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Do You Remember These Classic Super Bowl Ads of the 80s?

Beasley Media Boston February 11th

When these classic Super Bowl ads aired in the 80s, you actually had to wait for the game to see them. Unlike today where Super Bowl ads are released weeks before the big game on social media, the only way to catch them was between downs, so you needed to plan your snack and bathroom breaks accordingly.

Known as the pinnacle of advertising, in the 1980s, the best way to reach a large audience in a short time was to produce an entertaining ad to air during the Super Bowl.

Here are some of the more memorable Classic Super Bowl Ads of the 80s.

  • Coca-Cola "Hey Kid, Catch!" (1980)

    Coca-Cola created this ad as a part of their “Have a Coke and a Smile” ad campaign. Though it was released in October of 1979, the commercial became widely popular during the Super Bowl in 1980.

  • Hertz "Where Us Winners Rent!" (1981)

    Hertz would probably rather forget these commercials, given the spokesperson. But in 1981, they aired during the Super Bowl with OJ Simpson promoting cheap rental fees. While the commercial features Ford Escorts, there’s no mention of Ford Broncos.

  • Pepsi-Cola Super Bowl TV Game (1982)

    Remember Pepsi-Light? Back in 1982, specially marked cans of it could have won you a piece of a $2 million giveaway.

  • Miller High Life "Welcome to Miller Time" (1983)

    Beer commercial? Check. Catchy 80s jingle? Check. There weren’t many boxes to check off for a Super Bowl commercial in 1983, but Miller did it. Sorry if it’s now stuck in your head.

  • Apple Computer "1984" (1984)

    Probably one of the most famous Super Bowl commercials of all time, Apple blew pretty much their entire ad budget on this Orwellian themed ad for Macintosh. Pretty sure it paid off.

  • Hyatt Hotels "Hotel In Space"

    Star Trek episode? Nope, Hyatt bet on an orbital hotel that would be coming soon. 35 years later, we’ve got billionaires in space, but still no space hotels.

  • Burger King "Find Herb" (1986)

    Back in 1986, America was looking for a man named Herb to walk into their neighborhood Burger King. Find Herb, win $5,000. Herb was pretty popular back then!

  • Bud Light "Party Animal Spuds MacKenzie"

    1987 introduced us to the “original party animal” a bull terrier named Spuds MacKenzie. He certainly was a “happenin’ dude” even though Spuds was actually portrayed by a female dog.

  • Michelob Beer "After Midnight" (1988)

    “The Night Belongs to Michelob,” and Eric Clapton in this ad that aired during the 1988 Super Bowl. Slowhand plays his signature “After Midnight.”

  • Budweiser "Bud Bowl I" (1989)

    “This Time It’s For Real.” A team of Budweiser beer bottles competed against Bud Light beer bottles in a simulated football game that aired through multiple commercials aired during the Super Bowl in 1989.

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