SBJ In Depth

Super Bowl: Best and worst ads

1.28.2008

Best of the bunch


Coke “Mean Joe Greene” Super Bowl XIV, 1980 Tough to say much about this tug on the heartstrings that hasn’t been said already. Adoring kid gives Mean Joe a Coke, Greene downs the beverage, transforms from angry football player into caring father figure, and tosses the kid his Steelers jersey in thanks. Emotional attributes that attracted consumers; product as hero that resonated among Coke bottlers. One test of a good ad is how deeply it is absorbed into popular culture. Mean Joe aced that exam. The concept became a made-for-TV movie and spawned overseas versions with star jocks such as Diego Maradona in Argentina and Dino Zoff in Italy.	McDonald’s “Showdown” Super Bowl XXVII, 1993 Two of the NBA’s pillars in an increasingly preposterous game of H-O-R-S-E: “First one to miss watches the other eat” McD’s food, according to Michael Jordan. The relatively flightless Larry Bird warns Jordan up front, “No dunking.” In the ad from Leo Burnett, the shots start on the court and finish in the land of absurd: “over the river, off the billboard, through the window, nothing but net.” By the next Super Bowl, the concept had jumped the shark. Charles Barkley was competing with MJ in an interplanetary H-O-R-S-E competition.

FedEx “Stanley Cup/Bolivia” Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999 The Joe Pytka-directed ad from BBDO, New York, shows how the use of a Brand X delivery company results in the mistaken delivery of a bag of feed to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, where the champion Red Wings are waiting to take the Stanley Cup on a victory lap around the rink. Meanwhile, in Bolivia, one Jose Luis Arena has no idea of what to do with the trophy, so he makes it “El Especial De Hoy” at the local market. It’s funny enough to stand up to repeated viewings and is a rare sighting of the NHL in advertising’s biggest showcase.	E-Trade “Monkey Dance” Super Bowl XXXIV, 2000 For all the excess and marketing gaffes from dot-coms seeking instant visibility through Super Bowl advertising, occasionally they got it right. Still one of the most referenced Super Bowl ads, this Goodby Silverstein spot depicts a chimp in an E-Trade T-shirt rather pointlessly dancing in a garage atop a garbage can to the strains of “La Cucaracha.” The kicker is a graphic: “We just wasted $2 million bucks. What are you doing with your money?” It’s humorous and brand-centric, a rare combination in Super Bowl ads, where yuks often take precedence. The chimp stayed with E-Trade though a few more Super Bowls.

Diet Pepsi “Ray Charles” Super Bowl XXV, 1991 This game between the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills is remembered as much for Whitney Houston’s rendition of the national anthem during the first Gulf War as it is for Scott Norwood’s attempted game-winning field goal missing “wide right.” As the early diet cola wars flared, Coke tried to go patriotic, rolling simple graphics telling viewers “it would be inappropriate to run our lighthearted commercials at this time.” But altruism at Super Bowl prices was something the public did not buy. Diet Pepsi used the same Super Bowl to launch a catchy jingle that showcased Ray Charles crooning “you got the right one baby, uh huh.” America sang along with Ray and Diet Pepsi for another nine ads. Uh-huh.	Apple “1984” Super Bowl XVIII, 1984 It is not hyperbolic to say this ad from Chiat\Day changed both Super Bowl advertising and TV advertising forever. Competitor IBM is cast as Big Brother, and as a mesmerized audience of 200 skinhead extras watches him praise the values of conformity on a big screen, a woman with a sledgehammer smashes the screen to pieces. Directed by Ridley Scott (“Blade Runner”) and carrying a then-unheard of production budget in excess of $800,000, the ad introduced Apple’s Macintosh computer, without once showing the product. Consumers flocked to stores and the ad remains an eloquent synopsis of Apple’s brand identity.

