Five Memorable Super Bowl Ads
For many, the Super Bowl is not just about watching the game between the two best teams. It’s also about watching the commercials to see what becomes that next YouTube hit. Here’s five classics that have stood the test of time.
Wendy’s-Where’s the Beef, 1984: This is a commercial that literally will never get old. Just simple and straightforward. The catch phrase even showed up in the 1984 Democratic presidential debate when Walter Mondale quoted the Wendy’s slogan.
Coca Cola-Mean Joe Greene, 1979: Coke has tried to reproduce this commercial since the original aired but it is just not the same without the classic scene with Mean Joe Greene and his young fan.
Budweiser-Clydesdales, 1996: This has been an ongoing series of commercials in which the famed Budweiser Clydesdales are playing football of some sort. There have been plenty of memorable ones, including a touching tribute following the events of 9/11. Below is the original Super Bowl ad.
Budweiser-Frogs, 1995: Let’s just say that Budweiser is usually pretty damn creative with its Super Bowl ads. The three frogs, Bud, Weis and Er became a huge hit, spawning future commercials involving not only the frogs, but lizards as well.
McDonald’s-Bird vs. Jordan, 1993: For any sports fan, this commercial was just so classic. Two of the greatest players in the history of the game, playing a game of horse for a Big Mac. McDonald’s tried to reinvent the commercial in the last few years with Lebron James and Dwight Howard (and a cameo from Larry Bird) but it just didn’t have the same appeal.
This is my own personal list as I’m sure there are many memorable commercials I have forgotten. Let’s hope Sunday provides more classics that we can all relive years from now.
Photo Credit: Paul Keleher, via Wikimedia Commons
