Each year, football fans everywhere ritualistically gather around their televisions for the last game of the season. The penultimate showdown will occasionally live up to the impossibly large hype, but often the games aren't as close or as interesting as one would like. That's why there's more to the Super Bowl than the game itself.
There's the halftime show, usually featuring some of the most glamorous performers around, and occasionally giving us memorable moments like the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake Nipplegate hoopla of 2004. There's the post-game television premieres, looking to capitalize off the large, built-in audience. And there's the Super Bowl-themed sideshows, like the Puppy Bowl and the less adorable but equally fascinating Lingerie Bowl.
Then there are the ads. Games may be forgotten, players can disappear into obscurity, but advertisements are forever. So here are the ten most memorable advertisements that left an indelible impact by airing during the Super Bowl.
Coca-Cola - Mean Joe"" Greene (1979)
Coca-Cola is a company that has had its fair share of memorable advertisements. From the polar bears to last year's Grand Theft Auto parody, the Coke brand has staying power. But none can hold a candle to 1979's ad featuring fierce Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker ""Mean Joe"" Greene. In it, Greene is heading into the locker room after a game and encounters a kid with an ice-cold, refreshing Coke in his hand. Miraculously, this is exactly the beverage Greene was looking for, and he offers the lucky fan his jersey as a token of his appreciation. This commercial has also been redone, including Sunday's game, which saw Steelers safety Troy Polamalu accepting a Coke Zero while competing in the big game. Fans will therefore be unavoidably reminded not only of today's great Steelers defense, but also of the great ""steel curtain"" defense of the 1970s, and the generosity of a certain linebacker who was not so mean after all.
- Kevin Slane
E*Trade Baby Commercial (2008)
The E*Trade baby commercial takes the cake as the best Super Bowl ad from 2008. What is better than a cute little baby, talking in a manly voice, buying stocks? Obviously nothing. Not only is he witty, he's a lot smarter than the average 40-year-old. But the audience is pleasantly reminded that he is just a baby when his breakfast doesn't sit well in his stomach and he spits up on his keyboard. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be forced to get E*Trade insurance, creating an ad worthy of recognition.
- Jenny Peek
McDonald's - The Showdown (1993)
In the NBA's glory days, their image ran through the legendary names of Erving, Bird and Johnson. But in Michael Jordan, the NBA found a marketing diamond who solely carried the image of the league for almost two decades. One of his most memorable ads aired during the Super Bowl in 1993, consisting of the greatest game of HORSE ever documented. It includes shots that are bouncing off roofs, walls, rafters and scoreboards with each attempt, culminating in one of Jordan's several catchphrases that went on to define the '90s: ""Nothin' but net.""
- Justin Stephani
Budweiser - Instant Replay (2007)
By now, everyone recognizes the iconic Clydesdale horses from the Budweiser commercials. Because of this, Budweiser has been able to successfully create several spinoffs featuring the Clydesdales and other animals in comical situations. In this particular instance, Budweiser parodied their previous commercial featuring the Clydesdales playing a game of snow football, adding the additional twist of a referee reviewing the play. Only, rather than a human zebra (a common nickname for referees and their striped attire), the commercial features an actual zebra, sure to leave audiences wishing for an instant replay of their own.
- Kevin Slane
Reebok - Terry Tate: Office Linebacker (2003)
It was Super Bowl XXXVII, and America was suffering through one of the most boring championship games ever. Thankfully, the nation's sports fans were at least treated to Reebok's Terry Tate: Office Linebacker, one of the best Super Bowl ads of all time. Usually the best commercials are front-loaded at the beginning of the game, but Terry Tate snuck up on viewers midway through the fourth quarter with a ridiculous display of Mr. Tate laying out bone-jarring hits on unsuspecting cubicle drones. Terry Tate took a throwaway non-sequitur and turned it into 60 seconds of genuine hilarity, something that sadly isn't seen enough.
- Todd Stevens
Electronic Data Systems - o Cat Herders (2000)
When asked to name the two teams that competed for the Lombardi trophy in 2000, the average person will probably struggle to remember the forgettable contest between the Ravens and Giants. But the herding cats commercial that premiered during that game is one of the more memorable Super Bowl ads of our lifetime. Even though it doesn't serve its main purpose, because no one remembers it was a commercial for Electronic Data Systems, it is still remembered for its originality and creativity. And, placed in a game that lacked star power and a close score to retain intrigue, this ads' recognizability proves it deserves to be on any list of great Super Bowl ads.
- Danny Marchewka
Nissan Pigeon Attack (1997)
Let's first establish a safe Super Bowl ad maxim: poop is funny. With that concept in mind, Nissan capitalized on the sleek maneuverability of their new sedan and the hilarity of poop in a 1997 ad during the Packers-Patriots Super Bowl. As if watching the Packers win the NFL title wasn't enough, seeing a squadron of pigeons complete with pilot headgear and goggles dive-bombing a Nissan sedan in an attempt to successfully defecate on it was the proverbial icing on the cake - or feces on the hood, if you prefer. Set, quite fittingly, to the song ""Danger Zone"" from ""Top Gun"", the ad featured the birds hilariously missing the sedan and ruining a wedding with their runny projectiles. Billy Idol might have thought it was a nice day for a ""White Wedding"", but I highly doubt this was what he had in mind.
- Jon Spike
Bridgestone Tires (2008)
It's hard to go wrong when cute animals are involved. Bridgestone was well aware of this advantage in their 2008 Super Bowl commercial, which put a new, hilarious twist on the common threat of roadkill. When a squirrel unknowingly wanders in the path of an oncoming car, its shriek of terror triggers similar reactions from its fellow woodland animals, and the audience discovers just what a screaming deer, mouse, turtle and even insect sounds like. However, the wife's slasher movie scream from the passenger side of the car takes the cake, causing her husband to smoothly turn the vehicle and avoid the squirrel. There's comedic value, a happy ending and adorable animals - definitely a winning combination.
- Kate Manegold
Budweiser Frogs (1994)
During the 1994 Super Bowl, Budweiser premiered one of the best ad campaigns of our generation by a beer company. The first ad of this campaign is the best because of its immediate ability to intrigue viewers with such simplicity, switching back and forth between three frogs sporadically spitting their designated syllable. Then it culminates in a gratifying moment of clarity when the syllables fall in line and the Budweiser sign creeps into the picture. Adding an iguana to the mix as another character, Budweiser had created a campaign to be reckoned with. Plus, all of this success comes with the brand name at the center of the ads 'intrigue, which ensures nobody is going to forget who made these entertaining spots anytime soon.
- Justin Stephani
Apple - 1984 (1984)
Although there have been many great Super Bowl commercials in the past, nothing comes close to Apple's 1984 advertisement. Directed by acclaimed director Ridley Scott, the commercial manages to create a sense of both fear and anticipation in the viewer. The commercial, set in a dystopian environment meant to mirror George Orwell's seminal novel ""1984
