Superb Superbowl ads

Benji Kohl, Writer

Slider image from Wikimedia.

The Super Bowl is an event watched by tens of millions of people  around the world. Even those who wouldn’t normally watch football tune in for this final game, so the ads that are aired have to be top notch. On average, a 30-second Super Bowl commercial will cost around $5 million, but if you are willing to spend that much money, your company will get a significant amount of recognition and business. For example, the most recent Super Bowl had 96.4 million viewers who could be potential customers. Super Bowl commercials are known for being much more memorable than regular ads, so here is a list of some of the most memorable Super Bowl ads over the years.

During Super Bowl XXVI (26), in 1992, an Air Jordan ad aired which contained an intense basketball game between Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan. 

Airing in Super Bowl XLV (45), there was a Volkswagen ad with a child dressed up as Darth Vader. He attempts to use the Force on objects around the house, but when all of this fails, he goes outside and attempts to use the Force on his parents’ Volkswagen, and magically the car turns on. We then see that it was his dad using the wireless key.

Doritos aired an ad during Super Bowl L (50), in which a man and a woman are seen at an ultrasound.  The man is then seen eating Doritos which seems to entice the unborn baby, so when the Dorito is knocked out of his hand, the baby follows.

Another Super Bowl L ad  had Ant-Man stealing a Coke mini from Hulk.  When Hulk sees this, he is soon on the chase after him. After Ant-Man is cornered, they decide to work together and share the Coke.

The Super Bowl is a staple of modern American life bringing together people to watch the spectacle. Image from Pixy.

During Super Bowl L, Hyundai aired an ad starring Kevin Hart around an overprotective dad who lends his car to his daughter’s boyfriend to take her on a date, but since the car is able to be tracked, the dad is able to check in on his daughter’s date at all times.

During Super Bowl LII (52), there was an M&M ad that featured two M&Ms discussing their issues, such as people trying to eat them, when suddenly one of them finds a lucky penny and wishes to become human. After this wish, the M&M is turned into a human, Danny Devito, and is happy as can be until he drops his penny and is hit by a car.

In 2018 during Super Bowl LII, there was an Amazon Alexa ad where Alexa lost her voice which forced Jeff Bezos to turn to other celebrities to voice Alexa such as Gordon Ramsey, Rebel Wilson, Cardi B, and Anthony Hopkins who improvise as voices of Alexa.

Airing during Super Bowl LII, Tide aired an ad starring David Harbour. This self-aware Tide ad shows how even though it may seem as if it’s a different ad, they have clean clothes, so it’s a Tide ad.

In Super Bowl LIII (53), it appears to be a regular Bud Light ad with the Bud Knight, but things suddenly take a turn when the Bud Knight loses in a joust. A dragon then soars above as we see that it is a collaboration between Bud Light and Game of Thrones.

Many people tune in for the game itself, but also for the performance of the national anthem and halftime show. Image from Your Golf Travel.

Overall, all of the Super Bowl ads are memorable for a reason: They are attempting to promote their product through having you be able to remember the funny moments from an ad and connect it back to their product. 

Just based on the fact that we can remember specific Super Bowl ads that resonated with us proves that Super Bowl ads are effective ways to promote your business.