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The Super Bowl is the premier stage for advertisers, a showcase for the best creativity and biggest brand ambitions. To mark Super Bowl 2025, ADWEEK looks back on the best Big Game commercials from the past quarter century.
2000: Budweiser “Wassup?” by DDB Chicago
When is a commercial so stupid, it’s brilliant? When it’s Budweiser’s (in)famous “Wassup?” It’s simple, infectious and hilarious, with a single catch phrase repeated over and over. It became a nationwide call and response not just for young men, but for people of all ages. The spot came from Charles Stone III, based on his short film called “True,” which caught DDB’s attention and won over Anheuser-Busch scion August Busch IV. Many reboots and sequels followed its initial airings, with the brand later repurposing the concept for a Burger King crossover and a PSA during Covid lockdowns.
- Sales Impact Score: 61
- Brand Impact: 26
- Brand Recall: 77%
- Consumer Voice: “Captures a sense of fun and camaraderie.”
2001: Pepsi “Britney Spears” by BBDO
Pepsi has mastered the art of capitalizing on Super Bowl viewership and capturing iconic moments in time. It has partnered with stars from Cindy Crawford to Beyoncé, but Britney Spears’ performance was Pepsi at its Super Bowl peak. As well as being entertaining, the brand’s longtime partnership with the pop diva tapped into the cultural zeitgeist and remains a Big Game ad classic.
- Sales Impact Score: 82
- Brand Impact: 57
- Brand Recall: 82%
- Consumer Voice: “Loved the dancing, and Britney made it exciting.”
2002: Levi’s “Crazy Legs” by TBWA\Chiat\Day San Francisco
After a years-long sales decline, Levi’s placed a big bet on an unusual strategy for the Super Bowl in the pre-social media era. The brand bought an ad slot and asked people to vote on which of three executions they’d like to see during the game. The winner was “Crazy Legs,” directed by Spike Jonze and featuring an actor dancing down the street in Levi’s Flyweight jeans. The ad won over viewers while helping to boost sales at the jeans maker.
- Sales Impact Score: 19
- Brand Impact: 15
- Brand Recall: 58%
- Consumer Voice: “Loved the music and the dancing. Very entertaining.”
2003: Reebok “Terry Tate Office Linebacker” by Arnell Group
“Terrible” Terry Tate had a brutal way of enforcing office protocol, but that was presumably why a company called Felcher & Sons hired him to keep his fellow employees in line. The bone-crushing slapstick, credited with becoming one of the first viral ads, holds up two decades later as a sterling example of branded content, despite launching before branded content was even a thing. And it made a star of Lester Speight, who hit all his marks, literally.
- Sales Impact Score: 29
- Brand Impact: 4
- Brand Recall: 49%
- Consumer Voice: “Hilarious and unexpected. Won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.”
2004: Honda “Raised by Wolves” by RPA
Car ads used to stick to a lane, offering up a steady stream of beautiful product shots. In other words, porn for gearheads. At the 2004 Super Bowl, Honda broke from that tradition, focusing instead on the driver–and in this case, one far more memorable than the average commuter. Character actor-comedian Scott Adsit nailed the benign wolf man going about his everyday routine, like drinking directly from the water cooler at work and chasing wildlife on a camping trip. The docu-style tone helped sell the offbeat concept.
- Sales Impact Score: 25
- Brand Impact: 6
- Brand Recall: 68%
- Consumer Voice: “Funny. Unorthodox. Inclusive.”
2005: Ameriquest “Don’t Judge Too Quickly (Surprise Dinner)” by DDB LA
The mortgage lender turned out to be a major player during the 2005 Super Bowl, sponsoring the halftime show as well as dropping four ads in its “Don’t Judge Too Quickly” series. Two spots landed in the USA Today Ad Meter top 10, besting leaders in the space like Pepsi. While the creative stands on its own—especially “Surprise Dinner,” featuring a kitchen accident that ends up looking like a cat murder—it was a bit of a swan song. The company folded a few years later amid the country’s predatory lending scandal and housing market slump of 2007.
- Sales Impact Score: 35
- Brand Impact: 1
- Brand Recall: 50%
- Consumer Voice: “Grabs your attention. Loved the sense of humor.”
