The Top 7 Superbowl Commercials

So, considering the fact that I was on the cheer squad in high school, you’d think I’d know something (anything) about football. Alas, I do not. But, like most North Americans, I do watch the Super Bowl, but mostly for the commercials (and occasionally for the half-time show). I’ve been doing this for countless years and there have been some commercials that really have stuck with me, for one reason or another. Below is a list of my favs and I’ve graciously included a YouTube link for your viewing pleasure:

1.     Bridgestone Screaming Squirrel

It’s rare that a tire commercial sets a lasting memory, but when all of nature erupts in a scream…we remember and we all laugh while praying for that poor screaming squirrel.

2.     Bud Light What’s Up

This is one of the first commercials that I remember talking about in school the next day. I’m sure it wasn’t the beginning of the memorable Super Bowl ads, but it was the beginning of that for me. My friends and I wore out Wassup and so did Bud Light.

3.     Etrade Milkaholic

Etrade struck gold with their Etrade baby and this particular commercial became water cooler fodder for weeks, maybe even months after the Super Bowl.

4.     Old Spice Look At Your Man

Isiah Mustafa became a household face after this commercial aired. The innovation for this one was that Old Spice ran the commercial online during the Super Bowl and it still became a complete hit, which relaunched them as a brand for the 21^st century.

5.     Budweiser Dalmatian Trainer

Anytime you combine a horse and a dog, you’ve get all of the feels. What makes this commercial stick is that it’s actually funny. It doesn’t simply play on the cute animal effect. They add in the Rocky theme song and really get you rooting for this Clydesdale.

6.     Volkswagen Darth Vader Kid

Although Volkswagen has been a major brand in the US since the release of the first VW Beetle, this commercial had a revived a lagging brand and left us with something nostalgic, modern, funny and memorable at the same time. Doesn’t hurt that the kid, whose face we never see, is absolutely adorable.

7.    Betty White Snickers

No one, I mean no one, knows how to get a laugh better than Betty White! This snickers commercial launched an entire series of commercials that you’ll still see today. But none of them tops seeing Betty White play touch football, until his girlfriend gives him a Snickers and he kicks off his old lady drawers and gets his head in the game!  Abe Vigoda takes a good hit at the end of the commercial, just topping off this comedic commercial gold mine.

Hopefully, this year’s Super Bowl is as entertaining, for us non-football watchers, as it has been in the past.  

*Written by Lindsay S., commercial-watcher and Redwood resident