When was the last time you saw a commercial on TV? If you’re like most people, your exposure to traditional television commercials amounts to ads on streaming platforms! But before streaming became the norm, commercials were a necessary evil we had to sit through to enjoy our favorite shows.
While most TV adverts are boring enough to tune out, many clever marketing teams came up with unique ideas that stood out. Well-crafted commercials did more than advertise a company’s product or service. They were as entertaining as whatever show you watched, eventually becoming part of the cultural zeitgeist and gaining a life of their own.
Feeling nostalgic for the good old days of broadcast TV? Here’s a collection of commercials you totally forgot shaped pop culture.
1. Apple Macintosh Computer (1984)
Today, Apple is among the world’s most valuable companies. It’s a well-known brand with tons of name recognition. But in the ’80s, it still fought for a slice of the personal computing market.
When Apple released the Macintosh personal computer in 1984, it released a cinematic commercial that rivaled what was playing in cinemas. The clip featured an Orwellian world full of confirmative people before introducing the Macintosh as a product for people who wanted to think outside the box.
It’s a well-shot advert with all the hallmarks of a big-budget movie, and many still regard it as one of Apple’s best.
2. Life Cereal (1971)
Life Cereal launched an ad campaign in the ’70s featuring a young boy, Mikey, who hated everything. Anyone around during this time knew who Mikey was! The young boy turned his nose up at everything his two older brothers put in front of him. That is, however, until he sees Life Cereal.
Of course, he gobbled it up! The advert coined the phrase “Mikey,” which became a huge part of pop culture in the ’70s. The ad was so popular that over 90 percent of Life Cereal’s demographic remembered the spot two years after its release. Many still remember it to this day.
3. Sun-Maid Raisins (1986)
Humor and catchy tunes are always a recipe for success in marketing. There’s no better example than a series of ads from Sun-Maid during the ’80s and ’90s. The ads featured California Raisins, a group of claymation raisins! The ad featured the group singing “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” in different settings and scenarios.
By today’s standards, the claymation is a bit rough. However, the group became a huge hit. Sun-Maid sold tons of merchandise with the animated singing group. The campaign also led to an album, a successful single and a cartoon special.
4. J.G. Wentowrth (2002)
Do you have a structured settlement but need cash now? Just saying that phrase will make any TV lover from the early 2000s break out into opera! J.G. Wentworth launched a series of ads with a custom operatic jingle.
This tune was a massive earworm! It was catchy, and the opera styling lent itself to humorous visuals featuring everyday people and over-the-top characters.
The song and ads were a smash. What’s clever about the song is that it features the company’s name and phone number. Talk about masterful marketing!
5. Geico (2005)
Geico Insurance is a company that knows how to market its services. The marketing team has a long history of developing great campaigns featuring a talking animated gecko. However, in 2004, the brand moved in a different direction. The company introduced the caveman character.
Geico often used the slogan, “So easy a caveman can do it.” The caveman commercials featured a modern Neanderthal shaming the Geico brand for assuming that cavemen were dumb. This humorous marketing approach spawned many years of great TV spots. The famed caveman even got a short-lived sitcom.
6. Budweiser (1999)
Millennials rejoice! Budweiser launched an ad campaign that dominated the new millennium. The so-called “Wassup” commercials were stupidly fun and instantly penetrated pop culture. The concept is simple: The ads feature many fratboy-type guys screaming “Wassup!” at each other while holding a Bud beer.
The catchphrase caught on, and the commercial had no qualms about leaning into absurdity. Something about the over-the-top voicing and simple concept made it a cultural mainstay during the late ’90s and early ’00s.
7. Mentos (1990)
Here’s another great example of how a catchy song can turn a simple commercial into a pop culture phenomenon. Mentos is a brand that’s been around for decades. But in 1990, the company introduced its Freshmaker campaign.
The ad featured young adults in everyday situations while the now-iconic jingle played in the background. The advert focused on how eating Mentos made you cool, and the messaging worked. The Freshmaker campaign made Mentos sales go through the roof, and the song appeared in countless shows and films of that era.
