The big game isn’t just for people looking forward to football — they’re also excited to see what the nation’s big-budget brands will come up with for this year’s Super Bowl ads.
While new ads come out every year, past games have launched ads that are still memorable and recognized to this day as effective brand marketing that all businesses can learn from.
In this post, I’ve collected some of the best ads from the last decade and before. Be sure to check back each year, as we'll continue to add to this list as new ads air. Without further ado, please enjoy these attention-grabbing, emotion-inducing, and sometimes award-winning ads.
Award-Winning Super Bowl Ads
1. "We All Win" - Microsoft (2019)
After it came to Microsoft's attention that people with missing limbs or limited mobility were having trouble holding and pressing buttons on video game controllers, the tech company developed an adaptive controller with touch pads rather than buttons. After the controller's launch, Microsoft highlighted this story of how they solved for the customer in a 2019 Super Bowl ad titled, "We All Win."
In the Gold Clio-winning campaign, Microsoft interviewed children with mobility issues about why they loved video games, but how they still faced difficulties with game controllers due to their disabilities. But, because of the current line of controllers, they have difficulty playing or competing in many games.
"I never thought it was unfair. I just thought 'Hey, this is the way it is and it's not going to change," says one boy.
After demonstrating the problem with game controllers, the ad shows the children using Microsoft's new adaptive video game controller as they explain how it makes gaming easier and more accessible for them.
For example, one girl excitedly says, "I can hit the buttons just as fast as they can," while a boy exclaims, "Now everyone can play!"
"'We All Win' hit all the marks in terms of emotion, starting a dialogue, and fun. It wasn’t an ad about disabilities, it was about kids wanting to play video games," says Dmitry Shamis, Senior Director of Creative. "I loved it back in February and still love it now."
Not only does "We All Win" tug on your heartstrings, but it also encourages solving for the customer and accessibility by explaining how Microsoft took the time to develop a product that fixed a major problem faced by a unique group of customers. This ad makes you believe that Microsoft genuinely cares about its customers and will make extra efforts to ensure that everyone has a great experience with its products.
You can read more about this particular campaign and get inspired by a few more empowering ads in this blog post on inclusive marketing.
2. "Joust" - HBO and Budweiser (2019)
Before the 2019 Super Bowl, Budweiser launched that followed a medieval kingdom where the king and townspeople would cheer, "Dilly Dilly!" when offered the beer. The series featured a hero called Bud Knight, and, In some advertisements, he would ride in on his horse and fight in battles clad in armor covered in Budweiser logos.
At the beginning of Budweiser's 2019 Super Bowl ad, he heroically rides his horse on screen, the audience cheers, "Dilly Dilly!" as the competition begins, but things go south as he is knocked off his horse by the opponent. The tall masked opponent walks up to the knight, and most Game of Thrones fans recognize him as — one of the show's most monstrous villains.
It becomes apparent that the ad will mimic a dramatic death scene from the HBO series, as Clegane dramatically grabs the knight. We expect the worst, but a dragon flies over Clegane and takes him down with a blow of fire.
This ad comedically mimics an incredibly intense and notable scene from Game of Thrones. Produced by , it was so humorous and clever that it even won the , an Award for Super Bowl ad participants.
3. "It's a Tide Ad" - Tide (2018)
Another was, "It's a Tide Ad," created by the clothing detergent company, Tide, as well as the agency k.
In 2017 and 2018, Tide released a number of commercials with storylines that had nothing to do with Tide, except for the actors’ noticeably clean clothes. When viewers were at the edge of their seats, someone in the ad would say, "It's just another Tide ad." Then, they'd see the Tide logo and text that said, "If it's clean, it's Tide."
This campaign started with a long Super Bowl ad, which also received an Emmy nomination. In the ad, shows up in several common ad scenes, including in the bathroom with a buff deodorant model, driving a sports car, and laughing on the couch with a fake family.
As he appears into each commercial, he explains that all of them have one thing in common: clean clothes that were washed by Tide detergent. In the end, he says, "So, does this make every Super Bowl commercial a Tide ad? I think it does."
Since Tide has one job of keeping clothes clean, they show off the brand's strength in multiple versatile and silly scenarios. Humor like this can also be a great way to make a simple product more memorable. If you go to the store to get detergent shortly after seeing this commercial, Tide might be the first thing to pop into your head because of the ridiculous ads.
