The greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time — YouTube archive
For 60 years, Super Bowl commercials have been their own cultural event — the one day a year when millions of viewers want to watch the ads. From Apple's '1984' Macintosh launch to Coca-Cola's Mean Joe Greene to Budweiser's Frogs to Coinbase's QR code, here are the greatest Super Bowl ads ever made — each with a YouTube link to watch.
A 30-second Super Bowl ad in 2025 cost ~$8 million. The first Super Bowl ad in 1967 cost $37,500. Brands spend roughly equal money on the ad and producing it — total production + airtime often exceeds $15M for a single 30-second spot. Famous brands that ALWAYS advertise: Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch held exclusive beer rights 1989-2022), Coca-Cola, Doritos, Tide, Apple, Toyota, GM. Cultural lifespan: a great Super Bowl ad generates conversation, parody, and YouTube views for years — Mini Vader (2011) has 70M+ YouTube views and counting.
📺 1970s — The Birth of the Super Bowl Ad as Event
Before the 1980s, Super Bowl ads were like any other TV ads. Coca-Cola's 1980 "Mean Joe Greene" was the turning point — the first ad people talked about.
Coca-Cola — "Mean Joe Greene" ★ ICONIC
Pittsburgh Steelers' Mean Joe Greene tosses his jersey to a young fan after the kid offers him a Coke. The phrase "Hey kid… catch!" entered the cultural lexicon. The ad was so popular it spawned a 1981 made-for-TV movie ("The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid"). Won a Clio Award.
▶ YouTube · Coca-Cola official
🍎 1980s — Apple's '1984' Changes Everything
Apple's '1984' Macintosh launch ad — directed by Ridley Scott — turned Super Bowl ads into a cultural moment. After this, brands stopped treating Super Bowl ads as just expensive airtime and started treating them as their highest-stakes creative work of the year.
Apple — "1984" (Macintosh launch) ★ G.O.A.T.
A young woman hammers a sledgehammer into a screen showing a Big Brother figure, with a voiceover: "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.'" Aired only once on national TV — the Apple board reportedly hated it and almost killed it. Consistently ranked the greatest commercial of all time. Created the Super Bowl ad as a cultural event.
▶ YouTube · Apple
Bud Bowl — "Bowls Bud Light vs Budweiser" FRANCHISE
The first "Bud Bowl" — stop-motion animation showing Bud and Bud Light beer bottles playing football. Ran in multiple ads throughout the broadcast as a "tournament." Bud Bowl became an 8-year campaign (1989-1997). Generated more conversation than the actual game in 1989.
🐸 1990s — Mascots, Beer, and Big Productions
The decade of unforgettable mascots: Budweiser frogs (1995), Budweiser lizards, the E*TRADE monkey. Brands started competing for the "best ad of the night" trophy from USA Today's Ad Meter (launched 1989).
Budweiser — "Frogs" ★ ICONIC
Three frogs in a swamp croak the syllables of "Bud," "weis," and "er" in sequence. Simple, beautiful, perfect. Became a cultural catchphrase that lasted years. Spawned spinoff ads with lizards and ferrets jealous of the frogs' fame.
▶ YouTube · Budweiser
E*TRADE — "Money Out the Wazoo" / Dancing Monkey DOT-COM ERA
A man dances with a monkey in a garage, then says "We just wasted $2 million." Perfectly captured the dot-com bubble's free-spending advertising culture. Aired during Super Bowl XXXIII when dozens of dot-com companies blew their entire annual budgets on one ad — most of them bankrupt within 18 months.
▶ YouTube · E*TRADE
🎬 2000s — Cinematic Storytelling Era
30-second mini-movies. "Whassup," EDS Cat Herders, Cedric the Entertainer for Bud Light. Production values exploded. Brands started hiring feature-film directors.
Budweiser — "Whassup?" ★ ICONIC
Four friends call each other on the phone, each greeting with an exaggerated "WHASSUP?!" Director Charles Stone III had used the gag in a short film with his real friends — Budweiser bought the rights and cast the original actors. Became one of the most-quoted catchphrases of the 2000s. Won Grand Prix at Cannes.
▶ YouTube · Budweiser
EDS — "Cat Herders" CULT
Cowboys narrate herding thousands of cats across a Texas plain ("Anybody can herd cattle… holdin' together a couple thousand half-wild short-hairs, well… that's another thing altogether"). A perfect metaphor for managing the early 2000s IT chaos. Won Emmy.
