Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/637179
Since the mid-1980s, the NFL's big game has been home to some of the splashiest — and most expensive — commercials ever produced. To wit: CBS is charging as much as $5 million for a 30-second spot during Super Bowl 50. But despite all the money and hype, only a precious few ads manage to break through the clutter and earn a perma- nent place in our memories. Here are 10 that make our hall of fame. Silly sight gags. Stupid animal tricks. Wisecracking celebrities. … Madison Avenue will stop at noth- ing to seize our attention on Super Bowl Sunday — the holy grail of advertising. By Chuck Barney — cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com $5 MILLION FOR 30 SECONDS THE COMMERCIALS Reebok: "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker" Slapstick violence can be hilarious when done right. To boost productivity, a CEO hires a burly football player who unleashes bone-crunching beat- downs on employees, punctuated by loud declarations like "Break was over 15 minutes ago!" and "Game time is pain time!" It was a rollicking sendup of office politics and mission- statement rhetoric. XXVI 1992 McDonald's: "The Showdown" Two legendary basketball players go mano a mano as Larry Bird and Michael Jordan play an increasingly outlandish game of H-O-R-S-E. At stake: a Big Mac and fries. No matter that these multimillionaires could afford boatloads of burgers, they keep upping the ante, shooting from gym rafters and atop sky scrapers. The concept is clever, amusing and personal, and for McDonald's, it hits "nothing but net." XXVII 1993 | SUPER BOWL SUNDAY | 44 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016