4. "1984" - Apple (1984)
At the dawn of 1984, Apple leveraged the in an award-winning Super Bowl campaign.
The 1948 George Orwell novel, followed a 1984 dystopian society where everyone dressed the same and
As an innovative company, has always tried to be "different" from competitors. The tech giant's approach to Super Bowl advertising stood by this same mission even back in 1983.
The Super Bowl ad brings the conformist community in 1984 to life as you see men marching in straight lines towards a room where their leader is on a giant screen, telling them, "We are one people, with one whim, one resolve, and one cause."
At the climax of the commercial, a woman with a hammer and colorful clothing starts running towards the screen. She launches her hammer into the screen as it explodes.
A narrator concludes, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."
Not only did the ad, directed by Ridley Scott, highlight a well-known book. But it was boldly symbolic of . At the time, Apple was considered a young, disruptive company while IBM was . Tech journalists and innovators in Silicon Valley often thought about IBM as a s .
In this ad, Apple explains why innovation, disruption, and tech unique tech underdogs would destroy monopolies of the future. It also reiterated and enforced the brand's positioning as a company that wanted to make products that would allow people to embrace their unique qualities and skills. This is a strategy that they've continued to use in their campaigns today.
5. When I Grow Up - Monster.com (1999)
Monster.com’s ad features children sharing career goals that most people would not strive for, like being replaced on a whim. It ends by asking viewers what they wanted to be when they were kids.
It’s a simple ad that attracted attention because of the absurd career goals, and it was extremely effective. Ad Age said that Monster had 1.5 unique visitors per month before it aired, but by the end of 1999 averaged 2.5 million unique visitors per month. The company even named it the .
The Best Super Bowl Ads from the Past Decade
6. Megan Thee Stallion - Frito Lay (2022)
Megan Thee Stallion’s collaboration with Cheetos during the 2022 Super Bowl is a great example of an excellent ad campaign. The business teased the ad with two humorous hints of what’s to come, prompting people to share their theories and create anticipation for the full ad.
The full ad premiered on game day, and it’s a fun take on the hit song Push It, where a hiker encounters wild animals that eat her chips. The animal motif is in line with the brand's mascot, Chester Cheetah.
7. “Goodbye Cable” - Verizon (2022)
Goodbye Cable is Verizon’s revamp of Cable Guy, a 1996 film starring Jim Carrey. The ad evokes nostalgia as Carrey plays the well-known character who keeps finding fake reasons to fix a client's cable. In this ad, he finds out that a customer is using Verizon’s 5G network, and he bombards her with questions about how it works, hoping to find a flaw.
Carrey succeeds at bringing the humor and quirkiness from the original character to this ad and gets the message across that 5G is a valuable service. Ad Meter rated it 15 out of 64 ads that aired that day.
8. “Wow wow no Cow” — Oatly (2021)
Oatly’s Super Bowl ad features the company’s CEO Toni Petersson in the middle of a field singing a song with the lyrics “Tastes like milk but made for humans, wow wow no Cow.” For 30 seconds, viewers watched him sing and struggled to find a point.
Many took to social media to say that it was the worst Super Bowl commercial, yet it achieved exactly what every business wants from their ads — buzz. Everyone was talking about how weird the ad was, generating brand exposure and continuous conversation. Oatly even followed up the ad by selling shirts on their website that said, “I totally hated that Oatly commercial.” Many brands and businesses want to leave a mark and make an impression, and Oatly certainly did.
9. “Don’t Eats” - Uber Eats (2022)
Uber Eats’ Don’t Eats ad is noteworthy because it’s weird.
It features people eating sponges, lightbulbs, and even a diaper because anything from an Uber Eats bag is safe to eat, right? When someone eats an item they shouldn’t be eating, a disclaimer runs at the bottom of the screen to remind viewers that these items aren’t edible, which could be seen as a nod to the Tide Pod controversy.
10. "Loretta" - Google (2020)
Google's Super Bowl ad tells the story of a man who doesn't want to forget the memories he had with his wife. To the sounds of FUN's "Say Something," the man types "how to not forget" into Google and sees search results about how to improve memory. He then uses voice search to say, "Hey Google. Show me photos of me an Loretta."
