Featuring: Sir Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Strong.
Game: Super Bowl XLVIII.
Celebrity Paycheck: Unknown.
Total Price Tag: Unknown.
It’s no secret posh Brits are seen as villainous, though nobody can really explain why. This ad for the British luxury car company Jaguar attempted to explain it, with the help of three famous British actors: Tom Hiddleston, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Mark Strong.
Featuring some stunning shots of classy cars, and a couple of cool characters in suits, this ad proved to be memorable for all the right reasons, with a good dash of humor and good brand awareness thrown in.
Reebok: “Office Linebacker” (2003)
Featuring: Terry Tate.
Game: Super Bowl XXXVII.
Celebrity Paycheck: $1 million.
Total Price Tag: $4.2 million.
While Terry Tate wasn't a real linebacker – he was played by actor Lester Speight – these ads are still some of the most memorable in Super Bowl history. Featuring Tate bringing football justice to office injustice, millions of people still watch these ads even now.
The ads were based on a 2000 short film by Peter Chiarella (who would go on to write "Crazy Rich Asians"), who also served as one of the executive producers for the ads. The first ad became an instant classic when it premiered during the big game in 2003.
Quicken Loans Rocket Mortgage: “Get Comfortable” (2020)
Featuring: Jason Momoa.
Game: Super Bowl LIV.
Celebrity Paycheck: Unknown.
Total Price Tag: Unknown.
Jason Momoa thrills with his intense looks, superman physique, and long locks, but he has some secrets, and we got to know them all thanks to this Rocket Mortgage ad, which had Momoa removing his muscular bodysuit, taking off his wig, and settling down for some music.
The ad's teasers only had a brief shot of Momoa seeming to remove his shirt, which got plenty of people jazzed up to see the full ad, only for it to give us a one-eighty during the ad itself.
American Express: “Drag Racing Minibike” (1990)
Featuring: Paul Newman.
Game: Super Bowl XXIV.
Celebrity Paycheck: $500,000.
Total Price Tag: $1.9 million.
There's nothing like an old guy on a tiny vehicle. This ad, featuring famous actor Paul Newman, is somehow about American Express, which is everywhere you want to be, including on a mini bike racing against an actual drag racer. The drag racer blows up...or...something. This allows Newman to reach the finish line first.
Newman is well-known for his car collection and racing fun, and this ad really does grab your attention. What does it have to do with American Express? Your guess is as good as ours.
T-Mobile: “Caveman and Pop Star” (2017)
Featuring: Justin Bieber and Rob Gronkowski.
Game: Super Bowl LI. Celebrity
Paycheck: $2.25 million.
Total Price Tag: $10 million.
Both celebrity members of this ad got paid big, but Bieber got the bigger paycheck – almost two million dollars bigger. For just a few seconds of dancing around on-screen, it's still pretty good money, even for Gronk.
In this T-Mobile ad, Gronk dressed up as a caveman and partied with a bunch of other actors, which might explain why he didn't get paid as much. It's probably something he wouldn't mind doing for free.