30. Master Lock Shot Lock
The Master Lock Shot Lock commercial came in the early days of Super Bowl broadcasts, a part of the 1975 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings. The game was a defensive struggle wherein the Steel Curtain Defense had provided Pittsburgh with the only points – a safety – through the first two quarters of play. Those who liked a lot of high-powered offense with their football were disappointed, but still had to admit the demonstration in this 30-second spot was hard to forget. It doesn’t use the humor that has defined greatness for so many Super Bowl commercials, but it illustrates the effectiveness of a product better than anything we’ve seen. Functional advertising works – who’d’ve thunk it!? (Excuse the poor video quality. Nobody’s lining up to remaster these things.)
29. Pepsi Magnetic Attraction
It’s easy to see how the Pepsi Magnetic Attraction ad during the 2008 Super Bowl could be overshadowed by the game itself. That was the year the New England Patriots had won all 18 of their regular and post-season games. They stood at the precipice of doing something no other team in the 16-game schedule configuration had managed to do: finish unbeaten. Unfortunately for Tom Brady fans, Eli Manning and the New York Giants had other ideas. Manning pulled off the upset thanks to an amazing catch – the legendary “helmet grab” by receiver David Tyree – followed by a 13-yard TD reception by Plaxico Burress with (again) 35 seconds left on the clock. If you were watching at home – whether sad or disappointed by the game result – you couldn’t help but admire Justin Timberlake’s performance and physical comedy prowess in this 60-second spot as he gets pulled toward a beautiful Pepsi drinker. At 21 seconds, note a cross-dressing fella, who looks suspiciously like SNL’s Andy Samberg.
28. McDonalds The Showdown
The appearance of Air Jordan and the Bird-Man in this 1993 Super Bowl commercial was not unlike a Kobe vs. LeBron teaming would be today. Actually, it’s bigger since even people who never cared for the sport of basketball were instantly able to recognize these two icons. Aside from the star-power, McDonalds’ ad delivers with a charming little concept that made you like these guys even more. Just who would win one-on-one between Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, arguably the two greatest all-around NBA stars of all time? The answer’s not that easy when a Big Mac is involved. Thankfully, this spot was able to take our minds off the 52-17 drubbing the Dallas Cowboys gave to the Buffalo Bills that year.
27. Xerox Brother Dominic
It’s no big mystery that in the days before the printing press, monks were a huge reason why there were copies of the Bible available. They did it all by hand, and that laborious action lent itself well to this Xerox spot. The ad was one of the more memorable Super Bowl commercials, which played in 1977 during the 32-14 beatdown that John Madden’s Oakland Raiders gave to the Minnesota Vikings that year. Xerox’s copier, the 9200, could churn out pages at an “astounding” two pages per second. Pretty crappy by today’s standards, but a godsend for Brother Dom, who is tasked with replicating 500 copies of his remarkable penmanship. The result: an absolute miracle (for the time).
26. Noxzema Wants to Cream Your Face
It was one of the first and most memorable Super Bowl commercials. It featured star-power, catchy music, and some much-needed sexy playfulness, which was woefully lacking at the time, especially in the world of advertising. The year was 1973. The Miami Dolphins were 16-0 and in the process of closing out a perfect season with a victory over the Washington Redskins 14-7 at Super Bowl VII. New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath took a step back from the gridiron to star alongside Farrah Fawcett in this provocative 30-seconder from Noxzema. The setup is that he’s Joe Namath and you don’t need a setup. Good looking blondes come up to him all the time and cream him up really nice. “Let Noxzema cream your face” – so, many, jokes! It had to be the easiest money ol’ Joe ever made.
25. Nissan G.I. Joe Steals Barbie
With the controversy over Nissan’s Ridley Scott ad in 1990, the company decided to go with something more humorous for its offering five years later in hopes of a smoother reception. Well, the spirit was willing, but unfortunately, Mattel didn’t see the humor in the G.I. Joe Steals Barbie ad. The toy manufacturer sued Nissan for the parody and came out on top. Those who found the commercial funny – us included – have a tendency to say, “Ah, lighten up,” to such actions, but who knows? Maybe if we owned the properties it would be different. Right or wrong, legal or illegal, it’s still a very fun commercial set to Van Halen’s cover of “You Really Got Me.”
24. Pepsi Bears
As dominant as the Tom Brady era New England Patriots have seemed, they’ve also been known for blowing their share of opportunities – Giants games, anyone? – but with Super Bowl XXXVIII that was not the case. However, Brady and Company didn’t exactly run away with their 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers that year. While it made for one of the more thrilling games in Super Bowl history, fans with no dogs in the hunt could take joy in Pepsi’s advertising contribution. That contribution came in the form of the Pepsi Bears, a furry duo, who ransack an empty cabin only to find there is no Pepsi to go with their meal. Not to be deterred, they come up with a creative solution, to say the least.
23. Old Spice The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
Another classic from the 2010 Super Bowl, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” is an intimate address between the Old Spice Man (Isaiah Mustafa) and the wives and girlfriends of every pot-bellied stallion who was too busy wrapped up in the Saints-Colts game to notice. The premise of the commercial is simple. Old Spice Man is directing female viewers to look at him, then look at their men, and make the obvious comparison. All hope is not lost, however. While “your man” can’t look like Mustafa, he can smell like him. With this commercial, Mustafa, no stranger to the NFL as a practice squad man for Oakland, Cleveland, Seattle, and Tennessess, as well as player for the NFL Europe franchise Barcelona Dragons, made his biggest splash at the NFL’s biggest game—just not as a player.
22. Heineken Walk-In Fridge
In late December 2008, Heineken dropped this commercial online for the 2009 Super Bowl. That was the game where Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds left on the clock. The play gave the Pittsburgh Steelers organization its record-setting sixth Super Bowl championship. If you were one of the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals fans, you could at least take comfort in the loss due to the contributions of this hilarious commercial. We start with a group of lovely women at a party. The leader of the group is taking her friends on a tour of the house and stops outside a walk-in closet. When she opens the double-doors, the ladies are so excited they start to cheer. But their enthusiasm cannot compare to what’s going on with the guys on the other side of the house.
21. Wendy’s Where’s the Beef?
In the world of 1980’s TV commercials, it doesn’t get much more memorable than this 1984 Super Bowl spot featuring the late great Clara Peller, an adorable old lady who was quite miffed at the cost-cutting measures of many burger joints during the Reagan Era. Picking up the top of an oversized bun to find a pitiful excuse for a burger patty lying underneath elicited a response which would be heard round the world. Conceived for Wendy’s restaurants by Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency out of New York, the “Where’s the Beef?” campaign resonated with viewers and beat out its rather dull gridiron competition that year – the Los Angeles Raiders mauled the Washington Redskins 38-9. Wendy’s revived the campaign in 2011, long after Peller’s death in 1987, finally answering the question, “Here’s the beef!”
