The Super Bowl is one of the most hotly-anticipated sporting events of the year and attracts millions of viewers across the world.

Therefore, for brands and marketing teams, the event is an opportunity that few want to miss out on as the potential for new customers is unprecedented.

Nevertheless, the cost of a 30-second advert during the Super Bowl is eye-watering – a spot on TV costs around $5-5.6 million dollars. 

Brands can therefore spend hours upon hours coming up with the perfect campaign to boost sales.

As a result, we have seen some glorious adverts throughout the history of the super bowl – here we look at the top five of all time.

5 – Volkswagen: The Force, 2011

The advert shows a young Darth Vader* still learning to master the Force, trying to control anything from a treadmill to the family dog, but to no avail.

That is, until his father returns home and playfully turns the car on remotely to make baby Vader believe he has finally conquered the Force.

4 – Budweiser Frogs, 1995

A much simpler advert, where a sad, lonely, frog who instead of ribbiting, ‘buds’, is courted by a female frog who replies in ‘weises’ to attract him.

As he gets closer and closer to the noise, excitement and tension build between the two until they meet, and she winks at him – resulting in a smug-looking frog. 

3 – Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan for McDonald’s, 1993

Notoriously competitive Jordan walks in with a Big Mac and fries, with Bird propositioning the legendary basketball player that whoever misses first has to watch the other eat it.

A montage of impressive shots from each player ensues, getting more ridiculous and difficult as they go until they eventually get to the top of the John Hancock Centre in Chicago.

Unfortunately, we never find out who got to eat the Big Mac. 

2 – Betty White for Snickers, 2010

A friendly game of American Football is taking place, with Betty White acting as a receiver and getting tackled into the mud before being berated by her teammates – provoking some trash-talk back from Betty White herself.

She then takes a bite of a Snickers bar and returns to her ‘normal’ state. 

1 – Old Spice, 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux4C-uC4mEg – incredible behind the scenes footage

2010 was a big year for Super Bowl ads, and few are as impressive as this one-shot ad from Old Spice.

It took 67 takes to get the perfect one, and it’s no surprise as every tiny detail must be incredibly accurate.

We follow our host from his shower, to a boat where he has tickets ‘for that thing you love’ and then diamonds, before ending up on a horse, leaving audiences stunned at the technical brilliance behind the advert.

Doritos, Bic Lighters, Lay’s, Uber Eats, and Booking.com are set to be the highlights of this year’s TV advertising spots. 

image credits: https://www.yourgolftravel.com/contact-us