As he clicks through photos, he explains fond memories he has with his wife. For example, at one point he laughs and tells the Google Assistant, "Remember. Loretta hated my mustache." Then text from the Assistant says "Ok. I'll remember that."
As the man Google's things related to his life and marriage, viewers get a glimpse of the precious moments that made up his life. After viewers have felt a wide range of emotions, Google promises to provide users "A little help with the little things."
While many Super Bowl ads focus on throwing viewers into the action, highlighting celebrities, or comedy, Google took a more emotional approach to remind viewers how its products can help people at different points in their lives. While search helped the man learn tips for remembering things, Drive and Assistant were able to help him relive memories related to his marriage.
11. "Band of Brands" - Newcastle (2015)
What do you do when you can't afford a Super Bowl ad? Cross-promote with other brands who will pay for it. That's what Newcastle, a popular beer company, did back in 2015.
Prior to the , Newcastle launched a call to action video where Parks and Recreation actress encouraged brands to pool their money for one big ad. Because Super Bowl ads that year were well over not including production -- a number of big and small brands reached out to Newcastle to join in for a chance to be featured -- even for just a few seconds -- in the ad
The one-minute ad is filled with product placements as it tells the story of a couple that's sharing Newcastle beers together to celebrate moving into a new home. As they walk through their new house, you can see brand logos hung on the walls like paintings, family photos, or decorations.
As they unpack the boxes, they not-so-subtly talk about all the appliances they have while holding them up to the camera. Aside from the obvious visual product placements, they also work brands into their conversations. For example, at one point, the man tells his girlfriend that he can't believe they're moving in together after "meeting on Match.com."
Although the ad starts off with more clever obvious product placements, it gets funnier as the couple starts pointing out every single product they have in their house as quickly as possible.
This ad is an incredibly clever example of a brand that took product placement and co-marketing to the extreme, while benefiting from a virtually free Super Bowl commercial.
12. Mind Reader - Amazon (2022)
Amazon’s Mind Reader Super Bowl ad was a funny take on people's belief (and fear) that their electronics listen to them because they get ads for products they’ve talked about to friends or even for something they thought about in their head.
Scarlett Johanson and Colin Jost star in the ad, where their Amazon Alexa reads their minds and takes action, like turning on a blender to drown out Jost telling a story that Johanson doesn’t want to listen to.
13. Betty White - Snickers (2010)
Snickers 2010 Super Bowl ad features beloved actress Betty Whites as Mike, who plays a football game with friends. His teammates are upset that he’s not playing well and tell him he’s playing like Betty White. His girlfriend on the sidelines offers him a Snickers, and he immediately transforms back into himself, playing into Snickers slogan “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”
14. “Say My Name” - Esurance (2015)
贰蝉耻谤补苍肠别’蝉 “Say My Name” features Walter White, well-known Breaking Bad character, working at a pharmacy. White delivers one of his signature lines from the show, “Say my name,” and it is a humorous play and a call to those who missed the series when it ended in 2013.
15. "Keep Your Hands Off My Doritos" - Doritos (2010)
"Keep Your Hands Off My Doritos" hilariously tells the story of an overconfident man meeting his love interests son for the first time. In the ad, the man walks into his date's home with flowers and sits with her child as the mother gets ready. When she leaves the living room, the man is seen noticeably checking her out.
He sits down with swag as he starts talking to her infant son. Without thinking to ask the child if he can have one of his Doritos, he grabs a chip. The boy immediately and loudly slaps him, stares him down in the most intimidating way a child can, and angrily exclaims, "Keep your hands off of my momma. Keep your hands off of my Doritos!"
The overconfident boyfriend ends the commercial cowering in fear as the screen fades. As the logo appears, you hear the boy's mother ask, "Are you playing nice?"
This ad was so funny that it's still seared into many of our minds. Even though it launched nearly a decade ago, I still tell friends to "keep their hands off my Doritos" when they grab one of mine without asking.
Although it's only 30 seconds, the ad is hilarious, relatable, a little bit shocking, and heartwarming, which makes it so memorable.
16. “Drake From State Farm” - State Farm (2021)
Jake From State Farm is a popular character for State Farm, and he’s often featured in commercials where he’s in awkward situations where he has to identify himself as Jake From State Farm.