▶ YouTube · EDS / Fallon
Doritos — "Crash the Super Bowl" (consumer-made) USER-MADE
Doritos launched a contest letting fans submit homemade ads. The winning entry — "Live the Flavor" by Dale Backus — aired during Super Bowl XLI. Cost Doritos ~$10,000 vs. the ~$2.6M they would have paid for a professional spot. Won USA Today Ad Meter that year. The contest ran 10 years (2007-2016).
▶ YouTube · Doritos
⭐ 2010s — Mini Vader, Old Spice, Cinematic Spectacle
The decade of "ad reveals" — brands released full-length spots online days early to generate buzz before the game. Volkswagen's Mini Vader. Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like." Always' "#LikeAGirl."
Volkswagen — "The Force" (Mini Vader) ★ G.O.A.T.
A child in a Darth Vader costume tries to use The Force on various objects in his suburban home — failing each time. Then his dad pulls into the driveway with a new VW Passat and remote-starts the engine just as the kid extends his hand. The kid leaps back in shock. Released on YouTube 4 days before the Super Bowl — got 17M views BEFORE the game aired. Now has 70M+ YouTube views.
▶ YouTube · Volkswagen
Always — "#LikeAGirl" CULTURAL
Asks adults to demonstrate "running like a girl" and "fighting like a girl" — they perform exaggerated weak gestures. Then asks young girls the same questions — they run, throw, fight with full effort. The ad reframed a common phrase. Won Emmy + Grand Effie + Cannes Glass Lion.
▶ YouTube · Always (P&G)
Google — "Loretta" ★ EMOTIONAL
An elderly widower asks Google Assistant to "remember" details about his late wife Loretta — things she liked, things she said, where they traveled. Voiced by a real elderly Google employee who lost his wife. One of the most emotionally affecting Super Bowl ads ever made. Won Cannes Grand Prix for Film.
▶ YouTube · Google
🟧 2020s — Crypto Bowl, AI, Anti-Hollywood
Crypto exchanges spent ~$50M in 2022. Coinbase's QR code ad broke their app. AI companies invaded 2024-2025. The "celebrity stunt" format dominates — Walken for BMW, Pedro Pascal, Will Ferrell + GM.
Coinbase — "QR Code" ★ VIRAL
A single bouncing QR code on screen for 60 seconds — looking like a DVD screensaver. Viewers who scanned it got a $15 free Bitcoin signup bonus. The Coinbase app reportedly crashed under the traffic surge — over 20 million people scanned the code. Won every "best ad" award that year. Will be studied in marketing textbooks for decades.
▶ YouTube · Coinbase
BMW — Christopher Walken "Talkin' Like Walken" CELEBRITY
Christopher Walken visits a BMW dealership; everyone around him does Walken impressions. Walken is visibly annoyed by the constant impressions of himself. A clever play on celebrity-impression culture. Topped USA Today Ad Meter for 2024.
▶ YouTube · BMW
$How much do Super Bowl ads cost?
30-second commercial cost by year
| Year | Super Bowl | 30s ad cost | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | LIX | ~$8.0M | FOX |
| 2024 | LVIII | ~$7.0M | CBS |
| 2023 | LVII | ~$7.0M | FOX |
| 2022 | LVI | ~$6.5M | NBC |
| 2021 | LV | ~$5.5M | CBS |
| 2020 | LIV | ~$5.6M | FOX |
| 2015 | XLIX | ~$4.5M | NBC |
| 2010 | XLIV | ~$2.95M | CBS |
| 2005 | XXXIX | ~$2.4M | FOX |
| 2000 | XXXIV | ~$2.1M | ABC |
| 1990 | XXIV | ~$0.7M | CBS |
| 1984 | XVIII | ~$0.4M | CBS |
| 1967 | I | $37,500 | CBS + NBC |
?Common questions
What is the greatest Super Bowl commercial of all time?
Apple's '1984' (SB XVIII, Macintosh launch) — Ridley Scott directed. Aired once on Super Bowl Sunday. Studied in film + business schools for 40+ years.
How much does a Super Bowl commercial cost in 2025?
~$8 million for a 30-second spot on FOX during Super Bowl LIX. First Super Bowl ad in 1967: $37,500.
What was the first famous Super Bowl commercial?
Coca-Cola's 'Mean Joe Greene' (SB XIV, 1980). Mean Joe tosses his jersey to a kid who offered him a Coke.
What is the Doritos 'Crash the Super Bowl' contest?
Consumer-made ad contest running 2007-2016. Fan-submitted ads actually aired during the Super Bowl. Multiple winners topped USA Today Ad Meter.
When are Super Bowl commercials released early?
Most brands release on YouTube + social media 3-7 days before the game. Tuesday before Super Bowl Sunday is the typical release window.