Super Bowl commercials began with the very first championship game in 1967, but back then the 3-second spots would cost around $40,000 for an audience of around 24 million.
Over the years, however, the price rose as did the cultural impact – one of the first significant commercials was Apple's iconic "1984" commercial that saw a woman who escapes riot police and runs towards the viewer's screen only to smash it with a hammer, forcing the audience to sit up and take notice.
That advert, which cost around $350,000 for an audience of around 77 million, is considered the turning point for how brands approached the Super Bowl.
Its viewing power now sees the 30-second spots go for upwards of $8 million for an audience of 123.4 million, with cameos from A-listers, powerful social messages – and the opportunity to leave a mark on pop culture like these seven…
Britney Spear's Soda Pop
In 2001 Britney was at the height of her fame, and so of course she partnered with Pepsi for an iconic Super Bowl commercial. Referencing her 2000 MTV Video Music Awards performance, where she stripped from a conservative suit to a nude-colored, sequined bodysuit, Britney wore Pepsi overalls before unveiling a metallic crop top and pants, where she sang an original song "The Joy of Pepsi," backed by dancing Pepsi "employees".
The video was classic Britney, full of her dance moves and bubbly personality – and what made it even more iconic was that same year, Britney took to the field for the Half-Time Performance.
Fed-Ex
In 2000, fans fell in love with Tom Hanks' FedEx employee Chuck and his only friend, Wilson, in the survival blockbuster Cast Away.
So of course it made sense for FedEx to capitalize on the movie, with a Super Bowl parody from the filmmakers that saw a bearded plane crash survivor deliver a package to its owner.
"Because I work for FedEx," he says when asked why he finally delivered the parcel, only to discover that all along the box's contents were a satellite phone, fishing rod and seeds.
The Force
A 2012 Star Wars parody continues to be one of the more memorable Super Bowl commercials for Volkswagen – and an interesting look into how social media and viral reach changed the way the Super Bowl worked.
In the clip, a young boy in a Darth Vader costume walks around his home trying, in vain, to use "The Force" to make household items move. His father arrives home, and when the young Darth attempts to "The Force" to turn the family's Passat on, he has success – unaware that his father is actually controlling the 2012 car via a remote key from inside the house.
Brands pay tens of millions of dollars to have a spot during the Super Bowl, but Volkswagen made the then-unusual decision to release a longer version of the ad on YouTube four days before the game.
It meant that by the time the 30-second spot aired, the world was already talking about Volkswagen and they didn't need to cut through the noise; there was a reported 600%+ increase in social media mentions for the brand.
Big Mac
McDonald's teamed up with two NBA legends in 1993, and the commercial also remains a legend. The clip follows Larry Bird as he offers to play Michael Jordan for the Big Mac and fries Michael had already purchased, with the caveat "first one to miss watches the winner eat".
But with two NBA superstars going up against each other, neither misses a shot, and as the shootout goes on, the players step further and further away from the hoop.
"I think we're gonna be here a while. I suggest you go get a Big Mac," Michael tells the camera – and as the commercial ends, viewers see the pair standing on the edge of the Hancock Center, with Michael explaining the next shot: "Off the expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, off the wall, nothin' but net..."
Frogs
It was 1995 when the world met three frogs named Bud, Weis and Er, who gathered for a Budweiser commercial. The three slowly croak out their names with the group eventually saying the brand's full name.
It was a simple concept – but Bud, Weis, and Er remain some of the most memorable characters of the decade.
Whassup?
Every single millennial knows the phrase "Whassup?" but perhaps not everyone knows we have Budweiser to thank for that.The commercial was inspired by Charles Stone III's short film True, which followed friends comically shouting the greeting over the phone.
In the commercial, they brought back together the same friends who we see using the phrase to check in with each other, with each greeting getting more and more absurd.
The commercial won the Grand Prix at Cannes (the "Oscars" of advertising), and the ripple effect saw the phrase appear in the Scary Movie franchise and become a part of the cultural lexicon – to the point that it was revived in 2020 to encourage people to check on friends during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Gladiators
Britney Spears, Pink, Beyonce, and Enrique Iglesias. 2004 is calling.
This Pepsi commercial saw the pop powerhouses walk into the Colosseum as gladiators, only to put down their weapons – to the dismay of Enrique's ruler – and lead the crowd in a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".
As the stadium vibrates with the beat, Enrique's crate of Pepsi falls into the arena, with the pop stars picking up their bounty – and throwing them into the crowds.
Are you not entertained?
