13 Best Super Bowl Commercials of All Time
- Diane Mi
- 7 days ago
- 6 min read
The best Super Bowl commercials of all time aren’t just creative. Through meta-humor, celebrity power and image, and emotions, they make us aspire.
When these 13 greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time came out, they generated massive buzz, awards, and business results. In all cases, scriptwriters and directors have proved that scaling an ad to cultural memory is possible.
Below the table, I’ll review each of these top Super Bowl ads of all time in detail:
Best Super Bowl Commercials of All Time | Accolades & Awards | Metrics | Why These Top Super Bowl Ads Of All Time | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Chrysler “Born of Fire” | — Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Commercial — AICP nominee for Cinematography and Visual Effects | A 10x increase in sales post-bankruptcy +87% consideration | — Civic pride — Eminem’s star power — Resilience narrative | Fernando Villena |
Budweiser “Clydesdales” | — USA Today #1 Ad Meter “Commercial of the Year” — Emmy nominee | 50M+ views +12% sales lift | — Nostalgic friendship — Emotional peak at reunion | Tom Kuntz |
Doritos “Time Machine” | — USA Today #1 — Fan favorite | +27% market share spike | Gross-out humor | Ryan Thomas Andersen |
Tourism Australia “Dundee” | — Cannes Lions Entertainment Grand Prix — Emmy nominee — Clio Gold | +26% US tourism bookings 48M YouTube views | Epic narrative & hoax | Craig Gillespie |
“It’s a Tide Ad” | — Emmy nominee — Cannes Titanium Lion — AICP Winner — Best of Discipline Pencil award | Ad deconstruction & meta humor twist | Paul Bichler | |
Nike “Dream Further” | +31% Nike digital sales
25M views | Aspiration beats controversy | François Rousselet | |
Rocket Mortgage “Certain is Better” | — USA Today #1 | +22% brand consideration | Absurd home-buying fears relieved by the promoted solution | Clay Blackmore |
Huggies: “Welcome to the World, Baby” | System1 Hall of Fame (5.4 Stars) | 1.3B impressions 11-point lift in brand sentiment 410+ social engagements | Universal parenting appeal | Mark Molloy |
Amazon “Mind Reader” | — USA Today #5 — 8K likes & 800K views on YouTube | +15% device activation | Scarlett Johansson’s charm | Dave Meyers |
BMW “Zeus & Hera” | — One Show Merit Award (Film Craft: Dialogue) — Shortlisted/noted in Clio, D&AD contexts | Millions of impressions BMW iX became the top-selling EV in the U.S. in 2022 (12,000 units) | Self-deprecating EV humor (Zeus blackout frustration) | Bryan Buckley |
Disney100 Special Look | — System1 5.3 Stars — 2020s Hall of Fame standout — Annie nomination context | 50M+ views
Boosted Disney+ subs +12% Q1 | Nostalgia and orchestral swells evoke wonder | In-house Disney Studios marketing |
‘Twas the Night before Super Bowl | — System1 exceptional rating — Ad Meter contender | Pre-game hype drove +18% Q4 snack sales 17B impressions 9.8K likes & 6.1M views on YouTube alone | The video links the brand to a recurring family ritual | Peter Berg, Dave Meyers |
“Yes Bueno” | Too recent for nominations |
24M views on YouTube alone | Quick emotional reversal: from bad moment to sweet payoff | Björn Rühmann |
Best Super Bowl Commercials from 2011 to 2018
Chrysler “Born of Fire” with Eminem
2011 (XLV)
Of all the best Super Bowl commercials, this one is the most deserving to open the list. At two minutes, it was one of the all time best Super Bowl commercials ever aired. Shot with high-speed pyrotechnics, molten steel, and dramatic slow motion, the ad uses Detroit as a character to position Chrysler as a resilient American icon.
Eminem’s final line and the reveal of the Chrysler 200 turn this one of the all time best Super Bowl commercials into a statement about resilience, not just a car launch. It became a cultural reset for Chrysler after bankruptcy and a reference point for SB storytelling.
“Brotherhood: Clydesdales & Dog,” the Best Super Bowl Commercials by Budweiser
2013 (XLVII)
“Clydesdales” is one of the best SuperBowl ads from the XLVII season. It builds on the bond between a Clydesdale trainer and his horse.
Cinematography emphasizes majestic horse visuals and subtle Clydesdale iconography without overt branding.
💚 As a horse rider, I almost cried at the emotional horse hug reunion moment.