2006: FedEx “Stick” by BBDO New York
If there’s a sure bet on Big Game day, it’s that viewers love a surprise ending. And in 2006, FedEx delivered, pun somewhat intended, with a Neanderthal-themed spot that departed from its regular office-based narrative. In the charmingly low-fi spot, a caveman uses a pterodactyl to make a delivery, only to see the animal chomped by a tyrannosaurus rex. The boss is irate, and the caveman is fired, even though FedEx wasn’t available 65 million years ago. His day gets considerably worse from there (no spoilers).
- Sales Impact Score: 73
- Brand Impact: 59
- Brand Recall: 74%
- Consumer Voice: “Hilarious. Easy to understand. And the perfect length.”
2007: Coca-Cola “Side of Life” by Wieden+Kennedy
Coca-Cola’s video game-style ad at first resembled the popular Grand Theft Auto, known for scenes of carjackings and violence. But the brand’s high-speed chase went from a bleak landscape to a bright, cheery environment where everyone sings in harmony to the Coca-Cola theme. Coca-Cola’s “Side of Life” campaign, which included other inventive ads like “Avatar,” imbued the brand with fresh energy.
- Sales Impact Score: 74
- Brand Impact: 45
- Brand Recall: 72%
- Consumer Voice: “Love how it changes from dark and gloomy to bright and fun at the end.”
2008: Tide to Go “Interview” by Saatchi & Saatchi New York
As if a job interview isn’t stressful enough, a man trying to sell himself to a potential employer keeps getting interrupted—by the coffee stain on his shirt. In short, it speaks, yet it makes no sense at all. So. Much. Gibberish. The ad turned out to be an unexpected hit, and the Procter & Gamble brand extended the campaign with user-generated content. The “My Talking Stain” contest put some of the ensuing consumer-created spoofs on primetime TV, with the winner getting a showcase during one of the biggest hits of the day, The Office.
- Sales Impact Score: 91
- Brand Impact: 75
- Brand Recall: 70%
- Consumer Voice: “I loved how the stain was talking over the man.”
2009: Miller High Life “1-Second Ad” by Saatchi & Saatchi New York
The beer brand had already cemented a populist theme with its “deliveryman” spots. And during the economic downturn of 2009—fallout from 2008’s bank failures—Miller went bare bones to make a point, becoming the first marketer to buy a one-second spot. (The going rate at the time was $3 million for a 30-second commercial.) A brand sneak peek featured the deliveryman poking fun at that kind of big spending, saying “All we need is a second. High Life!” And indeed, that was the ad, and it spoke volumes.
- Sales Impact Score: 11
- Brand Impact: 1
- Brand Recall: 58%
- Consumer Voice: “Funny, short, and to the point.”
2010: Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” by Wieden+Kennedy Portland
Old Spice has leaned on many types of spokespeople, from robots to moms, in its advertising, but the duo of Terry Crews and Isaiah Mustafa, with their wildly different personas, is still the most memorable. The humorous ad became a cultural phenomenon, scooped numerous awards including a Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix, and boosted Old Spice sales. It’s still inspiring remakes and riffs to this day.
- Sales Impact Score: 89
- Brand Impact: 62
- Brand Recall: 72%
- Consumer Voice: “I like the fun story that is crafted. It is absolutely timeless.”
2011: Volkswagen “The Force” by Deutsch LA
Nearly a decade after its debut, Volkswagen’s “The Force” remained the most-watched Super Bowl ad in history. The commercial, directed by Lance Acord, tapped into the borrowed equity of Star Wars by telling the charming tale of a boy who tries to emulate the powers of Darth Vader. He is frustrated at every turn, until he makes a VW Passat roar to life—with the help of his father’s remote start. While it entertained viewers, the car brand and agency Deutsch also broke the Super Bowl marketing playbook by releasing the ad four days before the game—a move that was unheard of at the time, but is now the norm.
- Sales Impact Score: 86
- Brand Impact: 60
- Brand Recall: 65%
- Consumer Voice: “The cutest ad I’ve ever seen.”
2012: Chrysler “Halftime in America” by Wieden+Kennedy Portland
Hailed as an instant classic, the 2-minute spot featured Clint Eastwood as star and narrator, lending his manly persona and gravelly voice to an homage to Detroit and the American auto industry. But it went much further than that, capturing the public mood after the Great Recession and rallying viewers for a comeback. The ad, with its gently swelling orchestral soundtrack, laid on the football and fighter references, promising “the world is going to hear the roar of our engines.” Memes and parodies would follow, but those watching at the time recall being able to hear a pin drop at Super Bowl parties around the country.
- Sales Impact Score: 12
- Brand Impact: 5
- Brand Recall: 26%
- Consumer Voice: “Unique, played on viewers’ emotions.”
