Greatest Super Bowl Commercials

Posted by Carroll Trosclair Jan 27, 2008

Coca Cola and "Mean" Joe Green are still the all time kings—for the eighth straight year--in the Super Bowl commercials championship.

One week before the 2008 bowl, CBS featured the top commercials of all past games and encouraged viewers to vote for their favorite spot on the CBS website January 26.

Coke and Green Have Everything Going for Them

The 1980 Coke and Green spot topped the voting again. And why not? The commercial has everything going for it except a beautiful girl. It has:

• A sports hero for the game’s primary audience, football fans. Green is a gridiron legend who has won just about every honor a defensive tackle can win.
• A likable celebrity with whom the audience can relate. Green comes off the field limping, sweating and evoking the feelings of a fellow human who has had a tough day at work.
• A lovable kid (Tommy Okon) trying to help a giant several times his size by offering him a Coke.
• Great visibility for the product: Green chug-a-lugging a bottle of Coke.
• Easy, logical connection to the product slogan: "A Coke and a Smile."
• A deep pockets sponsor who could give the commercial plenty of exposure.

Budweiser Won Two Runnerup Positions

Even after 28 years, the spot generates a ton of emotion.

The runnersup were two Budweiser commercials:

• One showing a referee withstanding heat from both coaches and his wife
• One showing a "streaker" sheep stealing the show as two teams of Budweiser Clydesdales line up for a football game.