The 15 Best Super Bowl Commercials of All Time

When it comes to must-watch sporting events, it doesn’t get any bigger than the Super Bowl. The final showdown of the NFL season normally features the two best teams in the league and is a massive event attended by tens of thousands of football fans. Then there are the millions around the globe who tune in to watch the greatest showpiece in football. But for some, it’s not just the Super Bowl that’s worth watching. They are there for the halftime show and best Super Bowl commercials.

The halftime show always delivers the biggest artists performing all their hits, along with star-studded commercials from the most well-known brands. It’s these 30-second to one-minute advertisements for products most of us don’t care about that are the best thing about the Super Bowl. The best Super Bowl commercials more often than not feature famous celebrities and are like short films.

Back in the day these ads were super cheap and nothing spectacular, but as the Super Bowl grew and more and more people began watching across the globe, money invested in these ads skyrocketed. These days securing a Super Bowl ad costs brands $6.5 million, which is just incredible. Then the ads themselves often cost millions, but the exposure they bring makes it all worthwhile.

Due to the competitiveness between brands, Super Bowl adverts have gotten so good over the years that they are like mini-movies. With the NFL season recently started, we thought we’d take a look at the best Super Bowl commercials of all time. Enjoy!

1. Doritos – Super Bowl LIV (2020)

Capitalizing on the success of Lil Nas X’s monster hit “Old Time Road,” Doritos enlisted the young rapper to go up against famous cowboy Sam Elliot. The two duel it out in the streets for a bag of Doritos Cool Ranch chips. Lil Nas X and Elliot have a dance-off to determine the winner, with a special guest popping up at the very end.

2. Apple – Super Bowl XVIII (1984)

Directed by Ridley Scott (who was fresh from the success of Blade Runner), this dystopian commercial is influenced by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, and positions Apple as mankind’s savior from IBM, all without actually showing the product. A very clever piece of advertising.

3. McDonald’s – Super Bowl XXVII (1993)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oACRt-Qp-s

Two of the NBA’s greatest teamed up for this blockbuster commercial from McDonald’s. Larry Bird and Michael Jordan play a game of one on one, with the prize being Jordan’s Big Mac meal. Their rivalry for the burger gets crazier and crazier as they are forced to try trick shots in order to beat the other.

4. Tang – Super Bowl I (1967)

Remember Tang? This ad will get you hyped to track down a bottle of this powdered orange goodness. There’s not much to the ad, but the jingle is catchy. We’ve certainly come a long way when it comes to what defines the best Super Bowl commercials.

5. Cadillac – Super Bowl LV (2021)

Timothee Chalamet takes on the role of Edward Scissorhands in this funny advertisement for Cadillac. Might be time for a reboot starring the Dune star.

6. Pepsi – Super Bowl XXVI (1992)

During the 90s Cindy Crawford was everywhere. One of the original “supermodels,” Crawford will leave you breathless in this commercial for Pepsi. Pulling up to a roadside service station in a red Lamborghini, Crawford is wearing a tight white top and cut-off denim shorts. Looking to quench her thirst, she grabs a Pepsi from the machine and downs it as two young boys look on.

Ten years later Crawford reenacted the commercial, this time drinking a Diet Pepsi and driving an SUV containing her two kids. Cute.

7. Amazon – Super Bowl LVI (2022)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2JZv6b6hUE

Amazon roped in Scarlett Johansson and her husband Colin Jost for this commercial advertising the brand’s virtual assistant technology system Alexa. The two envision a world where Alexa can read your mind, which turns out to be more trouble than it’s worth.

8. Budweiser – Super Bowl XXIX (1995)

It wouldn’t be an article about the best Super Bowl commercials if it didn’t feature this gem from Budweiser. Although short at just 30 seconds, these talking frogs get the message across pretty clearly; drink Budweiser.

9. UberEats – Super Bowl LV (2021)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZM2NqmIr8k

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprise their roles as Wayne and Garth for this nostalgic commercial advertising UberEats. Similar to a scene in Wayne’s World where the duo talks about how they would never sell out while selling out, the two use babies and Cardi B to advertise UberEats. They’ve sold us.

10. Snickers – Super Bowl XLIV (2010)

Confectionary brand Snickers best advertising slogan, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” has been a constant of its marketing plans for the past decade. These great ads star famous celebrities who are not themselves until they chow down on a Snickers bar.

The catchphrase first appeared in this classic Super Bowl commercial where Mike (played by Betty White) is sucking at football. After having a Snickers he turns back into his normal self and is ready to get on with the game.

11. Budweiser – Super Bowl XXXIV (2000)

The great American drink makes its second appearance on this list with the classic “Wassup?” commercial from Super Bowl XXXIV. It features a group of guys “watching the game, having a bud,” who start saying “Wassup?” to each other down the phone.

It’s pretty silly but the catchphrase “Wassup?” became a part of pop culture and has always been associated with Budweiser since this ad aired. The commercial also got parodied in Scary Movie and led to a slew of spin-off commercials featuring the iconic phrase.

