In the world of advertising, some brand commercials have become just as famous as the products they promote. From Coca-Cola’s “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” to Apple’s “1984” ad, these iconic commercials have become cultural touchstones, remembered long after the products they advertise have been forgotten. In this blog, we’ll explore the history of some of the most memorable brand commercials.
One of the earliest and most famous brand commercials is the 1971 Coca-Cola ad “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.” The commercial featured a group of young people singing the now-iconic jingle while standing on a hillside holding bottles of Coke. The ad was so successful that the jingle was released as a single and became a hit song in its own right. The commercial has been credited with helping to popularize the idea of global harmony and has been parodied and referenced in popular culture countless times.
Another early example of an iconic brand commercial is Apple’s 1984 ad, which was shown during the Super Bowl that year. The commercial featured a dystopian world in which everyone is brainwashed except for a young woman who smashes a giant screen with a hammer, a metaphor for the Macintosh computer breaking the conformity of the computer industry. The ad was directed by Ridley Scott and is widely regarded as one of the best commercials of all time. It helped establish Apple as a company that was willing to challenge the status quo and think differently.
In the 1990s, Nike released a series of commercials featuring basketball player Michael Jordan and filmmaker Spike Lee. The “It’s gotta be the shoes” ads featured Jordan and Lee bantering about how much better Jordan was because of his Nike sneakers. The ads were funny, irreverent, and captured the spirit of the era. They helped establish Nike as a company that understood the power of celebrity endorsements and humor in advertising.
More recently, the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial has become a cultural phenomenon. The ad features a shirtless man (played by actor Isaiah Mustafa) delivering a monologue about how Old Spice can make men smell like “the man your man could smell like.” The commercial was a huge hit and spawned a series of follow-up ads featuring Mustafa and other characters. The ad was praised for its humor, creativity, and willingness to challenge traditional gender roles.
These are just a few examples of iconic brand commercials that have captured the public’s imagination over the years. From Coca-Cola to Old Spice, these ads have become part of our cultural heritage, reminding us of the power of advertising to connect with consumers on a deep, emotional level. While the products they advertise may come and go, these commercials will live on as reminders of the advertising industry’s ability to create lasting impressions.
