Super Bowl Commercials: Technology
Super Bowl Commercials have showcased technology even before the tech wave of the 80s and beyond. With the tech wave, technology companies have become prominent advertisers in Super Bowl telecasts. Featuring talking babies, monks, herding cats, robots, sock puppets, and even chimps, this guide brings together some top Super Bowl technology commercials and relevant articles as well as controversies.
Created by : Sundar Kadayam
Subject : Marketing and Advertising
Tags : Museum of Advertising, Super Bowl Commercials, Technology Commercials

Guide Creator

  • Sundar Kadayam

Current Editors

  • Mer Holthaus
  • Pete Blackshaw
  • Susan MacDonald

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Top Super Bowl Technology Commercials

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This is a collection of memorable technology commercials that have aired during Super Bowl commercials. This includes ads not only from technology companies but also ads from other companies that prominently feature technology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwCn-D5xFdc
Coca Cola "Happiness Factory" Commercial - This TV commercial takes you on a journey through a Coca-Cola vending machine into a fantasy land full of wondrous characters and spectacular landscapes, known as the Coca-Cola Happiness Factory. Who knew all this went on inside a vending machine!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =NwCn-D5xFdc
Coca Cola "Happiness Factory" Commercial - This TV commercial takes you on a journey through a Coca-Cola vending machine into a fantasy land full of wondrous characters and spectacular landscapes, known as the Coca-Cola Happiness Factory. Who knew all this went on inside a vending machine!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8
Apple 1984 Macintosh Commercial - Created by Blade Runner director Ridley Scott, this ad changed the world of Super Bowl advertising. Super Bowl production budgets went from merely spending money for air time into producing memorable works of art.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =OYecfV3ubP8
Apple 1984 Macintosh Commercial - Created by Blade Runner director Ridley Scott, this ad changed the world of Super Bowl advertising. Super Bowl production budgets went from merely spending money for air time into producing memorable works of art.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJB0CzlzSwY
Monster.com "When I Grow Up" Commercial - One of the most popular spots from the dot-com era.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =rJB0CzlzSwY
Monster.com "When I Grow Up" Commercial - One of the most popular spots from the dot-com era.
http://www.spike.com/video/robo-bash-bud-light/2419124
Bud Light "Robo Bash" Commercial - Really funny spot that features robots with an ending that fits!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.spike.com/video/rob o-bash-bud-light/2419124
Bud Light "Robo Bash" Commercial - Really funny spot that features robots with an ending that fits!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ivcQdSO43I
Sony "The Trip" Commercial: Funny Sony commercial about a grandfather who makes a trip into space, with a Sony camcorder, of course!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =_ivcQdSO43I
Sony "The Trip" Commercial: Funny Sony commercial about a grandfather who makes a trip into space, with a Sony camcorder, of course!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HvOhO8f0wc
Master Lock "Shot Lock" Commercial - Ad spot highlights why Master is Tough Under Fire. It is consistently ranked as one of the top Super Bowl commercials of all time.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =-HvOhO8f0wc
Master Lock "Shot Lock" Commercial - Ad spot highlights why Master is Tough Under Fire. It is consistently ranked as one of the top Super Bowl commercials of all time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYJ5JL09BB4
FedEx "Carrier Pigeons" Commercial - Brilliant ad spot featuring birds of various sizes with their GPS navigation capabilities and night vision goggles. Funny and very effective!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =wYJ5JL09BB4
FedEx "Carrier Pigeons" Commercial - Brilliant ad spot featuring birds of various sizes with their GPS navigation capabilities and night vision goggles. Funny and very effective!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOuI3eVUQY8
Bud Light "Apology Bot" Commercial - This ad was banned for its content. Features an ApologyBot 3000 apologizing to a girl friend.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =bOuI3eVUQY8
Bud Light "Apology Bot" Commercial - This ad was banned for its content. Features an ApologyBot 3000 apologizing to a girl friend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3NGN4t4hm4
GM "Robot" Commercial - Sad, moping factory robot goes suicidal ... except it is only a bad dream! GM's effort to get their quality message out. Controversial ad that brought GM free publicity!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =B3NGN4t4hm4
GM "Robot" Commercial - Sad, moping factory robot goes suicidal ... except it is only a bad dream! GM's effort to get their quality message out. Controversial ad that brought GM free publicity!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IgH2M02xek
Xerox "Monks" Commercial - In 1976, most commercials were hard-sell voice-overs or demonstrations. Xerox's creative classic was a hint of what was to come in the Super Bowl ad arena.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =_IgH2M02xek
Xerox "Monks" Commercial - In 1976, most commercials were hard-sell voice-overs or demonstrations. Xerox's creative classic was a hint of what was to come in the Super Bowl ad arena.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJB0CzlzSwY
Monster.com "What did you want to be" Commercial - Classy parody featuring children telling what they wanted to be when they grow up! Very punchy and effective!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =rJB0CzlzSwY
Monster.com "What did you want to be" Commercial - Classy parody featuring children telling what they wanted to be when they grow up! Very punchy and effective!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJkAYdT7qo
Apple "HAL 9000" Commercial - This creative ad spot from Apple features a a combination of the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme and the references to the Y2K bug that gives is a very unique feel.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =nHJkAYdT7qo
Apple "HAL 9000" Commercial - This creative ad spot from Apple features a a combination of the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme and the references to the Y2K bug that gives is a very unique feel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yYlgPD6hX0
Pepsi "Pepsi / iTunes MP3 Giveaway" Commercial - This ad spot involves an iTunes giveaway. It features appearances by music-downloading kids targeted by the RIAA's legal machine, a very clever and topical reference to a serious tech issue with music downloading from the Internet.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =0yYlgPD6hX0
Pepsi "Pepsi / iTunes MP3 Giveaway" Commercial - This ad spot involves an iTunes giveaway. It features appearances by music-downloading kids targeted by the RIAA's legal machine, a very clever and topical reference to a serious tech issue with music downloading from the Internet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXHrlm5Nk5w
Pets.com "If You Leave Me Now" (sock puppet) Commercial - The Pets.com mascot, a sock puppet, does karaoke to the Chicago tune. Unfortunately, Pets.com shut down operations within months of this ad airing!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =nXHrlm5Nk5w
Pets.com "If You Leave Me Now" (sock puppet) Commercial - The Pets.com mascot, a sock puppet, does karaoke to the Chicago tune. Unfortunately, Pets.com shut down operations within months of this ad airing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8
EDS "Herding Cats" Commercial - EDS's ad spot is a real clever idea, featuring a deadpan style, and special effects that make for an excellent Super Bowl commercial. Funny and somehow moving!