12. General Motors – Super Bowl LV (2021)

A bearded Will Ferrell hates that Norway is leading the way when it comes to electric vehicles, so he decides to head there in a General Motors electric vehicle to prove a point, bringing Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina along for the ride. It’s stupid but funny.

13. Pepsi – Super Bowl XXXVI (2002)

At the height of her popularity, Britney Spears took a huge wad of cash to star in this unique advertisement for Pepsi. Spears is seen playing a selection of characters and singing about Pepsi during different time periods, including as a beach bum in the 60s, a hippie in the 70s, and Robert Palmer in the 80s, taking off his huge hit “Simply Irresistible.”

It’s a fun commercial that almost acts as a music video clip for Spears, bringing back memories of when the starlet ran the pop charts.

14. FTX – Super Bowl LV (2021)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH5-rSxilxo

Cryptocurrency trading platform FTX went big with their first Super Bowl commercial. Clocking in at two and a half minutes, this epic slice of advertising stars Larry David as himself. He is shown throughout time knocking back good ideas, such as the wheel, coffee, the toilet, and portable music players.

It’s just a super small episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that does a good job of getting FRX over while making use of David’s comedic skills.

15. Lay’s Potato Chips – Super Bowl LVI (2022)

Seth Rogan and Paull Rudd are the stars of Lay’s hilarious Super Bowl LVI ad. As they two munch on a packet of Lay’s before Rogan’s marriage, they take a nostalgia-filled trip down memory lane.

This includes the two on a road trip eating Lay’s and singing Shania Twain’s “You’re the One I Love” and getting stuck in the middle of a turf war.

The way the commercial ties the story together at the end is also clever, elevating this Super Bowl ad above many others.

16. Old Spice – Super Bowl XLIV (2010)

Old Spice has been around for decades. It’s the aftershave your dad probably wore when wooing your mom. While still associated with old men, the brand is doing its best to appeal to the youth. This commercial for Old Spice body wash is aimed at women and tries to convince them that if they get their partner to were Old Spice they will instantly become a better dude.

This Old Spice ad kicked off a series of commercials starring former NFL player Isaiah Amir Mustafa as the face of the brand, who will now forever be known as the “Man Your Man Could Smell Like.”

17. Volkswagen – Super Bowl XLV (2011)

Volkswagen cashed in on the Star Wars craze with this cute and funny commercial. A young kid dressed as Darth Vader tries to use the Force to move various objects around the home to no avail. He eventually has success when his dad’s Volkswagen appears to start by itself.

18. Cheetos – Super Bowl LVI (2022)

2022 was a star-studded year when it comes to Super Bowl commercials. Cheetos 30-second spot stars rapper Megan thee Stallion and singer Charlie Puth in an ad featuring dancing and singing animals. There’s a bit going on, but it’s good fun and another interesting marketing approach from Cheetos.

19. Clash of Clans – Super Bowl XLIX (2015)

Liam Neeson channels his Taken character as he seeks revenge on the player who defeated him in the online game Clash of Titans. Not much else happens in this one, but it’s always good to see Neeson doing his thing.

20. Hellmann’s Mayo – Super Bowl LV (2021)

Iconic mayonnaise brand Hellmann’s Mayo wants to tackle food waste and uses former NFL player Jerod Mayo to get the message across in this great Super Bowl commercial. Mayo is seen tackling a bunch of different people, including an elderly lady and Pete Davidson, who is someone we would all like to tackle.

21. Booking.com – Super Bowl LVI (2022)

Idris Elba heads this big-budget commercial for Booking.com. Elba pops up in various exotic locations around the world as he gives a spiel about the company and what they do while admitting the name isn’t great. This is a solid ad that pokes fun at the brand while still getting it over.

22. Reebok – Super Bowl XXXVII (2003)

Looking to try something different in their officers, Reebok recruits linebacker Terry Tate to shake things up. Tate is then seen taking out various members of staff for their tardiness and lack of effort. The commercial was so successful that Tate reprised his role in a follow-up a few years later.

23. General Motors –  Super Bowl LVI (2022)

General Motors is at it again with another brilliant Super Bowl commercial. This one finds Mike Myers returning as another of his famous characters, this time Dr Evil.

The nemesis of Austin Powers is the new owner of General Motors and has to be convinced by his inner circle – which includes Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina, Rob Lowe as Number 2, and Seth Green as Scott Evil – to save the world from climate change by driving electric vehicles. This ad has plenty of laughs and funny callbacks to the movies.

24. Audi – Super Bowl XLIII (2015)

Action hero Jason Statham outruns some bad guys in a commercial set over different decades. Kicking off in the 70s, the Stath drives different types of Audi until making it to the present day where he finally gets away from enemies in the latest version of the Audi.

25. BMW –  Super Bowl LVI (2022)

Arnold Schwarzenegger is Zeus in this hilarious commercial from BMW. Heading to earth with his wife Hera (Salma Hayak) to retire, Zeus struggles to fit in until he discovers BMW’s all-electric SUV. And if you’ve ever wanted to watch Schwarzenegger and Hayak sing Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue,” this is the commercial for you.