Super Commercials

      Only at the Super Bowl would people watch the game for the commercials. And only Super Bowl commercials would often be remembered more than the actual game.... I've been doing some YouTube research lately to share my favorites.
      (Something to keep in mind: This list will be heavily dominated by beer ads, because those are the most-commonly-seen commercials during sporting events. Also, the breweries have the most creative marketing people.) Not really listed in any meaningful order, except I saved my all-time top ad for last.

1999 City Budweiser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvu_WtduxII
Maybe it's the jingle, or the fast-moving clips of everyday life? Either way, this has always stuck in my mind as an example of a very good ad.

1998 Skyboarder/Goose Pepsi - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhBt1hJLCPU
Looking at it now fifteen years later(oh, gosh. That makes me sound old.) you can see this was almost totally CGIed, but it's still a terrific commercial. I love how the Pepsi stream flows sideways because of the gravity and everything...and then the flock of geese is flying in the Pepsi formation, which is a cool touch. (They never should have changed from that logo/can design...)

2010 Shock Collar Doritos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBaZDWIs3fs
This is the best Super Bowl ad I've seen in the last five or so years, because it's the only one I can still remember and get a laugh out of it.

1979 Mean Joe Greene Coca-Cola - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffOCZYX6F8
OF COURSE this is going on the list.....widely regarded as one of the best commercials ever. And it is wonderful, but not my personal favorite...we'll get to that at the end. Awesome. Just awesome. How many commercials do you know the backstory of? That become legendary? It was filmed over two days in this little stadium in Pennsylvania, and he had to drink that whole bottle in one draught. It took seventeen takes just on that part alone. And then the fantasy aspect....how amazing would it be to have one of your favorite players toss you his jersey after a game?

1993 Larry Bird/Michael Jordan Shooting Contest McDonald's Big Mac - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1shK-j_u6LI
Michael Jordan! Trick shots! Larry Bird! A huge delicious burger! This has it all.
(So good, they made a sequel in 1994, with the tricks getting wackier and Charles Barkley tagging along. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz7FpzYynio )
((And a remake from 2010, the second-best commercial that year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmrTDZy3f2M Watch it til the end, it's hilarious.))

1999 Dalmatian Twins Budweiser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp_szhKqIK0
Lost in all the hulking shadows of the Clydesdales are the Budweiser Dalmatians, who starred in a few terrific ads of their own.

2007 Rock Paper Scissors Bud Light - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5w-rZ4s4_M
The commercial of the decade. Or it should be, anyway.

2000 "WAZZZUPPPP!!!!!" Budweiser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO1NyXlnL84
Or maybe this was....

2007 "Dude." Bud Light - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyMSSe7cOvA
Amazing how one line, repeated over and over, can be so memorable...

 The Little Pepsi Girl series - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFauIR9-LQ, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHwqlmXEfk, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gXDUKz1BD8

AND....MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE COMMERCIAL IN HISTORY -

1995 Clydesdales Football Budweiser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KzPirIQkPQ A slightly reshot version the next year - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNqtNBMfa0E
The. Best. Commercial. Ever. Filmed. So incredibly amazing....even now, I can watch the dirt fly, see the horses' sweat and hear the crash of their bodies running into each other....the ball as it gets placed for the kick...and then the ball fading off into the distance over the power line is one of those shots that just will never be topped, like that last scene in the first Back To The Future movie where you see the tire tracks in flames in the middle of the road as the rain starts to pour down....And then, of course, the two lines of dialogue at the end are awesome.