The Super Bowl is one of the biggest television spectacles in America. While the game on the gridiron may not be an instant classic most of the time, there's no denying that the Super Bowl ads are great every year.
With many eyes on the Super Bowl, most companies often bring a celebrity or two on their Super Bowl ad for extra endorsement. The ads on this list are most iconic for how they feature celebrities and end up being memorable in the long run.
Cindy Crawford - "Two Kids" (Pepsi, 1992)
Legendary supermodel Cindy Crawford certainly turned a lot of heads in her 1992 Super Bowl ad for Pepsi. It was a commercial so classic, Pepsi recreated it a decade later in 2002, and then again in 2018 (with Crawford's son, no less).
Parking her car at a gas station, Crawford got out of her car wearing a tank top and jean shorts. As she buys a can of Pepsi, she catches the attention of two young boys looking at her. Then Crawford sipped from her can, making for one of the most iconic shots ever seen in any Super Bowl commercial.
Betty White - "Betty White" (Snickers, 2010)
Watching Betty White playing football, given her old age, is quite jarring to see. However, in this Snickers Super Bowl ad, the then 88-year old actress played some tackle football with a bunch of guys. After running to catch a pass, White gets ferociously tackled into the ground.
White gets pulled into the huddle, and a teammate of her asks, "Mike, what is your deal?" And after eating a Snickers, White suddenly turns into Mike. Not only did this commercial end up being a classic, but it also thrust White back into the national limelight.
Lil Nas X and Sam Elliott - "Cool Ranch Dance" (Doritos, 2020)
Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" was an immensely popular song in 2019, topping many charts. It was so popular, that it resulted in a Super Bowl ad for Doritos featuring Lil Nas X - and famous cowboy actor, Sam Elliott.
Lil Nas X and Elliott met up at, amusingly, an old town road for a wild west showdown. But instead of a cowboy shootout, both men engaged in a dance battle for a bag of Doritos Cool Ranch chips. It wasn't until Nas X got on his horse and made him dance that Elliot respectfully bowed out. As Nas X rode into the sunset, Billy Ray Cyrus sat on a porch strumming his guitar, insisting that he "ain't dancin'".
Ray Charles - “You Got the Right One Baby” (Diet Pepsi, 1991)
During the early nineties, Diet Pepsi used "You Got the Right One, Baby" as a slogan. Pioneering this slogan was singer Ray Charles, who played on his piano for a series of three Super Bowl commercials for Diet Pepsi.
The late Ray Charles wasn't alone, for he had a bunch of models singing "You Got the Right One Baby, Uh Huh" with him. The words "Uh Huh" became the song's tagline, and in one particular ad, Charles even questioned if his song has caught on around the world.
John Krasinki, Chris Evans, and Rachel Dratch - "Smaht Pahk" (Hyundai, 2020)
The Boston accent is a rather unique accent, with Bostonians constantly forfeiting the "r" sound for the "ah" sound. When hearing multiple people speaking this accent at the same time, it can be quite overwhelming - or even amusing.
Boston-bred stars Chris Evans, John Krasinki, and Rachel Dratch appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Hyundai, all of them hamming up their Boston accents. All three shone in this ad, acting like typical Bostoners as they discussed the smart parking assist of Krasinki's Hyundai Sonata. Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz also made an appearance and even he was a fan of the "smaht pahk" feature.
Joe Namath and Farrah Fawcett - "Joe Namath" (Noxzema, 1974)
During his playing days, former New York Jets quarterback appeared in a lot of TV commercials. One of those commercials was a Super Bowl ad in 1974 for Noxzema, which starred him and Charlie's Angels actress Farrah Fawcett.
The ad itself is very straightforward, complete with a jingle ("Let Noxzema cream your face") and Farrah applying plenty of Noxzema to Namath's face in a rather sensual manner. Namath was clearly all smiles throughout, awfully giddy as expressed by his famous line, “I’m so excited, I’m gonna get creamed!"
Gordon Ramsay, Rebel Wilson, Cardi B, and Sir Anthony Hopkins - "Alexa Loses Her Voice" (Amazon, 2018)
When Alexa suddenly loses her voice, it's up to a bunch of celebrity stand-ins hired by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to take her place. For the most part, however, the results were all failures. As expected.
Gordon Ramsay went off on a man asking how a grilled cheese sandwich. Rebel Wilson talked dirty to a man who just wanted to set the mood for his dinner party. Cardi B questioned why anyone would go to the moon after being asked about Mars, and Sir Anthony Hopkins told a woman calling her boyfriend that he's unavailable. Eventually, near the end of the ad, Alexa got her voice back.
Michael Jordan - "Hare Jordan" (Nike, 1992)
Three years before he teamed up with Bugs Bunny against the Monstars, Michael Jordan first met the Looney Tunes star in a Super Bowl ad for Nike. A few basketball players disturbed Bugs while playing at a local gym, and Bugs challenged them to a basketball game - with his teammate, Michael Jordan.
Laced up in his "Hare" Air Jordan VIIs, Bugs had no problem holding his own on the court while dropping anvils and throwing pies. Jordan was no slouch either, dunking over his opponents left and right. In the end, Bugs and Jordan prevailed - and their newfound friendship would serve as a catalyst for Space Jam years later.
Michael Jordan and Larry Bird - "Showdown" (McDonald's, 1993)
Honest question: would you play a game of HORSE, just for a Big Mac? Apparently, that's what Jordan and Larry Bird did after Bird challenged Jordan to a shooting contest in this ad for McDonald's.
In this fierce competition, Jordan and Bird tried to nail all sorts of shots, with neither man letting up. The shots they made were all over the place, going from behind the baseline to even at the top of the building. Although the winner was never shown, Jordan made it known to Bird repeatedly that there would be "nothing but net".
Joe Greene - "Hey Kid, Catch!" (Coca-Cola, 1980)
Joe Greene is arguably the greatest Pittsburgh Steeler ever, known for his intimidating play style. Hence the moniker Mean Joe Greene. However, this classic Super Bowl commercial shows a softer side of this NFL Hall of Famer.
Greene limped to the Steelers locker room through a tunnel when he passed by a young boy. The boy told Greene that he still thinks he's the best, before offering him a bottle of Coca-Cola. Greene accepted the soda and drinks the entire bottle, as the boy walked away, only for Greene to turn around and call out to the boy before tossing him his jersey. The boy happily thanked Greene and Green smiled in return, making for a very heartwarming moment.