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Pk7yqlTMvp8
EDS "Herding Cats" Commercial - EDS's ad spot is a real clever idea, featuring a deadpan style, and special effects that make for an excellent Super Bowl commercial. Funny and somehow moving!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpVP70U9LDg
CareerBuilder.com "Follow your heart" Commercial - When a woman can't muster up the confidence to quit her job, her heart does it for her. Have a bad boss? Hate your job? Follow your heart and quit.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =bpVP70U9LDg
CareerBuilder.com "Follow your heart" Commercial - When a woman can't muster up the confidence to quit her job, her heart does it for her. Have a bad boss? Hate your job? Follow your heart and quit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdfvWAp5GUw
E*Trade "Banking Baby" Commercial - These iconic ads featuring the banking baby are so popular that they were still airing in 2009.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =gdfvWAp5GUw
E*Trade "Banking Baby" Commercial - These iconic ads featuring the banking baby are so popular that they were still airing in 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4O4f6FKYyc
Sprint "Crime Deterrent Phone" Commercial - This ad spot from Sprint shows a phone that not only has live TV, but a crime deterrent feature. One of the best from 2006's game.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =G4O4f6FKYyc
Sprint "Crime Deterrent Phone" Commercial - This ad spot from Sprint shows a phone that not only has live TV, but a crime deterrent feature. One of the best from 2006's game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhFMD6ybP2E
GoDaddy.com "Rejected GoDaddy Girl" Commercial - GoDaddy made quite a stir with this commercial. Though this commercial never aired on Fox, which rejected it, its lack of airing was indeed memorable, and built up a sizeable buzz on the Internet. One of the boldest commercials after the Wardrobe Malfunction incident of the year before (2004).

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =HhFMD6ybP2E
GoDaddy.com "Rejected GoDaddy Girl" Commercial - GoDaddy made quite a stir with this commercial. Though this commercial never aired on Fox, which rejected it, its lack of airing was indeed memorable, and built up a sizeable buzz on the Internet. One of the boldest commercials after the Wardrobe Malfunction incident of the year before (2004).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR71GnQ4CU4
CareerBuilder.com "Monkeys" Commercial(s) - The 2005 ad spot featuring "Monkeys" was a huge hit for CareerBuilder. They promptly followed this up with another ad spot in 2006 featuring monkeys. They even wrote a book called Cube Monkeys, which they gave out for free for visiting their Chicago office.The embedded video features both 2005 and 2006 ad spots.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =YR71GnQ4CU4
CareerBuilder.com "Monkeys" Commercial(s) - The 2005 ad spot featuring "Monkeys" was a huge hit for CareerBuilder. They promptly followed this up with another ad spot in 2006 featuring monkeys. They even wrote a book called Cube Monkeys, which they gave out for free for visiting their Chicago office.The embedded video features both 2005 and 2006 ad spots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmSG8DAPF8w
Yahoo "Talking Dolphins" Commercial - This funny ad from Yahoo is pretty good, and harks back to a time when Yahoo was still a top dog on the Internet.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =UmSG8DAPF8w
Yahoo "Talking Dolphins" Commercial - This funny ad from Yahoo is pretty good, and harks back to a time when Yahoo was still a top dog on the Internet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONZFkqzuMjI
E*Trade "Chimp on a Horse" Commercial - What is cooler than an ad spot featuring a chimp? How about a chimp riding a horse! The setting is even cooler, a "ghost town" featuring busted dotcom companies! A slap in the face of the many dotcom busts from a dotcom survivor that still keeps going strong (in 2010).

