Top 10 Super Bowl Commercials

Don’t lie: you like the commercials better than the game. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 Super Bowl commercials.

For this list, we’re choosing TV ads that were originally created for or aired in conjunction with a Super Bowl. Now grab the nachos, take to your designated seat on the couch, and let the games begin.

Take some catchy tunes, add a sexy celebrity, and you’ve got the recipe for a hit Super Bowl commercial. Mysterious stranger Cindy Crawford pulls up to a gas station, flaunts her cut-offs and grabs an ice-cold can of Pepsi—as she’s watched by a couple of interested kids. Joke is the boys are ogling the new can, not the supermodel.

Office politics take a turn for the violent in this group of Reebok shorts. The premise? A company hires a football player to boost productivity and whip employees into shape. Originally created as a series, the ad that aired during Super Bowl XXXVII was a mash-up of the greatest moments in “Terrible” Terry Tate’s career as an office linebacker, which includes beat-downs, tackles and trash talk galore.

America’s beloved Golden Girl got a second (or third or fourth) wind in her career thanks to this hilarious Super Bowl XLIV Snickers ad. Based on the idea that “you’re not you when you’re hungry,” Betty White steps in for a hungry man at a muddy football game with his buddies—and talks trash with the best of ‘em. We still cringe when Abe Vigoda gets creamed.

Super Bowl viewership is dominated by men. Old Spice is used by men. So making a lady-friendly Old Spice-Super Bowl ad could’ve been risky. But it was actually a very smooth move: Old Spice saved money by not airing their commercial during the big game, instead releasing it online and letting it to go viral. And it did, thanks to its hot star, cool effects, and mega-quotable dialogue.

Everybody loves Star Wars. Everybody loves kids. Combine the two, and you’ve got a nostalgic ad that’s destined to go viral. Airing online before it played during Super Bowl XLV, it features a mini-Darth Vader attempting to use the force on various appliances, toys, and animals. Reminding us how fun it is to be a kid, the commercial ends with dad secretly making his little one’s dream come true.

Monster.com’s first-ever Super Bowl ad aired at a time when tech companies filled much of the ad-time during the big game. However, few produced a memorable commercial like this and few survived once the dot-com bubble burst. A bunch of kids talking about their dreams for the future sounds cute enough; but when they’re also making a point about avoiding working a job you hate, it’s that much better.

Two of the most legendary players ever to pick up a basketball compete in a crazy game of H-O-R-S-E for Big Mike’s Big Mac. That’s the basis for this commercial, which sees Michael Jordan and Larry Bird shooting hoops and defying the laws of physics. While it may be the wrong sport to showcase during the Super Bowl, it still grabbed people’s attention, and helped popularize a certain catchphrase.

Labelled one of the most famous international alcohol ad campaigns, the Budweiser Frogs debuted at Super Bowl XXIX—and while they aren’t cuddly, they’re oddly charming. Director Gore Verbinski brought the simple premise to life: three frogs sit in a quiet swamp croaking out random syllables, until they finally spell out the name of a certain beer, prompting an inescapable catchphrase.

Part of the “Have a Coke and smile” campaign, this commercial aired during Super Bowl XIV and made an impact few can match. NFL great “Mean” Joe Greene is limping off the field when a kid offers him a Coke, which Greene dismissively accepts. After downing it in one giant gulp, Joe’s refreshed and offers the boy a thank-you. It’s an iconic and heartwarming ad that’s been ever since.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

• “Whassup?” Budweiser (2000)
• “Wasted $2 million” E*Trade (2000)
• “Perfect Match” GoDaddy (2013)
• “Where’s the Beef?” Wendy’s (1984)
• “Noxzema with Farrah” Noxzema (1973)

It’s the ad that transformed Super Bowl commercials, advertising, and the Apple brand when it aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. Advertising Apple’s first Macintosh and directed by Ridley Scott, it’s a commentary on conformity that draws inspiration from George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. With the runner and her sledgehammer representing Apple and the Mac, and Big Brother symbolizing IBM, Apple managed to make an innovative, movie-like ad that changed the game forever.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite Super Bowl ad? For more top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.