8. Education Connection (2009)
Education Connection is a company that aims to help people find the right school based on their career goals. It’s an honorable mission, but it’s not exactly something that screams “cool.” The company wanted to target teens and young adults. So what did it do? It created a great song, of course!
The Education Connection commercials featured a young girl working a normal job while yearning for a higher salary. The tune details how she turned to Education Connection to get matched “to the right college for free.”
9. Meow Mix (1974)
Meow Mix is a popular cat food brand that hit the marketing jackpot with its commercials. In the 1970s, the brand released a brand-new jingle. It features a simple melody and no lyrics other than “Meow.” On-screen, a hungry cat on the prowl goes on a quest for the titular kibble.
The jingle became a brand staple, appearing in nearly every commercial. Even modern adverts have it. While Meow Mix has done many different styles of campaigns featuring animated cats and real-world felines, the jingle is the mainstay you can expect in all commercials.
10. Nike (1988)
The phrase “Just do it” is synonymous with Nike. However, it wasn’t always like that. Nike first introduced the catchphrase in 1988, releasing several simple commercials featuring A-list celebrities, athletes and everyday people. The original commercials had a distinctly late ’80s and early ’90s vibe, showing people using Nike shoes while staying active.
The commercials were such a smash that Nike stuck with the catchphrase. The brand still uses it today, and many believe these commercials made Nike the trendy business it is today.
11. Folgers (1986)
Folgers is another company with a long history of producing great TV commercials. However, one of the most iconic is from 1986. Called “Peter Comes Home for Christmas,” this advert features a young man surprising his family on Christmas morning.
His younger sister first realizes something is happening due to the Folgers coffee brewing in the kitchen. The family then has a beautiful reunion.
The ads resonated with many who had someone they missed, and the commercial became a big pop culture hit. Folgers attempted to create a similar commercial in 2009, but the original ad from 1986 will always reign supreme.
12. Progressive Insurance (2008)
Sometimes, a commercial character becomes so popular that it becomes a mascot for the brand. The perfect example of that is Flo from Progressive. Progressive Insurance launched the first “Flo” commercial in 2008. It features Flo, a Progressive representative who humorously helps potential customers.
The dialogue in these commercials is on point. They’re all funny, and Progressive did a fine job producing small comedy bits that rivaled full-fledged shows.
Flo continues to be a Progressive mascot, appearing in over 1,000 advertisements!
13. Calgon (1978)
Calgon is a bath and beauty brand that most people aren’t longer familiar with. But in the 1970s, it was among the most popular. One of the reasons for this is its “Take Me Away” campaign. These commercials depicted busy, overworked women in stressful situations.
These women would spend most of the commercial complaining about the monotony and frustration of life before yelling, “Calgon, take me away.” Then, the commercial would cut to the woman relaxing in a bath with Calgon products. The phrase became a pop culture staple, being the subject of parodies and recreation for decades.
14. Verizon (2002)
In the early 2000s, cell phone carriers fought it out for supremacy. Cellular technology was relatively new, and networks weren’t nearly as reliable as today. To show that it had the strongest and most reliable network, Verizon Wireless launched the famous “Can You Hear Me Now Campaign.”
These ads featured an everyday man in thick-rimmed glasses speaking on a Verizon phone. He was always in an odd environment or situation, eventually asking whoever he was talking about, “Can you hear me now?” The campaign lasted many years, making the phrase a big part of the pop culture lexicon.
15. Coca-Cola (1971)
Coca-Cola is among the world’s most recognizable brands and has held that title for many decades. The company has many great ad campaigns, including the famous polar bears. However, this ad from 1971 is renowned for its catchy song. Called, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing,” was a huge hit.
The commercial showed diverse people singing the song on a picturesque hill. The song was so well-loved that the original writers revamped it without the Coca-Cola references and released it as a single!
The Staying Power of Great Commercials
Advertisements used to be a huge part of the media landscape. They were something we had no choice but to sit through. While there are many ways to avoid traditional ads today, looking back on these old adverts almost makes you want to go back to the days when broadcast TV was your only option.
These commercials show that a great idea can thrust any product, service or company into the limelight, turning a simple advertising campaign into something people will remember for decades.