The first in a Clydesdale trilogy, the ad tugs at heartstrings via the man-animal bond.
The Best Super Bowl Commercial by Doritos “Time Machine”
2014 (XLVIII)
🥇 “Crash the Super Bowl” winner
Immediate favorite for 100 million viewers.
Tourism Australia “Dundee with Chris Hemsworth and Danny McBride”
2018 (LII)
In one of the best SuperBowl ads for travel destinations and tourism services, Brian Dundee tries to locate his father, Crocodile Dundee, in the Australian Outback.
It builds a humorous “Crocodile Dundee 3” hoax before revealing its true purpose as a tourism promotion.
“It’s a Tide Ad”
2018 (LII)
Compared to the other best SuperBowl ads, this one stands out for its camera reveals and a cognitive trick called defeated expectancy. David Harbour breaks the fourth wall, appealing to the viewers from the settings of multiple “ads,” revealing they are all Tide’s ads.
Best Super Bowl Commercials from 2021 to 2026
Nike’s All Time Best Super Bowl Commercials: “Dream Further”
2021 (LV)
“Dream Further” extends the “Dream Crazy” series. In these best SuperBowl ads for sports products, athletes' perseverance promotes women’s empowerment and innovative tech.
Rocket Mortgage “Certain Is Better”
2021 (LV)
I have a suspicion that Tracy Morgan loves starring in the best SuperBowl ads. Especially in absurd scenarios, such as having a street fight with Dave Bautista.
The Best Super Bowl Commercial by Huggies: “Welcome to the World, Baby”
2021 (LV)
Instead of pushing a hard sell, Huggies’ first SB ad uses a gentle newborn montage, soft documentary styling, and a reassuring tone to say, “We understand newborn life.”
That honesty helped the brand feel like a supportive ally rather than just a diaper seller. The ad improved brand awareness and perception, earned strong post-airing shares, and many ranked it among the greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time.
Amazon Alexa's “Mind Reader” with Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost
2022 (LVI)
The best Super Bowl commercial for Alexa stars Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost.
Are you disappointed Alexa can't “read minds”? Think again (or remember Black Mirror). A device revealing awkward thoughts of a couple will certainly add to the U.S. divorce rates.
“Mind Reader” is among the best SuperBowl ads leveraging celebrity real-life romance.
BMW “Zeus & Hera”
2022
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek’s star power sparked neighbor memes. The retirement theme itself humanized EVs for affluent boomers.
Humor lowers defenses, and while poking fun at EV tropes, such as charging woes, it’s not condescending. Zeus’ “retirement blues” mirror the boredom and frustration of aging buyers.
The demo at the end feels organic, not forced, and ends on aspirational joy.
“Disney100 Special Look”
2023 (LVII)
Century-spanning magic of favorite films and evolution from Mickey Mouse to The Little Mermaid. Nostalgic montage of iconic characters, films, and archival footage blends seamlessly.
Universal nostalgia lifts reinforced brand magic for all ages.
‘Twas the Night before Super Bowl
2025 (LIX)
Marshawn Lynch recites a 2-minute poem as holiday chaos builds into chip-craving frenzy. Warm practical lighting, quick-cut family antics, and rhythmic editing reflect the director’s music-video background.
The ad tied snack ritual to game anticipation, while appearances by the Mannings, Bradshaw, Bettis, Montana, Rice, Aikman, and Sanders made the pre-game moment feel like part of the event itself.
Top Super Bowl Ads of All Time: “Yes Bueno”
2026 (LX)
Super Bowl best ads ever often use bold tonal contrast to sustain emotional peaks. Here, the creators designed a sci-fi-flavored, upbeat comedic piece that transforms “No Bueno” moments into happy endings.
William Fichtner co-stars with Paige DeSorbo, and all characters, from space rocket pilots to aliens, unite in devouring Kinder Bueno, as if it were the Holy Grail or Ambrosia.
The Secret of the Greatest Super Bowl Commercials of All Time
SB wouldn’t allow it otherwise: The best Super Bowl commercials are human-centric. The storytelling, humor, nostalgia, and community that the greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time employ ignite immediate shareability or trial.
Emotion, whether through animals or nostalgia, dominates the best Super Bowl commercials of all time. The humor comes in second, though the two levers often work in tandem. Parodies with celebrities hinge on humor, but they’re also so well acted and written that the characters seem authentic, and that’s what does it for the viewer.
The greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time evoke feelings, make us laugh or hate, and that’s what nudges us to buy, share, or test.
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