As for what commercials will be discussed during Monday’s water cooler debate is anyone’s guess. To get the conversation started here are the top 10 ads in the opinion of the professors who teach advertising and marketing to Detroit’s aspiring ad makers and other ad experts:
1. Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” from 2011 because it tugged at our hearts. It also boasted the brand, the city and the auto industry’s comeback from the bankruptcy era.
2. Apple “1984” because it broke all of the rules and started a whole new genre of plot-driven commercials with big budgets.
3. Coke’s “Hey Kid, Catch” ad from 1980. The ad was so popular that the following year NBC released “The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid,” a movie inspired by the ad in which “Mean” Joe Greene adopts a 9-year-old kid.
4. McDonald’s “The Showdown” highlighting the rivalry between Michael Jordan and Larry Bird and capitalizing on the now-iconic basketball saying, “nothing but net.”
5. Squarespace: “Who is JonMalkovich.com?” uses the mystique surrounding actor Jon Malkovich and his comedic timing to appeal to the target audience. Note: Watch for this year’s version featuring Keanu Reeves promoting his motorcycle brand.
6. Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” of 2014 was proof that TV viewers love commercials featuring animals and a heartfelt message
7. Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” from 2010 features all of the elements of a brilliant ad. When data showed that women were the ones buying men’s body wash on behalf of their male partners they had to come up with an ad that grabbed the attention of women, without offending men.
8. Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef” ad of 1984. When it aired during the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Wendy’s was lagging behind McDonald’s and Burger King. Afterwards the company experienced a 31 percent boost in revenue. It also launched the catchphrase for anything lacking substance.
9. Budweiser’s “Budweiser Frogs” is a great example of brand recall as viewers still remember it, even though it aired in 1995.
10. Snickers’ “Betty White” from 2010 featuring the senior star not only launched the candy brand’s “You’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign but helped to boost White’s career. After the ad she went on to appear as a guest host on “Saturday Night Live.” “Jurassic Park” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor Chris Pratt, who will appear in a Michelob Ultra ad for Anheuser-Busch joked that being in a Super Bowl ad could “open things up” for him professionally.