The Super Bowl is watched every year, not just for the sport, but for the entire package of glitz, glamour, and strategy that it puts together. Fierce tensions play out between the athletes as well as their supporters, pop culture enthusiasts throng to watch celebrities perform, and business minds and marketing experts create and collate their best efforts. In short, it is advertising prime time. So celebrated is this ritual, that some advertisements go down as legendary feats, while the rest go out in an expensive fizzle. Here are 10 of the most groundbreaking, memorable advertisements in the history of Super Bowl.
1. 1984 like no other
George Orwellâs then dystopian novel predicted the doom of creativity at the hands of fascist collectivism. He pegged this fate to the year 1984. However, Apple unveiled its now-renowned Macintosh in January, 1984. Its Super Bowl advertisement boasted that its product will assist in setting people free from the prevalent dogma of mindless incompetence, and will instead be a renewed commemoration of the individualâs ability to be distinct and pioneer novelty. Macintosh would help you do everything that you were told that you could not do as a singular entity. With a typical âone man can change the worldâ undertone, the advertisement etched itself into the minds of an entire generation.
2. What’s hotter: Cindy or the new Pepsi can
Pepsi ads are nearly as old and famous as the Super Bowl advertising tradition. So back in 1992, when they decided to introduce their new look, with the logo as we know it today, it had to stand out in advertising history. The ad seemed such a breeze, that people would be surprised to learn about the amount of strategy that might have gone into it. Firstly, the Super Bowl games are the ultimate congregation of testosterone pride. So having the leggy Cindy Crawford step out of a car with stylish scissor doors, while making a stopover at what looks like a small town is bound to grab the everyday dude by the eyeballs. Secondly, the ad hopes to make a statement with the effortless perfection of Cindy, as shown in her stride and in her physique. Pepsi, as always, will set you free from the inhibitions and scandal-proneness of the smallest of towns. Lastly, this was Pepsi getting serious about its âdietâ products. Not only does white get people to think of clean, calorie-free soda, but with Cindy guzzling it down with absolute no apprehensions about her modelesque fitness, this was the real deal.
3. They rocked your world
Pepsi is all about regaining the free-spiritedness of youth. So it kicked off the new millennium with another revolutionary ad. You cannot go wrong with casting the Princess of Pop- Britney, Queen Bee of R&B- Beyonce, and the raw rocker- P!nk, all in one ad film. It targets music lovers of all colors, across all genres.
Combined with the rhythmic war cry of Queenâs classic- âWe will rock youâ, the ad ends like an anecdote of revolting against authority, and finding the fabled Fountain of Youth- Pepsi.
4. Wassup? Nothin’ much, Bud
When it is Super Bowl time, all the guys out there just want to sit back and indulge in some serious male bonding, and watch the game. Are we missing on something really important for an ‘all male get together’? Yes, the chilled beer or maybe a pack of Bud cans! With the men in the ad asking each the quintessential existential query- Wassup, the Budweiser made its brand name synonymous with the manâs ultimate soul mate during playtime. No, not his girlfriend, but the ever-faithful Bud can do wonders!
5. Bieber fever or Ozzy mania
Ozzy Ozbourne and Justin Bieber in the same video? Who would have ever thought so? If the yesteryearâs youth were headbanging to the former, the millennial have caught the Bieber fever. Music tastes have changed over time, but technology has been upgrading itself at breakneck speed as well. All of us can relate to watching our gadget get outdated when it seemed to have released just yesterday. BestBuy.com jumped into the bandwagon of Super Bowl advertising, while offering to buy back your outdated 4G enabled phones with the foreseeable advent of 5G. Come to think of it, was there ever a 1G?
6. The Golden Girl Satisfies
Whatâs Betty White doing out there on the football field? The Golden Girl seems to work her charm better with each passing generation. The Snickers ad of 2010 was a hit as it kept its message crisp and within 30 seconds. You are not you when you are hungry. So stop playing like Betty White on the field, and get your game on with a satisfying bite.
7. Reeboks send in a linebacker
The early 2000′s recession was taking its toll, and every corporate wanted to squeeze the most out of its manpower. If only you could get the vigor of the Super Bowl games into the office. Now with Terry Tate: Office Linebacker, you can! Reebokâs ad went viral across e-mail inbox, and its catchphrases rung in like motivational pre game speeches. But, though the ad was well received, barely anybody managed to relate the series to the brand name of Reebok.
8. Cast Away, but not down
The FedEx ad film about the mailman, who was marooned on an island, yet relentlessly pursuing his goal of delivering the mail package, was a spoof on the Tom Hanks starrer, Cast Away. The ad reassured the customer of the surety of conveyance through its service. But when the deliveryman comes to know that the contents of the package were everything he would have required to survive on the island, it also went to show that FedEx delivered your package untampered as well.
9. The E Trade Baby Genius
You have got to admit, the E trade baby got all your attention when it first spoke in a mature, adult voice way back in 2001. The ad suggested that investment and finance was so easy when you signed up for an E trade account. The ad was so popular that it made several comebacks over the years, and was soon accompanied by page launches on Twitter and facebook.
10. The Miracle of Xerox
The Xerox photocopy machine was marketed as the miracle working machine in 1977 Super Bowl, with its capacity of churning out 2 pages per second, a feat commendable for its time. The ad featured a monk commissioned to make five hundred painstaking, exact copies of what is assumed to be a holy manuscript. Through a secret passageway into the future, he walks into the office of Xerox, with its computerized duplicating machine. With its futuristic tones, it captivated audiences that yearned to increase their work efficiency manifold. The ad won several awards as well, and is believed to have achieved a milestone in Super Bowl advertising history.
