VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton WRITTEN BY: Savannah Sher
#10: The TruthKia
A popular trend in big commercials involves hiring a well-known actor and having them reprise one of their most recognizable roles. This is exactly the technique Kia employed with a 2014 ad. They managed to bring in Laurence Fishburne to reprise his role as Morpheus from"The Matrix." During the spot made for the Super Bowl, Morpheus sways a couple into buying a Kia before breaking into song. As the music rises to a crescendo, the ad starts to feel like a high-budget action movie. Making cars float off the streets into the air and grabbing a big star reportedly cost $8 million.
#9: The Joy of PepsiPepsi
In the early 2000s, there were few stars bigger than Britney Spears. So, it’s no surprise that Pepsi was willing to drop what was supposedly a whopping $8.1 million to create this ad featuring the pop princess. It includes Britney singing a catchy tune in her signature style. Naturally, it incorporates the company’s iconic jingle. It ends up feeling like one of Spears’s music videos, which is exactly the point. The ad is also pretty meta too. While we see Spears singing and dancing in a Pepsi factory, we also get glimpses of people watching the commercial and reacting to it. Hopefully, they all bought a drink to balance out the cost of the ad.
#8: Sky Troop ShowCarlton Draught
Americans may not be familiar with Carlton Draught, which is an Australian beer brand, but it’ll be hard to forget after seeing this memorable 2008 commercial. In this $9 million TV spot, we see a group of skytroopers performing an elaborate skydiving choreography in a stadium. They impress the venue’s audience with their coordinated routine. But something goes awry when the oversized pint of beer that’s supposed to be part of the act goes rogue. The giant prop leaves a path of destruction in its wake that must’ve cost millions of damage. But would the fake harm it did cost more than the real price tag for the Carlton Draught commercial?
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#7: Doritos Blaze vs. Mountain Dew Ice: BattlePepsiCo
At the 2018 Super Bowl, viewers were treated to a PepsiCo ad featuring two of the entertainment industry’s biggest actors engaging in a rap battle. Peter Dinklage of his “Game of Thrones” fame, spits fire (literally) while eating Doritos and rapping along to “Look at Me Now” with Busta Rhymes. As if that isn’t enough for commercial gold, the second half of the ad features Morgan Freeman drinking a Mountain Dew Ice while performing Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”. He freezes everything in his path while enthusiastically lip synching. We’d say that’s worth around $10.2 million!
#6: Up for WhateverBud Light
At the 2014 Super Bowl, Bud Light debuted their new slogan, “The Perfect Beer For Whatever Happens”. They made the phrase stick with an epic ad that was aired in two parts to build suspense for what would happen next. The ad featured a number of celebrities, including members of the band OneRepublic, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle ,Minka Kelly and Reggie Watts. But the star of the ad was a regular guy named Ian Rappaport who got caught up in the wildest night of his life after being handed a Bud. The hidden camera style betrays the huge expense of his ad, which cost an estimated $12 million.
#5: Imported from DetroitChrysler
Like many of the most expensive commercials ever made, this one aired at the Super Bowl. In 2011, Chrysler introduced their latest model, the Chrysler 200, in an ad starring rapper Eminem. Throughout the commercial, which feels like a short film, viewers learn about the city of Detroit from one of its most famous exports. It cost approximately $12.4 million, according to ESPN. And it’s more notable when you consider production took place shortly after the automaker’s major bailout. This was definitely a major move for Chrysler to get back in the game and give Americans faith in locally-grown brands.
#4: NamesAviva
British insurance brand Aviva was formerly known as Norwich Union. To mark its name change, it launched a ridiculously expensive $13.4 million ad. It features multiple major stars, like Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, Dame Edna and Bruce Willis Any idea what they all have in common? They all changed their names, of course! Each celebrity looks back at their career and talks about how it never could have happened if they had kept their original name. There’s no mention of insurance until the very end when viewers finally learn what the commercial is for.
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#3: Tipping PointGuinness
What sets Guinness beer apart? Well, for one, the fact that it takes a long time to pour properly, which requires a little bit of patience. That’s the theme of this ad, which first aired in 2007 and cost a whopping estimated $16 million to create. The spot was filmed on location in Argentina and used a cast of villagers in what was essentially a giant Rube Goldberg machine. It starts with 6000 dominos and then involves suitcases, tires, and a number of other objects from the village. The entire ad builds the viewers’ anticipation that they’re about to see something great. It’s not immediately apparent what it's for until we finally get that perfect pour at the end.
#2: Alexa Loses Her VoiceAmazon Echo
The 2018 Super Bowl featured this star-studded ad for the Amazon Echo, which has been said to have cost $14.9 million. Its premise revolves around Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant service losing her voice. So, the company needs to replace her with some of their backups. Jeff Bezos makes an appearance before we get to hear the voice’s understudies. Naturally, they’re some of the entertainment industry’s most recognizable voices. There’s Sir Anthony Hopkins, Cardi B, Rebel Wilson and Gordon Ramsay, all of whom put their own unique spin on the task. Now if only we could actually have their voices subbed in every now and then!
#1: No. 5 the FilmChanel
Despite being released all the way back in 2004, this ad for Chanel No. 5 perfume is still by far the most expensive commercial that we know of. It carries an eye-popping budget of $33 million! Directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman, the ad certainly feels reminiscent of “Moulin Rouge!”, a project that these two notable creatives collaborated on. During the commercial, Kidman plays a world renowned actress who goes off the grid for a few days for a tryst with an unknown man. It’s certainly cinematic, and feels more like an epic movie trailer than a perfume ad.