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =ONZFkqzuMjI
E*Trade "Chimp on a Horse" Commercial - What is cooler than an ad spot featuring a chimp? How about a chimp riding a horse! The setting is even cooler, a "ghost town" featuring busted dotcom companies! A slap in the face of the many dotcom busts from a dotcom survivor that still keeps going strong (in 2010).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnQMq5wtZcg
E*Trade "Wasted $2 Million Bucks" Commercial - Another ad featuring a monkey (what is with commercials that feature monkeys - they just seem irresistable, no matter what they have to say!), that simply declares "We just wasted $2 million bucks"! Simply got to respect the fact that E*Trade is still standing today.

Click to Close Video Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =BnQMq5wtZcg
E*Trade "Wasted $2 Million Bucks" Commercial - Another ad featuring a monkey (what is with commercials that feature monkeys - they just seem irresistable, no matter what they have to say!), that simply declares "We just wasted $2 million bucks"! Simply got to respect the fact that E*Trade is still standing today.
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Articles

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http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/opinion/blogpost/4448332/
2/2/2009 - At an average of $2.6 million for 30 seconds, the commercials for last nights Big Game always seem to grab a lot of attention during and after the event.

It truly is the Super Bowl of advertising.

If you were one of the millions who tuned in, you probably noticed that some of the typical players in the Commercial Bowl – such as FedEx, Garmin, and the big three automakers – did not have commercials this year, citing economic reasons.
http://www.physorg.com/news152210818.html
1/26/2009 - "When TV viewers like a company's Super Bowl commercial, the company's stock price goes up, according to a study by researchers at the University at Buffalo School of Management and Cornell University."
http://www.physorg.com/news152386299.html
1/28/2009 - "Fewer cars. More horses. A softer sell. Thats just part of what viewers can expect in Sunday’s “Super Bowl of advertising,” as companies adjust their marketing in a very down market, says Jan Slater, a branding expert and the head of the department of advertising at the University of Illinois."
http://pulse2.com/2008/11/25/50-greatest-technology-commercials-of-all-time/
11/25/2008 - This article features *all* technology commercials, not just those that aired on Super Bowl.
http://gizmodo.com/352125/gizmodo-super-bowl-xlii-tech-commercial-awards
2/4/2008 - This year was a pretty incredible Super Bowl (especially after last year when one Giz staffer's hometown Bears lost). And while the most exciting 30 seconds this year were definitely late in the fourth quarter, the commercials, as always, held their own competition to captivate the audience. Here are our favorite tech-oriented spots from the night, designated with some awards that we pretty much made up after polishing off a sixer.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4247893.html
2/4/2008 - "Last Super Sunday, we bemoaned the ad industrys lackluster showing on its biggest night, expecting more from one-minute nerd theater than robotic epics, lunar politics and Godzilla skirmishes. But after last night’s surprise-free, nearly humorless follow-up—an Iron Man redux, a GPS-powered emperor and those damn dancing lizards weren’t much of an upgrade—we’re still scratching our heads."
http://www.geeksugar.com/Super-Bowl-Tech-Commercials-1011675
2/4/2008 - Between stuffing my face with nachos and eyeballing Brady in his tight white pants, I made sure to check out all the commercials during the Super Bowl the one day when TiVo gets to take a break!
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4212505.html
2/5/2007 - "For $2.6 million a spot, the ads during this years Super Bowl were pretty disappointing—no new Geico cavemen, no big celebrities (Robert Goulet notwithstanding), no creative innovation en masse. But there were a few PM-friendly, standout commercials, especially from the tech and auto industries"
http://blogs.pcworld.com/techlog/archives/003684.html
2/5/2007 - PC World writer Harry McCracken lists his favorite tech commercials from Super Bowl, and calls out his picks for the worst tech commercials as well. McCracken writes "Sorry, no list--it would just include any and every GoDaddy commercial ever produced. They're all the same, and they all not only don't make me want to use GoDaddy's services, but leave me feeling like I should go door to door beseeching other people not to. Actually, they make feel a little unclean to be a human being."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/114553-1/the_super_bowl_your_preview_of_hot_tech.html
1/30/2004 - Twenty years ago, the Super Bowl was sent down a path that would forever redefine it as the largest marketing vehicle in history. One ad was all it took. We're talking, of course, about the 1984 Macintosh ad where the Brigette Nielsen look-alike athlete went all Thor and brought down "Big Brother" with her big ol' hammer.
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/25902
11/08/1999 - "Online companies are flocking to buy time on ABC's Jan. 30 broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIV."

It is fascinating to see some of the company names cited in this article written at the peak of the dotcom phenomenon - most of them are barely a blur in our fading memory! Sad!
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Controversy

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Danica-Patrick-in-highly-offensive-banned-Super-?urn=nascar,137871
1/30/2009 - Here's a would-be Super Bowl ad from Internet-whatever GoDaddy.com featuring Danica Patrick. It was banned from last year's game, but since we weren't on back then, we're running it for you now.
Super Bowl Ads: Banned Commercials - SPIKE
http://www.spike.com/superbowl/18546
A collection of commercials banned from Super Bowl.
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