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Top 5 Super Bowl Ads (of all time)

It's that time of year where advertisers shell out $85,000 per second for an advertisement during the Super Bowl. Many experts now agree that this hefty price tag makes it hard to achieve any sort of return on your investment. Nevertheless, millions are eager to see new advertisements produced by companies with huge advertising budgets.

So we have to ask, "Which SuperBowl ads have secured their place in history as memorable classics"? Do you remember these 5 ads?

5. Apple "1984" (1984)

A jogger representing Apple throws a sledgehammer into a giant Big Brother image representing IBM - promising a populist shift in the future of personal computers.

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What worked: With "Blade Runner" director Ridley Scott in charge, the ad generated more hype - and post-game water cooler talk - than any television commercial in history. Do you even remember who played in the Super Bowl in 1984? (L.A. Raiders and Washington.) You almost certainly remember the biggest Super Bowl ad of the year.

The results: The most storied Super Bowl ad of all time might have boosted sales of George Orwell books, hot red running shorts and sledgehammers. But it didn't do much for the Macintosh - Apple continues to be the Reform Party of computer manufacturers. Maybe there was a storage locker filled with iPods behind that huge video screen?


4. Monster.com- When I grow up (1999)
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A group of kids stare at the camera and declare their desire to "have a brown nose," "be a yes man" and "claw my way up to middle management."

What worked: Kids are cute, and even cuter when reciting lines such as, "When I grow up... I want to be forced into early retirement." It was great brand recognition for the new company.

The results: Monster survived the dot-com implosion and despite a stock controversy in 2006 has become a prosperous company that employs close to 5,000 people worldwide.


3. Terry Tate- Office Linebacker (2003)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRkiouh5NEI]
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To boost productivity, a CEO recruits a linebacker from Reebok to slam into a series of "Office Space"-style cubicle drones.

What worked: A series of brutal hits, punctuated by lines such as, "Break was over 15 minutes ago, Mitch!" made this the best Super Bowl ad of the last five years.

The results: Terry Tate got people talking about Reebok for something other than sweatshop controversies. The company provides shoes for all the major sports and hosts clothing lines for rappers Jay-Z and 50 Cent.


2. McDonald's "The Showdown" (1993)

Michael Jordan and Larry Bird engage in a physics-defying hoops-shooting contest for a Big Mac and fries.

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What worked: Every basketball fan knows that Bird would win this contest 10 out of 10 times, but it was still a clever idea with a catchphrase that continues to pop up in "Horse" games. ("Over the second rafter, off the floor... nothing but net.")

The results: This commercial seems to have blessed everyone involved. Jordan won three more championships and Bird transitioned into a solid career as a coach. And while salads and chicken products have been killing off the rest of the menu, the cholesterol-heavy Big Mac value meal remains an untouchable fast-food staple.


1. Budweiser "Frogs" (1995)

Three frogs, perched on a log outside a bar, croaking, "Bud... Weis... Errrrrr."

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVcbasIb8lQ]
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What worked: The fact that Budweiser milks every commercial concept to death - does anyone doubt there will be a "Magic Fridge 2" this year? - makes it easy to forget how cool this ad was when you first heard it. The buildup was great, with an oddly infectious catchphrase.

The results: For better or worse, the frog ads and the spin-off lizard commercials made Budweiser, which was starting to become an old-guy drink, cool again for younger partiers.

There are many more that could have made this list and also deserve recognition. For example, do you remember the E-Trade Monkey from 1999? What are you favorite all-time ads?