2013: Ram Trucks “Farmer” by The Richards Group
Along with “Halftime in America,” this ad showed that Super Bowl audiences were once attuned to—and willing to engage with—long-form, heart-tugging “message” ads. The 2-minute spot, with beautiful still images from notable photographers, was the very definition of quiet and earnest, the flip side of a raucous football game. Powerful narration came from broadcaster Paul Harvey, though some consumers were confused about what the spot was selling. It was actually a partnership with a national farmer’s organization, triggering donations to the group for every view of the ad.
- Sales Impact Score: 79
- Brand Impact: 35
- Brand Recall: 61%
- Consumer Voice: “Touching, engaging, and inspiring.”
2014: Doritos “Time Machine” by Ryan Andersen (Crash the Super Bowl winner)
“Time Machine,” produced on a paltry $300 budget using homemade props and donated talent, emerged from 5,500 entries across 30 countries as the fan favorite in the eighth consecutive Crash the Super Bowl contest. Its director, Arizona resident Ryan Andersen, won $1 million and a Marvel movie gig. The simply plotted yet timelessly appealing spot, along with other consumer-generated standouts, convinced the brand to revive its competition in 2025 after a decade-long hiatus. It’s a sharp move for at least two reasons: it coincides with an ongoing surge in creator-driven marketing and gives loyalists a sense of ownership of the brand.
- Sales Impact Score: 92
- Brand Impact: 90
- Brand Recall: 75%
- Consumer Voice: “The time machine was great. So creative and different.”
2015: Always “Like a Girl” by Leo Burnett
Today, after a wave of purpose-driven advertising, Always’ “Like a Girl” may look like old hat. But at the time, it was groundbreaking. The P&G brand championed female self-esteem by turning the meaning of the phrase “like a girl” from an insult to a positive statement of empowerment. The campaign sparked a conversation about gender stereotypes in society, and inspired numerous other brands to reexamine their purpose and gender portrayals in advertising.
- Sales Impact Score: 99
- Brand Impact: 92
- Brand Recall: 70%
- Consumer Voice: “Heartwarming, relatable, and relevant.”
2016: Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry – Marilyn Monroe” by BBDO
Snickers’ “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” is a Super Bowl ad classic, so it’s hard to pick just one chapter from the campaign. In 2016, the Mars brand put a wickedly funny twist on Marilyn Monroe’s famous scene from The Seven Year Itch, when her skirt blows around a New York City subway grate. It’s a grumpy Willem Dafoe, not the blonde bombshell, playing out the scene in a difficult movie shoot. But after a bite of Snickers, he transforms into Monroe. Eugene Levy also makes a cameo.
- Sales Impact Score: 92
- Brand Impact: 84
- Brand Recall: 73%
- Consumer Voice: “I like how after he ate the Snickers a pretty female popped up and wasn’t so cranky any more.”
2017: Squarespace “John’s Journey” (in-house)
Squarespace, the website building platform, has become a regular fixture in the Super Bowl with shorts starring high-profile creative talent from Zendaya to Martin Scorsese. In 2017, it gave the spotlight to actor John Malkovich, who, it turned out, wanted to launch his fashion career. With the brand’s signature wry humor, the ad followed Malkovich’s journey as he ran into hurdles when trying to build a fashion website. As seen in this campaign, Squarespace may be pitching a seemingly dry tool, but it’s ultimately about championing people’s creative ambitions and showing a different side to the talent we think we already know.
- Sales Impact Score: 25
- Brand Impact: 3
- Brand Recall: 49%
- Consumer Voice: “Comical, engaging, felt like watching a movie.”
2018: Tide “It’s a Tide Ad” by Saatchi & Saatchi NY
Tide went meta when it bought an ad in every quarter of the 2018 Super Bowl. Each spot riffed a stereotypical Big Game commercial: a car ad, a beer ad, a deodorant ad, and more. All of them, through various twists, turned out to be pitching Tide’s detergent. Actor David Harbour played a wry, omniscient narrator. The campaign took over the Super Bowl and went on to win big prizes, including a prestigious D&AD Black Pencil.
Sales Impact Score: 81
Brand Impact: 74
Brand Recall: 79%
Consumer Voice: “Clever. I’ve never seen an ad quite like it.”
