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Now that some of the new entries in this year's crop of Super Bowl commercials are starting to drop, it seems a fitting occasion to look back on ads from the big game's past and cover the best of the best. So while sports pundits spend time arguing about who's going to win the big game, let's sit back, relax and enjoy a nostalgic trip down memory lane to determine which corporate monoliths brought us the most enjoyment during those TV breaks in the football action, as their powers of purchasing persuasion worked their magic on our susceptible psyches.
That's right, it's time for the ClutchPoints definitive list of…
10) Tubi – “Interface Interruption” (2023)
Most people aren't looking for an April Fools style fake-out from their ads, but the infamous Tubi ad from last year's Super Bowl did just that and the payoff was priceless. The ad was the water cooler discussion topic the next day, and everyone wanted to share their unique personal saga of exactly what confusion — and in some cases, near fights to the death — transpired in their place of Super Bowl viewing as the commercial aired.
Tubi also managed to lampoon the modern times we live in and make us laugh about our streaming devices and technological mishaps. For all these reasons, Tubi easily won the most-talked-about-ad super bowl of 2023.
9) Dodge Ram 1500 REV – “Premature Electrification” (2023)
But that doesn't mean it was the only ad from last year to make the list. Another ad poking fun at a new tech staple of suburban life was the Jason Jones' “Premature Electrification” masterpiece for the Dodge Ram 1500 REV electric pickup truck. This one found humor in both our collective range anxiety over electric vehicles as well as the tropes in our preponderance of pharmaceutical commercials.
This ad was also almost too dirty for national TV (with “Premature Electrification” clearly meant to spoof a sound-alike issue of sexual dysfunction), but it toed the line just enough, with Jason Jones getting back into his Daily Show correspondent character with ease and laughs galore.
8) E*Trade Talking Babies (2008)
It was hard to imagine anything more being done with the talking babies genre back in 2008 when this commercial premiered, yet somehow these clever ads made the concept witty and fresh, all while talking finances. Through the lens of a baby monitor and thanks to advancements in lip synchronization technology, coupled with a well-cast everyman voice actor, the simple formula wove its way into the hearts of a nation, and ran for many years to come.
7) Reebok – Terry Tate: Office Linebacker (2003)
This one mastered the art of physical comedy so necessary to a good Super Bowl ad (with TV audio often drowned out at Super Bowl parties). Reebok found a great joke — a linebacker taking his aggressive talents to an ordinary office setting — and pounded it into the ground, literally. You knew what was coming with each setup, yet somehow it kept getting funnier with every Terry tackle. Although truth be told, the best moment in this one may be Terry Tate taking a break from his pulverizing to say a friendly office hello to Janice.
6) Budweiser – “Budweiser Frogs” (1993)
It's hard to explain, rewatching this class ad now, why it was so beloved when it premiered during the 1993 Super Bowl. Perhaps it was because the Cowboys were crushing the Bills and viewers were desperate for some other form of entertainment. Whatever the reason, the cadence of three croaking frogs harmonizing together to eventually sound out the name of this all-American pale lager really gave viewers a buzz.
5) Fed Ex – Cast Away (2006)
Few ads can pull off spoofing a film released six years earlier and still become an instant classic, then again, few companies are as indelibly tied to a movie as Fed Ex was to Robert Zemeckis' Cast Away. In that film's memorable final scene, Tom Hanks delivers the one Fed Ex box he refused to open while stranded on the deserted island to its intended recipient. He held onto the package all that time as a symbol of hope and longing to return to his old life someday.
Then this ad came along and blasted those good vibes to smithereens with the epic reveal that this package contained a satellite phone and a slew of other survivalist devices that surely would have come in handy on that deserted island. The Hanks-esque cast away's reaction in the ad is priceless, as is the nonchalance displayed by the Fed Ex receiver as she opens the package.
4) Budweiser – “Wassup!” (2000)
This one might feel like a remnant of the early aughts, but if you're Michael Scott, you're probably still quoting it. The simplicity of a group of buddies watching the game, having a bud, and greeting each other with their unique spin on “hello” tickled the funny bones of a nation when it premiered, leading to numerous sequel and spinoff ads. We might not all pick up our LAN line phones to call each other anymore, but if we did we would certainly great our closest bros with a great big “wassup!”
3) Snickers – “Betty White for Snickers” (2010)
This ad, which sees Betty White talk trash with the best of 'em when a dude's football skills are questioned, cemented White's legacy as an absolute national treasure, and rejuvenated her comedy career at the age of 88. She went on to book numerous comedic roles following this hilarious ad and worked all the way up to her death at the age of 99 in 2021. We should all be so lucky.
2) Apple – 1984 (1984)
This list has been pretty comedy heavy thus far so it seems about time for a dystopian sci-fi thriller from none other than Apple. Believe it or not, Apple didn't rule the tech world back in the early 1980s. They weren't even close. It was an IBM world and the rest of us were living in it. But Apple knew it had something big and potentially game-changing on its hands with the invention of the Macintosh computer. And a blockbuster ad inspired by George Orwell's classic novel 1984 was just what the doctor ordered. The Macintosh might have remained a quirky alt-rock computer choice for many years, but this commercial officially put Apple on the map — and the company eventually did conquer the free world with the invention many years later of the iPod and iPhone.
1) Coca-Cola – “Hey Kid, Catch!” (1980)
This ad seems rather cheesy by today's cynical standards, but back in 1980 it was all the rage. The commercial actually began airing in 1979 but became famous for its spot during the 1980 Super Bowl — with “Mean” Joe Greene playing in the big game, his team winning the big game and Greene getting his fourth Super Bowl ring. It's hard to tell if drinking a coke and the adoring fandom of one wide-eyed little boy caused all that to occur, but this ad certainly took on a life of its own after that Super Bowl.
It has been satirized ad nauseam, and spawned a made-for-TV feel-good movie called The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid. It also led to a generation of 80s kids (present company included) to believe they would be tossed a game-worn jersey if ever an NFL legend hobbled by them through a stadium tunnel. There can certainly be worse lasting legacies for a commercial.
There you have it! The ClutchPoints' definitive Top 10 Greatest Super Bowl Commercials of All-Time. Now consider yourselves ready for this season's entries, and be sure to holler if you think any of this year's ads should make their way onto our next list.