In its Super Bowl ad from 2021, State Farm created a celebrity-filled ad that ends with Drake From State Farm and Jake From State Farm speaking over each other to say the insurance company’s tagline.
17. Puppymonkeybaby - Mountain Dew (2016)
Puppymonkeybaby was a weird ad, which is why it worked.
It features a puppymonkeybaby (a hybrid of a puppy, monkey, and a baby) who busts through a wall and offers a Mountain Dew Kickstart to three guys sitting on a couch. Puppymonkeybaby repeats puppymonkeybaby over and over again in a catchy one-word song that eventually gets the guys up off the couch and dancing along.
The weirdness inspired conversation, and people had a lot to say, mainly that it was bizarre. But it paid off because it got people talking.
18. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” - Old Spice (2010)
Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign debuted during the Super Bowl in an ad where an actor encourages viewers to imagine that their boyfriends could be more like him if they smelled as good as him. The ad includes scenarios that people could be in if only their boyfriend used Old Spice. The campaign is still viral today and is one of the most notable commercials of the 2010s.
19. “As good as the original, maybe even better?” - Mountain Dew (2020)
Mountain Dew’s “As good as the original” is a spoof of the classic horror movie The Shining, where Bryan Cranston (the husband) uses an ax to break down the door of the bathroom where Tracee Ellis Ross (playing the wife) hides in fear. Instead of the film's famous line “Here’s Johnny!” Cranston says, “Here’s Mountain Dew Zero!” and Ross screams but then backs down because she realizes she’s thirsty.
The ad is clever, as “As good as the original” asks viewers if the remake is good, and tells people that Mountain Dew Zero is as good as the original, reassuring them that they won't miss out on the flavor they love by switching to a sugar free version.
20. Lucky Dog - WeatherTech (2020)
WeatherTech’s Lucky Dog commercial is a great example of telling a compelling emotional brand story by appealing to emotions with Scout, a cute dog featured in its .
Scout tells viewers that, since his last appearance on the big screen, he survived cancer with the help of the University of Wisconsin’s Veterinary School of Medicine. The end of the ad features a CTA for viewers to donate to the hospital, an effective strategy appealing to the heartstrings of Super Bowl watchers all over the world that have pets of their own.
The Best Super Bowl Ads Before 2010
21. "Wassup" - Budweiser (1999)
If you grew up in the late '90s or early 2000s, you might have a memory of kids at your school I know I do.
If not, you've probably seen the Budweiser ad that the now outdated greeting comes from:
In the ad, a man answers the phone while watching a big game. His friend on the other line asks, "Wassup?" The man on the couch says, "Nothing. Just watchin' the game and drinkin' a Bud." The conversation escalates when the man's roommate unexpectedly walks in and yells, "WASSSSUPPPPP?!"
In true 1990s fashion, the roommate rushes to pick up the other house phone to join the conversation. The three men then just start yelling, "Wassup!" in louder and more bizarre ways until they suddenly get quiet. One of the friends then asks, "So, wassup?" The two others on the phone again say, "Nothing. Just watchin' the game and drinkin' a Bud." Then, everyone says, "True."
This video might seem like a waste of millions of dollars on a Super Bowl slot, but it definitely wasn't. As a viewer and consumer, all you need to know when watching is that the three friends are all watching the game and drinking Budweiser. The "Wassup?" marathon was essentially a tool meant to make the commercial funny and memorable. Based on the fact that, ", it's easy to see that this ad was a success.
22. “We Will Rock You” - Pepsi (2004)
Pepsi’s We Will Rock You ad, featuring Beyonce, Pink, Britney Spears, and Enrique Iglesias, plays into one of the key requirements for a successful Super Bowl Ad — leveraging pop culture and current trends. Each of the musicians featured was especially popular during the time, and it also features a new take on the classic song by Queen.
23. “Hey Kid, Catch!” - Coca-Cola (1979)
“Mean Joe” Greene got his nickname because of the school he played for, North Texas State University Mean Green. Coca-Cola expertly leveraged his nickname to align with its , “Have a Coke and a Smile.”
In the notable ad, a young fan encounters Greene in a foul mood after a game. The kid offers his coke, and Greene takes a sip, quite literally having a coke and a smile.
24. Parisian Love - Google (2009)
Google’s Parisian Love is an incredibly efficient ad, showcasing how powerful the search engine was at the time, coupled with an endearing love story.
