Featuring: Willem Defoe, Kate Upton, and Usher.
Game: Super Bowl XLVII.
Celebrity Paycheck: Unknown.
Total Price Tag: Unknown.
A young man sees a banner for a new Mercedes, and immediately the devil – played by famous unnerving actor Willem Defoe – appears to make a deal.
The man takes his new car to the red carpet for an intimate photo with Kate Upton, goes dancing with Usher, finds himself on magazine covers, and has to run from adoring female fans…until it cuts back to the banner and the man sees the starting price of the car. He rejects the devil’s deal since that car is oh-so affordable.
Kia: “Hero's Journey” (2017)
Featuring: Melissa McCarthy.
Game: Super Bowl LI.
Celebrity Paycheck: Unknown.
Total Price Tag: Unknown.
Kia has a new eco-car, which means they have the chance to spend too much on Melissa McCarthy and make a Super Bowl ad. And while we get pretty close to seeing McCarthy bite it a number of times, we never actually see it, which loses the ad some points.
However, the ad moves through humorous scenes quickly and lets us know that, phew, driving like an eco-warrior is easy with the new Kia. Don't worry everyone, the nightmare is over.
Radioshack: “Goodbye '80s” (2014)
Featuring: Hulk Hogan, Dee Snider, '80s characters.
Game: Super Bowl XLVIII.
Celebrity Paycheck: Unknown.
Total Price Tag: Unknown.
Featuring a cavalcade of eighties characters big and small – both physically and celebrity-wise – a Radioshack is cleaned out in record time before a new, shiny, and updated store is introduced. The ad was a big win for the floundering electronics store, which recent history had all but forgotten.
Nowadays it isn't wild to see one of these classic electronics stores, though they haven't exactly made it back to the big time. Still, the ad was fun, seeing all kinds of favorites appear for a supermarket spree.
Skechers: “Go Run Mr. Quiggly” (2012)
Featuring: Mark Cuban.
Game: Super Bowl XLVI.
Celebrity Paycheck: Unknown.
Total Price Tag: Unknown.
Mark Cuban does appear for a second in the end, but the main focus of this funny ad is Mr. Quiggly, the French Bulldog who tears up the track in his fancy Skechers, far outstripping the running dogs who are built for this sort of thing.
Just before crossing the finish line far ahead of the other dogs, Mr. Quiggly stops, spins, and moonwalks over the line, and then demands a new contract from Cuban. The ad was a hit, but Skechers would later ditch the dog for human faces.
Honda: “Matthew's Day Off” (2012)
Featuring: Matthew Broderick.
Game: Super Bowl XLVI.
Celebrity Paycheck: Unknown.
Total Price Tag: Unknown.
If you've seen – or even heard of – "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", then this is an ad you'll end up loving. Broderick, Bueller's actor, takes his Honda out for a drive, having plenty of fun at the museum, park, and even a Chinese festival parade, all while avoiding his agent.
In the end, Alan Ruck, who played Cameron Frye, takes the Honda and speeds away, mirroring the famous ending to the famous eighties film this all based on.