Michael Jordan vs. Larry Bird for McDonalds (1993)
The Super Bowl may be the NFL’s biggest game, but back in the early ‘90s, two NBA superstars took over Super Bowl Sunday with this iconic ad. Turns out, a Big-Mac-and-fries lunch is enough to set off an ultra-competitive game of HORSE between two of basketball’s all-time greats, with Jordan and Bird attempting some ridiculous trick shots. More remarkable than any of the shots, though, is Jordan’s butt-ugly Cosby-sweater-looking outfit. Ah, the ‘90s.
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like for Old Spice (2010)
Fresh-smelling pitchman Isaiah Mustafa made a nice career for himself out of this hilarious ad campaign for Old Spice, in which he informed the nation’s women how their men could be as amazing as he is… by using Old Spice body wash, of course! And oh yeah: He’s on a horse.
Michael J. Fox for Diet Pepsi (1987)
Riding high off the blockbuster success of “Back to the Future,” the man we knew as Alex P. Keaton lent his star power to this memorable ad, which found him getting a visit from an attractive neighbor (Gail O’Grady, who went on to co-star on “NYPD Blue") who wants to borrow a Diet Pepsi. Fox’s fridge is empty, so he goes rushing out into the rain (accompanied by totally ‘80s electric guitar and synthesizers) to score some diet soda. One can might not be enough, though…
Ali Landry, the Doritos Girl (1998)
No actor rocketed to stardom faster based on a single Super Bowl ad than Ali Landry, whose turn here as an attractive (and athletic!) girl munching on Doritos at a laundromat earned her the permanent moniker of “the Doritos Girl.” But wait: Is that “Will & Grace’s” Sean Hayes as one of the dudes leering at her? It is! Guess even Jack McFarland can’t resist the allure of the Doritos Girl.
‘1984’ for Apple (1984)
Still a distant second behind IBM back then, Apple was ready to launch its Macintosh personal computer in 1984 and wanted to make a splash. And it sure did: This ad (helmed by film director Ridley Scott), which positioned Apple as the rebel upstart in an Orwellian world dominated by PCs, shocked viewers and gave Apple a cool-kid brand cachet that it still enjoys today. More importantly, it also made Super Bowl ads required viewing from that day on.