25. “The Showdown” - McDonald’s (1993)
In this ad, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird compete head-to-head for a Big Mac and fries, where the first one to miss has to watch the winner eat. The players take and make shot after shot after shot, and it ends with the two on top of the Sears Tower setting up another shot.
The ad popularized the phrase “Nothing but net,” which is still said today. While the ad didn’t explicitly relate to Mcdonald's, it still generated excitement in people who are fans of Bird and Jordan.
26. “Where’s the Beef” - Wendy’s (1984)
Wendy’s also used the Super Bowl to draw attention to its slogan and participated in the emerging trend of companies pitting themselves against each other.
A trio of friends is presented with a burger with a bun-to-beef ratio smaller than anyone would like it to be. One of them says, “Where’s the beef?” and a narrator responds and namedrops McDonald’s and Burger King burgers as having a lousy ratio compared to Wendy’s. It still uses the phrase today.
27. “We Apologize” - FedEx (1998)
FedEx’s We Apologize ad immediately caught attention because it initially made people think their TVs had lost signal, which is the last thing they wanted during the game of the year. After a few seconds, a message scrolls by that tells viewers that the high-budget ad that was supposed to appear was lost because it wasn’t sent with FedEx.
It ultimately tells viewers that a large-budget ad doesn’t mean it’s a good ad because FedEx still captured attention, and that FedEx is the premier choice for ensuring packages are safely delivered.
28. Tabasco Mosquito (1998)
Tabasco’s Mosquito commercial features a man adding Tabasco to his pizza and a mosquito that explodes after sucking his blood. It’s a simple ad that tells viewers that the hot sauce is a good hot sauce, so hot and fiery that it makes mosquitoes explode.
29. "Your Cheatin' Heart" - Pepsi (1996)
This old Pepsi commercial highlights the consequences of what could happen if you "cheat" on your company's brand.
The short and sweet ad simply shows fake security footage of a Coca-Cola delivery employee placing Coca-Cola cans in a store refrigerator to the Hank Williams Sr. song, " Things get interesting when the delivery man looks to make sure no one's watching and then opens the fridge with Pepsi in it.
Suddenly, the shelves in the fridge collapse as all of the Pepsi cans noticeably barrel out of the fridge and on to the floor. The ad makes a short and simple point: Even Coca-Cola employees love Pepsi:
30. "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" - Coca-Cola (1971)
On the hills of Italy in 1970, Coca-Cola pulled together a group of young adults from a number of countries and filmed them sing a jingle called, "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke."
This resulted in one of the most notable ads from Coca-Cola, let alone a popular ad from the 1971 Super Bowl:
This commercial is a great form of early inclusive marketing as it shows that everyone has something in common, despite the fact that we all come from different or diverse backgrounds.
In particular, this ad shows that millions of people from all around the world can agree on the fact that they enjoy Coca-Cola. Not only does it embrace the beauty of diversity and world peace, but it also highlights the international popularity of the soda beverage.
Super Bowl Ad Takeaways
Even if you're a small business marketer, you can learn from these ads for your own video or content marketing strategies. Here are a few things that many of these ads have in common.
- Emotion: Whether they leave you feeling happy, sad, or optimistic, most of these ads draw attention with a topic and storyline that builds emotion.
- Pop Culture: As you saw with PopCorners, Cheetos, and Amazon, some of the most memorable ads reference notable pop culture moments and build a memorable story around them.
- Relatability: Emotional ads don't often work without relatability, and these ads do an excellent job of putting you in the protagonist's shoes or appealing to an aspect of your own life. Whether you’re learning about a dog surviving cancer or laughing at someone eating soap or XYZ, you identify with the characters or people featured on a deeper level.
- Strong storytelling: Memorable Super Bowl ads often have a developed and intriguing storyline with a narrative that captures and keeps attention for the duration of the ad.
- Humor: Every ad can appeal to its own type of emotion, but many can win audiences over with a lighter and funny tone, like celebrities drinking dish soap and eating light bulbs.
- Weirdness: It’s hard to define exactly what weirdness means, but Puppymonkeybaby is a great example. An ad features something, whether a character or a storyline, that is so weird that it keeps people thinking even after the fact.
Editor's Note: This blog post was originally published in January 2015. It was updated for comprehensiveness and freshness in 2021.
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