The Super Bowl is all about the sport, sure.
There’s a bunch of men running around on a field throwing and catching the ball, which seems like fun, but when it goes for almost four hours, it can get a little boring.
And the NFL knows this, which is why they introduce other elements to keep us entertained such as the Super Bowl half-time show, and even Super Bowl ads.
Now, the ads definitely make the NFL a lot of money, there’s no denying that.
Forbes reported that in 2023, a 30-second Super Bowl ad cost upwards of $10 million AUD, which is more than most people will see in a lifetime.
But there’s also no denying that they bring us some quality entertainment for the day (along with the men throwing and catching the bowl, obviously).
So, let’s take a look at the 15 best Super Bowl ads of all time
Workday – Rockstar (2023)
Corporate software company Workday decided to put a spin on the far too common term used by managers across the world.
If you’ve ever worked a corporate job and been even remotely successful at it, you’ll surely have heard the term, “you’re a Rockstar.”
Well, this ad saw rock icons such as Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett, Paul Stanley and more finally put an end to the blatant misuse of a title they worked for years to achieve.
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Dunkin’ Donuts – Drive Thru (2023)
Imagine pulling up at your local drive-thru in the morning to grab a coffee and some breakfast and all of a sudden it’s Ben Affleck standing at the window.
Well, that’s exactly what happened to a bunch of Dunkin’ Donuts customers in Medford, Massachusetts.
Affleck, who very publicly loves the American fast food chain, messes with customers as they try to order their coffee before they drive thru and realise who they’ve been speaking to.
The best part comes when J-Lo pulls up to the window and asks, “is this what you do when you say you’re going to work all day?”
FTX – Don’t Miss Out (2022)
In hindsight, this add may be a touchy subject for some considering the downfall of FTX, but when it comes to appreciating an advertisement for what it is, this one is pretty great.
The ad features comedy great Larry David as an established character travelling throughout different eras in time.
In each era, David is presented with a new invention that we now use everyday (think wheels, lightbulbs, coffee, Bluetooth speakers, etc.) which he ridicules and claims is ridiculous.
The punchline comes at the end of the ad, when he’s presented with the idea of FTX as a “safe and easy way” to invest in cryptocurrency, to which he responds, “eh, don’t think so. And I’m never wrong about these things.”
Looking back, it probably would’ve been a good idea to listen to David on this one.
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T-Mobile – The Mix-Up (2021)
T-Mobile enlisted the help of The Voice US judges Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
It starts with Stefani facetiming Levine to tell him she’s ready to start dating again as she begins to explain her ideal man, “Maybe from another country, cultured and sensitive, and someone who’s not threatened by a strong, confident woman.”
However, a patchy connection meant that Levine heard something completely different, describing their co-host and now husband, Blake Shelton.
Amazon – Alexa Loses her Voice (2021)
Watch the video above.
Regarded as one of the cleverest Super Bowl commercials of all time, Amazon decided to play with everyone’s idea (and fear) that Amazon’s Alexa is a real person.
When Alexa has a ‘sick day’, the company calls in their back up plan – several celebrities who step in to cover Alexa for the day.
The ad features Rebel Wilson, Cardi B, Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Hopkins responding to all the questions you would typically ask an Amazon Alexa – and the results are hilarious.
Tide – It’s a Tide Ad (2018)
David Harbour takes the audience on a journey through basically every ad you can imagine from Mr. Clean to Old Spice, but with one twist – they’re all in clean clothes.
As each ad starts, harbour pops up in the corner interrupting with his one line, “Nope, it’s a Tide ad.”
Basically, Tide had the genius idea of taking every other brands iconic ads and making it their own, so now when people view those other commercials all they can think it, “Nope, it’s a Tide ad.”
Always – Like a Girl (2014)
Where most Super Bowl ads angle for humour, this one took a more sincere, inspiring spin on things.
The interviewer asks a group of women and boys to do a selection of tasks ‘like a girl’, before asking young girls the same question.
The difference of those who have grown up with ingrained misogyny to those who haven’t yet learnt is is immeasurable, and the ad stands to prove that girls and women can do absolutely anything – and do it well.
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Samsung – The Next Big Thing (2013)
Samsung enlisted the help of comedic geniuses Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen for their 2013 commercial.
The ad sees them battle it out over who is ‘the next big thing’, both clueless as to what’s actually going on.
Google – Parisian Love (2010)
Another add that steered away from comedy, Google instead decided they wanted to make people cry.
The ad takes viewers on a journey through an adorable love story, from meeting in Paris to building a crib together, all through the eyes of the Google search bar.
Snickers – Betty White (2010)
Snickers is noted as potentially having the best Super Bowl ad of all time, mostly because of the worldwide love for the late icon Betty White.
It puts a twist on the famous line, “you’re not you when you’re hungry,” when Betty White is playing football with a group of men before eating a snickers and magically transforming.
She also has some pretty iconic lines in it herself.
Doritos – Free Doritos (2009)
Where most Super Bowl ads are created by only the most successful advertising agents, this one was made by two unemployed brothers from Indiana.
Their idea won them an online contest that scored them a cool $1 million, and honestly when it comes to Super Bowl ads – they deserved it.
A man holds up a snow globe as he tells a co-worker it’s a prophetic crystal ball and predicts free Doritos for the whole office before swiftly throwing the snowball through the glass of a vending machine stacked with – you guessed it – Doritos.
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FedEx – Castaway (2006)
The ad features a very committed FedEx driver who was stranded on an island for five years and has finally made it home to deliver the package, a spoof of the Tom Hanks movie Castaway.
As he hands it over, he asks the recipient what was in the package all these years, to which she replies with a list of basically everything needed to survive on a deserted island – including a satellite phone.
Reebok – Terry Tate Office Linebacker (2003)
Possibly one of the most comedic Super Bowl ads to come in this millennium.
Terry Tate Office Linebacker is an NFL player recruited by a corporate company to keep their employees in line.
Taking personal calls during work hours? Have fun doing that with Terry Tate screaming in your face.
Playing solitaire on your work computer? Terry Tate will sort that out with a swift tackle.
Budweiser – Bud Ice Penguin (1996)
This ad is definitely weird, but honestly, it works.
It features a bunch of penguins haunting those who drink Bud Ice, and creates for a very unsettling ad as far as the Super Bowl is concerned.
The penguins that lurk in the darkest depths of people’s homes also introduce themselves by singing Frank Sinatra’s scat “dooby dooby doo” from the end of Strangers in the Night.
Nike – Hare Jordan (1993)
If you’re a fan of the iconic movie Space Jam, you have this ad to thank.
The history making commercials sees a real life Michael Jordan alongside a cartoon Bugs Bunny for the very first time.
When Bugs references Casablanca saying, ”This could be the beginning of a beauty-ful friendship,” he certainly wasn’t wrong.