I Asked ChatGPT to Name the Best Super Bowl Ad of All Time

Illustration by DreamAI

Is it too early to talk about the Super Bowl? Ad agencies and corporate entities that have a stake in the game have undoubtedly been thinking about Super Bowl 2023 since just moments after the Rams scored their winning touchdown against the Bengals with two minutes to go in last year's Super Bowl LVI. 

It seems like in the old days companies unveiled their ads during the game. That changed so they could generate more buzz in advance, and for years I used to buy a USA Today on the Friday before Super Bowl weekend just so I could see the summaries of the ads that would appear that year and when their were slated to be seen. 

Nowadays, waiting for the Big Game is no longer anyone's strategy. Yesterday, with the Super Bowl still three weeks off, I saw rollouts for Apple TV+ and Budweiser, so we're getting near the finish line. Everyone is in a rush to begin capturing eyeballs.

Because AI is all the rage, a ChatGPT one of the biggest cannonballs on the block this month, I thought I would ask the intelligent machine what the best Super Bowl ad of all time was. ChatGPT actually responded the way I would have. "It's really hard to pick just one, but here are a handful that would be in the running for such a designation."

Here's the actual exchange:

E: What was the best Super Bowl ad of all time?

ChatGPT: There have been many memorable Super Bowl ads over the years, so it is difficult to choose the best one of all time. Some of the most highly regarded Super Bowl ads include:

1. Apple's 1984 ad, which introduced the Macintosh computer and was widely hailed as a masterpiece of advertising.
2. The Budweiser "Whassup" ad, which aired in 2000 and became a cultural phenomenon.
3. The "Mean Joe Greene" Coke ad from 1979, which is remembered for its heartwarming portrayal of a young boy offering a Coke to a tough-looking professional football player.
4. The Volkswagen "The Force" ad from 2011, which showed a young child dressed as Darth Vader trying to use "the force" to perform various tasks around the house.

Ultimately, the best Super Bowl ad is a matter of personal opinion.

HERE ARE LINKS TO THE FOUR ADS ChatGPT CITED:

1984 Macintosh Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfqw8nhUwA

Budweiser's "Whassup"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmqCKtJnxM

The "Mean Joe Greene" Coke ad from 1979-80
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffOCZYX6F8

The Volkswagen "The Force" ad from 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdZMypElBpo

* * * 

Here's what I got when I asked Google a variation of the same question. I just wanted to compare. There were two overlaps, which I highlighted here.

E: What are the best Super Bowl ads of all time

Google: Best Super Bowl Commercials of All Time

1. Early Showers — Coca-Cola (1980)  (Mean Joe Green spot above)
2. 1984 — Apple (1984) ... (MacIntosh rollout above)
3. Betty White — Snickers (2010) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o83aMEBFQs
4. Frogs — Budweiser (1995) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb4Lc-Xqsq0
5. Wise Guy — Diet Pepsi (1990) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=642nvFNc_ME
6. Security Camera — Pepsi (1996) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cJzTgFPj64
7. The Showdown — McDonald's (1993) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1shK-j_u6LI
8. It's Halftime in America — Chrysler, 2012. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8VpW8P8_kU

Enjoy the games.