EDS “Cat Herders” (2000)
Agency: Fallon McElligott
An information tech giant leans into a managerial idiom for its first Super Bowl ad. Fascinating? In fact, the company founded by H. Ross Perot made a lasting impression with this mix of deadpan humor and CGI wizardry, groundbreaking at the time for a commercial. It’s perfection on an entertainment level, a la the best SNL skits. And it made EDS look like it could indeed solve challenges as seemingly insurmountable as moving felines across the windswept West.
Reebok “Terry Tate, Office Linebacker” (2003)
Agency: Arnell Group
Reebok’s slapstick episodes featuring Tate as a football linebacker who enforces office protocol became a pop culture phenomenon. It was one of the rare instances when advertising crossed over into entertainment, something many brands continue to chase.
E*Trade “Baby” (2008)
Agency: Grey
A monkey dancing on a bucket—with a kicker that said, “Well, we just wasted $2 million, what are you doing with your money?”—did not win E*Trade a lot of fans, despite the creative daring of its Super Bowl ad from 2000. Later, though, the brand hit pay dirt with its talking babies, who casually but insightfully made viewers believe they had the goods on investing. Wall Street finance bros in diapers? It made perfect sense in this intentionally lo-fi universe. The campaign has had many incarnations over the years, but the original spots have aged incredibly well.
Miller High Life “1-Second Ad” (2009)
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi New York
Attention is premium during the Super Bowl, but if you blinked during Miller High Life’s slot, you may have missed it. At literally one second long, consisting of a man simply yelling, “High life!” Miller’s ad was more about generating headlines and buzz than weaving a tale. But that tactic in itself was creative, inspiring many more advertisers to build strategic campaigns that lasted beyond the game.
