These days, people are willing to go to extreme lengths to secure a slot for their advertisement during the Super Bowl—selling their homes, their families, and perhaps even their souls. And this year, the price tag for such a coveted spot is staggering: £184,645 for just one second on screen. That amounts to an eye-popping £5.54 million for each 30-second clip we'll see on Sunday, February 11th. These commercials often steal the spotlight from the football action on the field.
This year's lineup has been no exception. We've seen Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer awkwardly reunite for an Uber Eats ad, Lionel Messi starring in a Michelob Ultra commercial, and Budweiser bringing back their iconic Clydesdales horses for the big game.
But before ad slots became so outrageously expensive and celebrities dominated the screen, Super Bowl commercials were a whole different story—and many would argue, much funnier.
Take Smart Beep's 1999 commercial, for instance. It never made it to air, as TV bigwigs banned it from ever seeing the light of day. However, it found its way onto the internet, becoming a beloved favorite among sports fans and earning its place as one of the 'funniest adverts of all time'.
Twenty-five years ago, iPhones didn't exist, and people relied on pagers, or beepers, for communication. Smart Beep was one of the leading network providers at the time. They wanted to promote their $1.99 a month subscription services, so they did what any big tech company would do—created an ad centered around a massive fart.
The controversial Smart Beep commercial features a guy picking up a pretty blonde for a blind date. As they chat, the woman lets out a huge fart just before he gets into the car. To his dismay, he realizes his friends have been in the backseat all along, witnessing the embarrassing moment. The ad ends with a robotic voice promoting Smart Beep's services.
Despite its ban, the ad gained notoriety and remains a favorite among social media users. Comments like "One of the funniest commercials of all time" and "This never gets old" still flood the internet, proving that sometimes, the best ads are the ones that break the rules.
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