2019: Bud Light x HBO “Joust” by Wieden+Kennedy NY and Droga5
Fans had come to expect the standard “Dilly Dilly” fare from Bud Light during the Super Bowl, so no one was anticipating a crossover between the beer brand and HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones. Ahead of the fantasy series’ much-anticipated final season, the tie-up campaign took place in a kingdom where the Bud Knight faces off with the intimidating Mountain character from the show. As he crushed the skull of Bud Light’s beloved hero like a tin can and a dragon ascended to bathe the jousting field in flame, it became clear this was no ordinary Bud Light ad.
- Sales Impact Score: 51
- Brand Impact: 10
- Brand Recall: 74%
- Consumer Voice: “Liked cinematic feel. Felt like i was watching a TV series.”
2020: Jeep “Groundhog Day” by Highdive
Word of caution to ad folks: when co-opting a classic piece of IP, tread carefully, or risk backlash. In this case, everything—every single thing—went right with Jeep’s 60-second ad that paid tribute to the beloved comedy Groundhog Day and launched, appropriately, on Groundhog Day. The spot featured acting legend Bill Murray, along with other characters from the 1993 film, a sweet Sonny & Cher soundtrack, and an adorable stand-in for Punxsutawney Phil. Aside from its considerable creative achievements, convincing the ad-shy Murray to do his first national spot may have been the biggest coup of all.
- Sales Impact Score: 35
- Brand Impact: 23
- Brand Recall: 49%
- Consumer Voice: “A fun parody. Enjoyable to watch.”
2021: Anheuser-Busch “Let’s Grab a Beer” by Wieden+Kennedy New York
Corporate ads can often feel like trite Americana rather than authentic storytelling. But in 2021, Anheuser-Busch produced something special with “Let’s Grab a Beer,” which captured the true, heartfelt meaning of the phrase. The commercial comprised ten vignettes, including a rained-out wedding, a sudden layoff, and the end of a busy restaurant shift, all ending with someone’s suggestion that they “grab a beer.” Though there wasn’t a face mask in sight, the film’s message of togetherness was especially resonant amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Sales Impact Score: 78
- Brand Impact: 70
- Brand Recall: 60%
- Consumer Voice: “Moving, meaningful, with a positive message.”
2022: Coinbase “QR code” by Accenture Interactive
Coinbase surprised viewers when it ran an ad that consisted only of a colorful QR code floating on a black screen. It looked more like an old-school DVD screensaver than a commercial. When scanned, the image led to a link where people could sign up for the cryptocurrency exchange to redeem $15 worth of free bitcoin. The stark ad, which marked Coinbase’s biggest giveaway, piqued interest with a simple approach that stood out amid a flurry of celebrity-led, big-budget commercials.
- Sales Impact Score: 0
- Brand Impact: 0
- Brand Recall: 31%
- Consumer Voice: “The QR code made it very interesting.”
2023: Tubi “Interface Interruption” by Mischief @ No Fixed Address
Super Bowl 2023 viewers were left scratching their heads when the broadcast was suddenly interrupted by what appeared to be someone scrolling through their Tubi menu. It turned out not to be a technical error but rather a promo for the streaming service. Earlier in the game, Tubi also aired a spot in which aggressive bunnies pulled people down a proverbial rabbit hole. But it was its “gotcha” moment that stole the show during the Big Game.
- Sales Impact Score: 4
- Brand Impact: 8
- Brand Recall: 56%
- Consumer Voice: “Simple, easy to understand.”
2024: CeraVe “Michael CeraVe” by Ogilvy
For a few weeks in early 2024, actor Michael Cera exhibited some strange behavior. He carted around bags of CeraVe, signed bottles of the product in a Brooklyn pharmacy, and stormed out of a podcast interview after being asked about his ties to the L’Oréal brand, leading some to speculate that he was building a side hustle as a skincare guru. Finally, during a Super Bowl ad break, the truth was revealed: Cera’s performance was an elaborate prank for CeraVe’s Big Game debut. By building intrigue, getting hundreds of influencers in on the joke, and capturing the public’s attention weeks before the actual game, CeraVe and Ogilvy executed a campaign that threw out the rules of the Super Bowl marketing playbook.
- Sales Impact Score: 91
- Brand Impact: 75
- Brand Recall: 77%
- Consumer Voice: “Funny, appealing, relaxing and believable.”
Zappi’s Sales and Brand Impact scores are summary metrics assessing an ad’s ability to drive short term sales and long-term brand impact. Scores are percentile rankings benchmarked against a US database of over 4,000 ads tested on Zappi’s Amplify ad system. 100 represents the highest-performing ads in the dataset, while 50 is considered average.