Big time busts


Bud Light “Flatulent Filly” Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004 An unsavory rip-off of a “Seinfeld” episode, this ad ran in the Super Bowl that will always be associated with tastelessness because of Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction.” Romance in a horse-drawn sleigh is rendered impossible by a gassy steed; the animal’s discharge sets a woman’s hair ablaze. The bad jokes continue after the woman is torched. “Do you smell barbecue?” her would-be paramour asks, followed by “Cool, a rocket sled” as the horse takes off. Did we mention this was supposed to be a beer ad?	Network Associates “Nuclear Hackers” Super Bowl XXXII, 1998 “Who’s Watching Your Network?” asks the voice-over, as Russian military types try to determine if the signal they’ve received to launch their missile is real or the work of hackers. Faced with the prospect of nuclear annihilation, they shrug and launch their missile. If the prospect of atomic incineration isn’t humorous, the kicker is less funny. “Where’s that missile headed?” says one soldier to his comrade. The reply “Los Angeles.” His answer “Bummer.” So is this travesty.

Pets.com “Sock Puppet” Super Bowl XXXIV, 2000 A canine sock puppet wails a Chicago oldie when owners leave home to buy pet products. Wouldn’t it be much easier to buy pet food online? Guess not. While it was a popular ad, the spokescharacter, last seen touting auto finance firm 1800barnone, gained ultimate fame as a symbol of dot-com excess and failure. Before Pets.com breathed its last in 2000, the sock puppet had appeared on “Nightline” and in balloon form in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Licensing deals included clothing and plush versions; you can still find some on eBay, a somewhat more successful Internet retailer.	Burger King “Herb the Nerd” Super Bowl XX, 1986 At a time when Wendy’s “Where’s the beef” campaign was roaring, BK countered with this abomination, which began in the fall with a teaser “Who’s Herb?” campaign. In the Super Bowl spot, Herb was revealed as a balding geek who had never eaten a Whopper. While it spent $40 million behind the campaign, the ads sent BK customers to competitors. With market share slipping, BK fired agency J. Walter Thompson. Just another reason for Wendy’s spokeswoman Clara Peller to loudly exclaim “Where’s the beef?”

Holiday Inn “Class Reunion” Super Bowl XXXI, 1997 We don’t mind the use of a transsexual in this ad, but as students of marketing, we are repelled by its use in an ad for a Middle American brand like Holiday Inn. When you are desperate for Super Bowl laughs, judgment can go awry. A class reunion shows a man trying to place the name of a vaguely recognizable former classmate. Turns out SHE is the former Bob Johnson. Holiday Inn was trying to push its own makeover. “It’s amazing the changes you can make for a few thousand dollars. Imagine what Holiday Inns will look like when we spend a billion.” Bob Johnson is likely to bear children before this commercial connected with consumers. The ad was pulled less than a week after its Super Bowl debut.	Just for Feet “Kenyan Runner” Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999 A humvee filled with white men chases down a barefoot Kenyan runner, drugs him and forces Nikes on his feet. It’s a great ad if you are selling imperialism, racism or colonialism; not so stellar as an ad for a family shoe store. The creative paled in contrast to what followed. Just For Feet sued its ad agency and was bankrupt less than 13 months after running the fateful ad. Three former executives subsequently pleaded guilty to overstating earnings. Talk about bad karma: the Agony of Just For Feet.

PREVIOUS Stadium to roll in and out with the changes NEXT Super Bowl memories

SPONSORED CONTENT

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS

PODCASTS

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: May 14, 2024

May 14, 2024

The WNBA's biggest moment? More fractures in men's golf; Conferences set agendas for spring meetings and the revamp of the Charlotte Hornets continues

Phoenix Mercury/NBC’s Cindy Brunson, NBA Media Deal, Network Upfronts

May 8, 2024

On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp chats with SBJ NBA writer Tom Friend about the pending NBA media Deal. Cindy Brunson of NBC and Phoenix Mercury is our Big Get this week. The sports broadcasting pioneer talks the upcoming WNBA season. Later in the show, SBJ media writer Mollie Cahillane gets us set for the upcoming network upfronts.

SBJ I Factor: Molly Mazzolini

April 23, 2024

SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

SBJ TV

Sports Media Podcast April 24 Whos Up Whos Down

4 mins

Sports Media Podcast April 17 2024 The Big Get Molly Solomon

5 mins

Sports Media Podcast March 27 2024

29 mins

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2008/01/28/SBJ-In-Depth/Super-Bowl-Best-And-Worst-Ads.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2008/01/28/SBJ-In-Depth/Super-Bowl-Best-And-Worst-Ads.aspx