Some of the biggest action every Super Bowl happens when the play on the field takes a break.
That’s when the commercials take over.
Companies spend fortunes to air their messages during the most-watched sporting event of the year. For this year’s 50th anniversary milestone game, a 30-second spot will cost $5 million.
With so much money on the line, you’d think every ad would be a winner. Some are—but just like in the game itself, some aren’t. Here are Parade’s picks for five of the best and worst commercials from past Super Bowls.
THE BEST:
1984: Apple
The commercial aired only once, during Super Bowl XVII, but it struck a chord with viewers. Without even showing an Apple product, the parody of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four changed advertising and, ultimately, computing.
1979: Coca-Cola
One of the earliest great commercials that the Super Bowl is now known for, this classic advertisement featuring “Mean” Joe Greene set a standard for many commercials in the future.
Add: Pittsburg Steelers and line, “Here, kid . . . catch!”
1995: Budweiser
It can’t be a best-commercial list without Budweiser. This ad launched ’90s kids across America to annoy their parents by croaking out “Bud! Weis! Er!” for months.
2014: Budweiser
To show the full spectrum of the beer company’s advertising prowess, it’s only necessary to feature one of the many ads featuring the now-trademark Clydesdale horses. This one from recent years brought many a viewer to tears.
2010: Snickers
The candy bar now known for telling snackers, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” spread the word in the most entertaining way: by showing a football player transformed into Betty White by a few bites of a Snickers.
THE WORST:
Various: GoDaddy
Picking just one of these commercials is difficult when it comes to this list. Between the scantily clad women advertising nothing to a pulled puppy-mill ad, GoDaddy has had more misses than hits.
2007: GM
Many expect Super Bowl commercials to entertain and inspire laughter or feel-good tears. GM missed the mark a bit when it came to featuring this depressed, suicidal robot.
2011: Groupon
It started out looking like a potentially informative ad, featuring actor Timothy Hutton, about Tibet. Then it turns quickly, featuring stereotypes and a somewhat insulting pitch for Groupon.
Various: SoBe
The drink brand had a series of ads featuring lizards and tried to inspire the emotions they felt their beverage brought about…but often fell flat.
2008: SalesGenie
SalesGenie walked the same line as Groupon with their Tibet commercial (earlier on this list), using wildly stereotypical accents and managing to insult with a cartoon.
Did your favorite or least favorite make the list? Comment and let us know!
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