Super Bowl Ads Compete for 'Most Played on Your Aunt’s Facebook Feed' Award
KEY POINTS
- •Brands like Budweiser and Bud Light prepare memorable ads during the Super Bowl as teams compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
- •Historic ads include Wendy’s 1984 'Where’s the beef?' boosting revenue by 31% and Apple’s game-changing 1984 spot driving $150 million in sales.
- •In 2000, E-Trade spent $2 million on an ad with a dancing monkey highlighting the cost of Super Bowl ads.
Every Super Bowl, brands don their funniest hats to battle for ad supremacy while football teams like the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots silently dream of trophies. Bud Light’s knight on horseback galloped through crowds, proving horses still sell beer better than politics. Meanwhile, nostalgia buffs got served with 80s gems: Coca-Cola’s Joe Greene sharing a Coke with a kid in 1980, Wendy's gleefully asking 'Where's the beef?' in 1984—revving revenue by 31%, and Apple’s 1984 ad basically inventing viral marketing before 'going viral' was cool. Pepsi blushed with Cindy Crawford’s 1992 can sip, McDonald’s staged a Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan 'Showdown' ballet for Big Macs in 1993, and Monster.com reminded unhappy children to hate jobs in 1999. Oh, and E-Trade wasted $2 million on a dancing monkey ad in 2000 to ironically talk about wasting money on ads. Finally, Reebok’s Terry Tate Taliban-enterprise tackled slackers in 2003, boosting productivity by 46%. Sponsors are “playing it safe” in 2026, but one or two exceptions might ruffle feathers, so pop your popcorn—this nostalgia circus has A-list stars as the ticket.
Share the Story
Super Bowl ads are the only place a beer knight, a dancing monkey, and Larry Bird vs. Jordan settle their beef peacefully every year.
Bud Light’s horse-riding knight probably has a better game plan than half the Super Bowl teams combined.
Nothing says sportsmanship like McDonald’s staging basketball slam dunks over football fandom during the Super Bowl.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 2/8/2026 | Author: Tanya Dua,Mykenna Maniece,James LaForge
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