SCC Blog

Top 10 All-Time Best Sports Commercials

November 30th, 2008

I haven’t offered many posts that relate specifically to advertising so this particular post is probably long overdue.  With websites like YouTube, Veoh, MetaCafe and Hulu, video related content has become much more accessible.  That means finding examples of television commercials to share with your students becomes much easier. 

This week’s blog post features a list of some of my personal favorite sports commercials.  A link to each commercial is provided if you’d like to view them.  Hopefully this will inspire a fun activity for your classroom!

So, without further delay, here is my list of the top ten best sports commercials in sports marketing history…

Top Ten Best Sports Commercials (in no particular order)

10) Sprite’s “Liquid Freedom”

What separates this spot from the others included in this list is that it does not feature any kind of athlete endorsement.  You have probably seen the ad recently as it has enjoyed incredible “staying power” (the ad was first released well over a year ago). 

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

9) Nike’s “Camp Flight” starring Kevin Garnett

This ad featured Kevin Garnett conducting a “flight camp” for basketball players in which players would leap of a diving board and attempt to dunk a basketball before plunging into a swimming pool. 

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.
Nike’s “Not a Role Model” starring Charles Barkley

Any ad that people still talk about and reference fifteen years after it aired must have had some kind of impact, right?

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

7) Pepsi ad starring David Beckham

This particular ad wasn’t as “mainstream” as the others on this list but any commercial featuring one of the most revered international sports stars with a humorous twist has to count for something…

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

6) Nike’s “Bad Things” starring Dennis Hopper

Nike tapped actor Dennis Hopper to do a series of ads in the early 1990’s.  Almost all of the ads were good and several featured dialogue that would become buzz words in early 90’s pop culture, but this particular spot was my personal favorite.

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

5) Jordan Brand’s “Failure” starring Michael Jordan

At one point, this list looked more like a top five list of Michael Jordan commercials so I resorted to pushing a few favorites on the “honorable mention” list.  However, I thought this particular Jordan ad was inspirational, something that is extremely difficult to accomplish with an advertisement promoting consumer goods. 

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

4) Nike’s “Bo Knows” starring Bo Jackson

The “Bo Knows” campaign likely needs no introduction but just in case you are not familiar, the ads were centered around two-sport star Bo Jackson’s amazing athletic talents.  As far as campaigns go, this might have been the best of all-time. 

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

3) McDonald’s “Nothing but Net” starring Michael Jordan and Larry Bird

This ad ran as Bird’s career was winding down and Jordan’s popularity was just peaking.  The two NBA stars squared off in a shooting contest for the ages with the winner earning the right to MJ’s Big Mac and French fries. 

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

2) Nike Golf’s ad starring Tiger Woods

The fact that this commercial did not require any camera tricks is what really sets it apart.  Truly amazing!

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

1) Coca Cola and “Mean” Joe Greene

This 1979 Super Bowl classic is still widely regarded as one of the greatest commercials of all-time.  It features legendary NFL star “Mean” Joe Greene limping down the tunnel and meeting a young fan.  The fan offers him a Coke and when Joe finally accepts, he returns the favor by giving the kid his jersey.  Can you say instant classic?

Click here to view the commercial online at youtube.com.

HONORABLE MENTION

Gatorade’s “Be Like Mike” (Michael Jordan):

Click here to view the commercial from YouTube.

Nike’s “It’s Gotta Be The Shoes” (Michael Jordan and Spike Lee):

Click here to view the commercial from YouTube.

Gatorade’s “Jordan vs. Jordan” (Michael Jordan):

Click here to view the commercial from YouTube.

Bic razors (John McEnroe):

Click here to view the commercial from YouTube.

Nike’s “See Lance Ride” (Lance Armstrong):

Click here to view the commercial from YouTube.

Nike’s “Lil’ Penny” (Penny Hardaway and Chris Rock):

Click here to view the commercial from YouTube.

*** Questions for Classroom Discussion ***

1) What is advertising?

2) Are television commercials an example of advertising?  Why or why not?

3) Why do companies use athletes and entertainers in commercials that advertise their products and services?  What is this called?

4) Come up with your OWN “top five” list of sports or entertainment commercials.  Explain to the class what you liked about each article and whether it influenced your perceptions about the company’s products or services.

Posted in Advertising |

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