With each Super Bowl, there are a slew of ads from high-profile companies advertising well-known products or introducing new ones. Sometimes the best ads are for hot new movies, sometimes it's for beer. This year's Super Bowl ads were no exceptions. So, here are the 5 best commercials for Super Bowl 2003.
1) H & R Block: This witty ad features musician Willie Nelson first being offered a product placement for shaving cream. He turns it down, since he's so well-known for his beard. When his accountant informs him that he's lost $30 million, Nelson takes the job, resulting in a horrendous effect. Nelson's not a born actor, but his expression when told of the sudden cash loss is brilliant, and the final line is genuinely funny: "My hair is burning! My hair is burning!"
2) Federal Express: For a movie buff like me, this ad is perfect. It's a spoof of the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away. We see a man who tells a woman he was deserted on an island with many FedEx packages. He opened many, but kept the woman's, since he's a dedicated employee of Federal Express. She is in awe; the kicker is that the package contained a satellite phone, food, water--things for survival. The writers at TV's Saturday Night Live couldn't have come up with a better parody.
3) Reebok: Again, movie buffs watching this can catch a perfect nod to the computer office parody Office Space. This ad presents a business that has hired Terry Tate, a linebacker in the NFL, to boost morale and work productivity; all he does is tackle people without mercy. The best line is an homage to Office Space: "You know a cover page is supposed to be on a TPS report!" This ad's only drawback: it doesn't really sell Reeboks, it just makes you laugh.
4) Pepsi Twist- It wouldn't be a night of television without an appearance from the Osbournes, but still, this ad is quite funny. Ozzy is in his kitchen when Kelly and Jack appear with Pepsis, but tell him the Pepsis are actually Pepsi Twists. He is amazed, but even more so when they tell him they aren't actually the Osbournes, but the Osmonds. Ozzy screams and wakes up; this was apparently a dream. However, it gets worse when he realizes he's not sleeping next to Sharon, but Florence Henderson. Yes, this ad is silly, but it made me laugh, and that's what's important.
5) Gatorade- It's been awhile since Michael Jordan did an ad for Gatorade, but this one is a keeper. We see a basketball court with the present-day Michael Jordan. He is then challenged to a one-on-one game by Michael Jordan, from about 10 years ago. They both show off their skills and the present-day Jordan wins. The punchline is when Michael Jordan, from his days at the University of North Carolina, comes in to make a challenge of his own! Again, Gatorade does a great job collaborating with Air Jordan.
Reach the reporter at Joshua.Spiegel@asu.edu.
