A definitive ranking of the 11 best Super Bowl ads ever made
Frogs selling beer, cats selling IT solutions and old ladies complaining about beef shortages. All human life is captured at half-time of the NFL’s showpiece game.
SOME OF US hate ads – or commercials as they say in the Schtates – but US television has made institution out of the the great, good and just plain weird ads that get positioned during the Super Bowl; the most prime of prime times.
Here’s our favourite 11 from the great history of annoying breaks between the action.
11. Wassssupp!
The true test of any Super Bowl ad is how well it managed to infest its way into public consciousness. If you’re of a similar vintage to most of us in Th42, then you will remember the infestation reaching this side of the Atlantic too in 2000.
Obviously it could be higher, but it loses points because Thierry Henry did it (good goal though).
In 1979, one ad exec had a dream: a dream of a little boy, who dreamed of meeting his sporting hero.
That reluctant hero was Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene. And even his heart can do nothing but melt in this Inception-style muddle.
Everyone and their mammies love ‘Lose yourself’ from the 8 Mile soundtrack, so Chrysler paid Eminem to not only use it in their 2011 commercial, but to have him endorse Detroit’s finest export too.
Everything sounds sadder when it’s said by some kids in black and white footage. So when job site monster.com unleashed this on the world in 1999, it really made us rethink that CAO form (a few years later).
If you thought Wasssup! was annoying after the first six months in 2000, spare a thought for the previous generation of Americans who – as we understand it from watching the Simpsons – had people loudly asking about the whereabouts of beef non-stop in 1984.
Why? Because of one narky old lady in in this Wendy’s ad.
Reebok‘s masterpiece didn’t quite translate for a general audience in Europe, but for fans of American football, 2003 (and any opportunity since) was all about the no-nonsense, hard-hitting, fish-out-of-water disciplinarian: number 55, ‘Terrible’ Terry Tate.
A definitive ranking of the 11 best Super Bowl ads ever made
SOME OF US hate ads – or commercials as they say in the Schtates – but US television has made institution out of the the great, good and just plain weird ads that get positioned during the Super Bowl; the most prime of prime times.
Here’s our favourite 11 from the great history of annoying breaks between the action.
11. Wassssupp!
The true test of any Super Bowl ad is how well it managed to infest its way into public consciousness. If you’re of a similar vintage to most of us in Th42, then you will remember the infestation reaching this side of the Atlantic too in 2000.
Obviously it could be higher, but it loses points because Thierry Henry did it (good goal though).
10. The man your man could smell like
Just when we thought Old Spice went out of fashion with Pogs, 2010 unleashed Isaiah Mustafa (and his horse) upon the world.
9. Mean Joe Greene
In 1979, one ad exec had a dream: a dream of a little boy, who dreamed of meeting his sporting hero.
That reluctant hero was Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene. And even his heart can do nothing but melt in this Inception-style muddle.
8. Broadway Joe’s got innuendo coming out of his wazoo
Farrah Fawcett + Joe Namath = absolute filth in this 1973 spot for Noxzema shaving foam.
7. New can is aesthetically pleasing
Listen up kids, back in 1992 Cindy Crawford was kind of a big deal.
6. Eminem basically sings, “America, F**k Yeah!”
Everyone and their mammies love ‘Lose yourself’ from the 8 Mile soundtrack, so Chrysler paid Eminem to not only use it in their 2011 commercial, but to have him endorse Detroit’s finest export too.
5. The kids in America
Everything sounds sadder when it’s said by some kids in black and white footage. So when job site monster.com unleashed this on the world in 1999, it really made us rethink that CAO form (a few years later).
4. Cat herders
Tell the truth, before EDS gave us this ad in 2000, City Slickers was your favourite western.
That’s what I thought.
3. WHERE’S THE BEEF!?
If you thought Wasssup! was annoying after the first six months in 2000, spare a thought for the previous generation of Americans who – as we understand it from watching the Simpsons – had people loudly asking about the whereabouts of beef non-stop in 1984.
Why? Because of one narky old lady in in this Wendy’s ad.
2. Frog Buds
Another example of an ad becoming part of everyday pop culture. This time in 1995.
Y’all know the syllables…
1. Terry Tate: Office linebacker
Reebok‘s masterpiece didn’t quite translate for a general audience in Europe, but for fans of American football, 2003 (and any opportunity since) was all about the no-nonsense, hard-hitting, fish-out-of-water disciplinarian: number 55, ‘Terrible’ Terry Tate.
HEY, JANICE!
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