Every year, advertisers spend millions for 30 seconds of Super Bowl glory. The best ones become cultural moments that outlive the game itself.
Ahead of Super Bowl 2026, ADWEEK revisits the 26 commercials of the past 26 years that proved worthy of the hype.
2000: Budweiser “Wassup?” by DDB Chicago
Built on a ridiculously simple, endlessly repeated catchphrase, Budweiser’s commercial was goofy and impossible to forget. What started as a joke between friends quickly turned into a cultural call-and-response embraced by people far beyond its core young, male audience. The concept originated with filmmaker Charles Stone III, adapted from his short film True, which impressed agency DDB and ultimately won the support of Anheuser-Busch heir August Busch IV. After its debut, the idea spawned numerous sequels and revivals, including a Burger King collaboration and a reimagined PSA during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
2001: Pepsi “Britney Spears” by BBDO
Pepsi has mastered the art of capitalizing on Super Bowl viewership and capturing iconic moments. It has partnered with stars from Cindy Crawford to Beyoncé, but Britney Spears’ performance was Pepsi at its Super Bowl peak. As well as being entertaining, the brand’s longtime partnership with the pop diva tapped into the cultural zeitgeist and remains a Big Game ad classic.
2002: Levi’s “Crazy Legs” by TBWA\Chiat\Day
After a years-long sales decline, Levi’s placed a big bet on an unusual strategy for the Super Bowl in the pre-social media era. The brand bought an ad slot and asked people to vote on which of three executions they’d like to see during the game. The winner was “Crazy Legs,” directed by Spike Jonze and featuring an actor dancing down the street in Levi’s Flyweight jeans. The ad won over viewers while helping to boost sales at the jeans maker.
