Super Ads

It’ s almost here. The big day for football and television advertising—Super Bowl Sunday. We all remember specific ads from past Super Bowls. The most successful ones excel in three key areas: Memorability, Making an Emotional Impact, and Selling One Big Idea. With those criteria in mind, here are MASSolutions’ All-Time Top 10 Super Bowl Ads:

10. Pepsi: Your Cheatin’ Heart (1996). With the Hank Williams song playing in the background, the Coke Delivery guy tries to sneak a Pepsi—and all the Pepsi cans fall out of the cooler. Busted!

9. Monster.com: When I Grow Up (1999). When we’re young, we have big dreams—then reality hits. This spot combines the two with kids saying things they wouldn’ t hope for (“When I grow up, I want to be a Yes Man!”) but that unfortunately happen far too often.

8. McDonald’s: Big Mac Song (1975). Go ahead, sing it: “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.”

7. Noxema: Joe Namath and Farrah Fawcett (1973). Joe’s giggling, she’s smiling. They’re selling shaving cream, right.

6. ETrade: Trading Baby (2008). Babies sell, plain and simple. Babies talking stocks even made fans of the losing team chuckle, for a minute.

5. Fast Food Tie–McDonald’s: Showdown (1993). Michael Jordan vs. Larry Bird in the ultimate game of H-O-R-S-E. Nothin’ But Net!

5. Fast Food Tie-Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef? (1984). Clara Peller’s outburst becomes a national catchphrase.

4. Budweiser: Frogs (1995). Bud, Bud, Bud-Wise, Bud-Wise-Er.

3. Apple: 1984 (1984). Many advertising aficionados rank 1984 number one overall. It’s considered a watershed event because of the introduction of the Mac computer and an advertising masterpiece. Plus, it’s been parodied so many times it has to be known and remembered by the masses.

2. Budweiser: Respect (2002). This ad acknowledged 9/11 in a heartfelt, classy manner and only needed to be aired once — ever.

1. Coca Cola: Mean Joe Greene (1979). Hey, I’m an unabashed “homer” and proud of it. Did you really think I was going to pick a Super Bowl Ad that didn’t have anything to do with the Steelers?

Send a link to your favorite Super Bowl Ad to lightreading@massolutions.biz.

Enjoy the game, and the ads!