The stage is set for Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIIII (58, for the Roman numerically challenged). The Kansas City Chiefs search for their second straight championship and their third in the last five years, which would cement them as a modern-day dynasty. On the other side, the San Francisco 49ers look to avenge their loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV and lift the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in nearly 30 years.
And as usual, to fill the time between gridiron heroics, we have the commercials.
Super Bowl commercials have always occupied their own place in our pop culture landscape. Many viewers claim they look forward to the commercials more than the game itself, though that mentality has perhaps dissipated in recent years; the games have grown more competitive, and the commercials are largely available for consumption well before kickoff. If you want to see this year’s crop of Super Bowl commercials, chances are you can hop online now and knock them out a week in advance.
For the first three or four decades of the Super Bowl, car brands admittedly didn’t leave the hugest impressions with their ads. From “Mean Joe Greene” (Coke) to “1984” (Apple), the most iconic commercials came courtesy of other industries. But as the century flipped and our cars became capable of much more, their corresponding commercials became more ambitious and cinematic.
We’ve rounded up a handful of worthy finalists for the title of best Super Bowl car ad of the century. Before declaring the winner, here are some contenders we considered.
Disqualified: Honda – “Yearbook” (2017), Toyota – “Jessica Long” (2021)
In 2017, Honda busted out their celebrity Rolodex, enlisting everyone from Steve Carrell to Robert Redford to offer viewers life advice straight from the pages of their high school yearbooks. It’s a fine concept, even if it follows the recent trend of Super Bowl ads being overly reliant on famous faces. The bigger problem is that it has little, if anything, to do with Honda, or cars in general. The same goes for Toyota’s 2021’s submission, which charted swimmer Jessica Long’s journey from adoption to the Olympic games.
We appreciate when auto brands flex their creative muscles by thinking outside the box. But to qualify for a spot on a list of best car commercials, you’re kind of required to include, you know, at least one car.
The Nominees:
Audi – “The Chase” (2009) / Kia – “The Truth” (2014)
Hollywood and the auto industry share a rich history, dating back to the days of Steve McQueen racing his Ford Mustang through the streets of San Francisco in 1969’s Bullit. Audi’s 2009 ad celebrated the art of the car chase by placing rising action star Jason Statham behind the wheel of an Audi and letting him rip through a montage of action-packed chase sequences.
Speaking of the movies, 2014 was the sweet spot for Matrix nostalgia. After all, we were just over a decade removed from the generally disappointing, trilogy-capping Matrix Revolutions and nearly that far away from the more divisive comeback Matrix Resurrections. Kia correctly predicted that audiences were ready to dig up the dark shades and leather from storage. They enlisted Laurence Fisburne for their 2014 Super Bowl commercial, in which his Morpheus character reveals the hidden world of luxury cars to a couple. Physics-bending visuals (and opera music) ensue.
Ultimately, Kia and Audi both arrived at the same conclusion: it’s hard to go wrong with the combination of cars and cinema.
Hyundai – “First Date” (2016)
Is it that much of a stretch to call this Kevin Hart’s most convincing performance? The comedian is endearingly determined as an overprotective father in this 2016 ad. When his daughter is picked up for date night, Hart utilizes Hyundai’s Car Finder technology to essentially stalk the young couple throughout the evening. (Not to worry: its escalating absurdity puts it firmly in the realm of Dad Fantasy). It’s not our winner, but it does raise intriguing questions about the state of privacy in a tech-first society. Maybe they could have expanded on the idea more – if each 30-second block of Super Bowl ad time didn’t cost an average of seven-million dollars.
Hyundai – “Smaht Pahk” (2020)
Is making fun of Boston accents low-hanging fruit? Of course. Is it also an entirely justifiable American tradition? Absolutely. In this Hyundai spot, native Bostonians Chris Evans and Rachel Dratch break out their best bad Massachusetts dialects. John Krasinski then joins the party to show off the Sonata’s new Remote Smart Parking Assist feature. David Ortiz pops up at the end – because of course he does – and even Big Papi finds himself impressed by the Sonata’s ability to self-pahk.
Kia – “Robo Dog” (2022)
Kia’s spot for its all-electric EV6, centered around a robot dog, deserves consideration for being a commercial centered around a robot dog. That said, couldn’t the music department could have chosen something more inspired than “Total Eclipse of the Heart” for the umpteenth time?
Honorable Mention: Walmart – “Famous Cars” (2019)
This 2019 ad brings iconic cars from pop culture together in a Walmart parking lot, from the Batmobile to that monstrosity the Ghostbusters drive. It’s a cute tribute to the legacy these vehicles have accumulated over the years, and it all comes courtesy of… not a car manufacturer, but Walmart. Given that our IP-driven culture is so oversaturated with these types of multiversal crossovers at the moment, we’re leaving the winner’s spot open for a more creative (though still IP-based) selection.
The Winner: Volkswagen – “The Force” (2011)
For better or worse, Volkswagen’s famous 2011 commercial changed the way we interact with Super Bowl commercials. A week before the big game, VW made the then-uncommon decision to post their Star Wars-inspired spot online. It became a viral hit well before kickoff, racking up millions of views. Since then, nearly every Super Bowl advertiser has followed the same, online-first model.
But the marketing strategy shouldn’t distract from the commercial itself, which – given our Star Wars fatigue today – is even more endearing 13 years later. Entirely devoid of dialogue, it stars a child in a pint-sized Darth Vader costume, determined to make household items move with the power of The Force. It ends with Little Vader managing to influence the 2012 Passat sitting in the driveway… with maybe just a little help from Dad’s key fob.
Driven by John Williams’ iconic score, the commercial reaches classic status when the kid, just as surprised as anyone, processes what he’s just accomplished. In an era when advanced technology was starting to become more intertwined with our automobiles, Volkswagen proposed that the cars we drive are capable of legitimate magic.
We Are the Champions
Regardless of whether or not you have skin in Sunday’s game – or are just tuning in to see if Taylor Swift can make it back from Tokyo in time for kickoff – know that Rick Bokman Buick GMC Cadillac is constantly drawing up winning plays. This winter, go long with a new or pre-owned vehicle, such as the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ or the 2024 Buick Envista. Let the winning quarterback have Disney World; this winter, you’re going to Bokman of Wellsville.
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