles by chairman Vince McMahon. Also: People got hit with folding chairs.
"Terry Tate, Office Linebacker" — Reebok (1999)
This commercial is somehow 16 years old—and has often been imitated—but it's still immensely funny. The juxtaposition between the doldrums of the office and Terry Tate's high-impact "solutions" just works, and the violence is surprisingly... violent. Shout-out to the guy playing Felcher & Sons CEO Ron Felcher; it's a criminally underrated performance in the Super Bowl halftime commercial category.
"Clydesdales Brotherhood" — Budweiser (2013)
Budweiser's branding of the clydesdales is one of most effective marketing moves of all time, and Super Bowl commercials are a big part of that. I've liked a number of the company's Super Bowl ads over the last decade or so, but I'm particularly fond of this one even though I'm generally terrified of horses and parades. It's probably the use of "Landslide." Praise Stevie Nicks y'all.
I could go on and on with my favorites, but it's time to hear from you. What Super Bowl commercials have stuck with you the most over the years?
