Can You Match These Famous TV Commercials With Their Brands?
By: Khadija Leon
2 min
Image: Monster.com/Avocados from Mexico/Old Spice
About This Quiz
Commercials are a type of advertising which companies and businesses use to market their products and services. These ads often times more than not increase both the sales and consumption of the company's products and also increase branding opportunities. Many of our favorite ads cost anywhere from a couple of thousand dollars to millions if aired during the Super Bowl.Â
Commercials come in many different genres including romance, action and comedy, and some companies even feature some of the most popular celebrities and fictional characters in the world . With thousands of commercials being created every year, companies must now find ways to stand out and make their commercials memorable. Some of them succeed for both good and bad reasons and some have even been pulled off air because of how controversial they are.Â
How well do you pay attention to the commercials which appear on your television? Do you have any favorites and will you be able to identify them if you were given a screenshot of the commercial? The only way to test this knowledge is to take this quiz! When you are done, you can make it a competition and get your friends and family members to take it!
Old Spice
Which company made this commercial?
Phizer
Old Spice
Old Spice is known for their funny commercials, but none of them were as funny as the unrealistic 2010 “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like†advertisement. It followed a topless Isiah Washington as he told women that their men could smell like him if they stopped using women’s body wash.
Dunkin Donuts 1982 “Time to Make the Donuts†featured Fred the baker who every day, whether it was raining, snowing or sunny outside, went to work in order to make fresh donuts for the pastry chain.
The “Snickers: Hungry Betty White†commercial is one of many, "You’re not you when you're hungry†commercials by Snickers which feature people turning into different people when they are hungry. After the advertisement went viral, many other stars jumped on board.
Doritos’ “Time Machine†is a 2014 commercial which features an adult being swindled out of his bag of Doritos by a kid and his dog by making him step into a fake time machine. After being chased off by an older man, the adult comes out of the time machine thinking that he is in the future.
The 1990 Hallmark “100th Birthday†commercial was an advertisement to celebrate the card company’s 100th year in business. The ad featured a group of people preparing for a party for a hundred-year-old woman. It featured Fannie Peterson as the centenarian, who acted surprised once the door was opened.
The 1969 Alka Seltzer “Spicy Meatball†commercial featured two Italian actors trying to film an ad and one of them having to eat meatballs over and over again. At the end of each take he says the line “That’s a spicy meatballâ€. Unfortunately, sales didn’t go any higher because many people thought that it was an ad for spaghetti sauce.
The 1994 American Express “Rags to Riches†commercial starred Jerry Seinfeld, who goes on a very successful and fun-filled supermarket shopping trip and later wins the 1 millionth shopper prize after using his American Express card to pay for the goods.
The 1972 Meow Mix “Singing Cat†commercial features a cat singing about all the foods that it loves and wanted to eat. While filming the ad, the cat supposedly choked. which prompted the producers to loop the footage and add in music.
Pepsi’s 1996 “Your Cheatin’ Heart†commercial features a Coke delivery man who tries to sneak a Pepsi after offloading his Coke delivery, and in doing so, accidently sets off the entire cooler of Coke cans. As he is doing so, the song “Your Cheatin’ Heart†by Hank Williams is playing.
The M&Ms 2018 “Human†commercial features the red M&M who after finding a lucky penny and wishing to become a human and ends up turning into Danny DeVito. He then proceeds to walk around the street asking people if they want to eat him only to be hit by a bus.
In Amazon Alexa’s 2018 “Alexa Loses her Voice†commercial, the home device loses her voice and, in her place, actress and comedian Rebel Wilson, chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsey, rapper Cardi B and actor Sir Anthony Hopkins all decided to take on the role.
Stella Artois’ Matt Damon commercial features the award-winning actor as he educates viewers on how a simple thing like water is inaccessible to most of the world’s population and that Stella Artois is trying to help change that.
GoDaddy’s 2015 “Journey Home†commercial is perhaps one of the most tear-jerking of all time. It features a group of puppies, one of which is thrown off of a truck by accident and travels a great distance in order to find his way home. Once he gets there, his owner is glad, only because she recently sold him on GoDaddy.
Reebok’s 2003 “Terry Tate†commercial featured Lester Speight as Terry Tate, a linebacker who viciously tackled workers for not doing what they were supposed to at work. The one liners and slapstick violence are some of the many reasons why the ad is still popular today.
The E*Trade “Wasted†commercial was featured at the Super Bowl XXXIV and starred a dancing monkey and two elderly men clapping. Toward the end of the advertisement, the commercial shows the words “Well, we just wasted 2 million dollars. What are you doing with your money?â€
The Coca-Cola 1979 “Mean Joe Green†commercial featured a little kid offering his Coke to a seemingly defeated Joe Green. Once he accepts the drink and happily finishes it, he gives the kid his football jersey.
Before Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny starred in the 1996 film “Space Jamâ€, they starred in a commercial together in 1993. It featured the two playing together against a group of bullies and wearing Air Jordan Shoes.
Wendy’s 1984 “Where’s the Beef†commercial featured three elderly women examining a burger and asking the same question as the name of the commercial. The commercial was so successful that it boosted sales by an estimated 30% in that year alone.
The Kia Stinger 2010 “Feel Something Again†advertisement features rock star Steven Tyler as he drives around a racetrack backward and transforms into a much younger version of himself. As he does so, “Dream on†by Aerosmith plays in the background.
It’s not every day that you see people whose legs have a mind of their own. In the “Levi’s: Crazy Legs†commercial, we meet a teen whose legs practice different styles of dance while he makes his way down the street, listening to Control Machete’s “Si Senorâ€.
Carl Jr.’s racy “All-Natural Burger†commercial features model and actress Charlotte McKinley, who appears to love being all-natural. Throughout the advertisement, she appears to be naked but toward the end, is seen in a bikini top and short pants eating one of their burgers.
Career Builder’s “Monkeys†commercial features a group of monkeys partying inside of an office because they believe that sales are up although being told that they are not. At the end of the ad, it prompts the people who are looking for a new job to visit the website.
The Budweiser “Whassup?†commercial featured creator and famous director Charles Stone III and his friends calling each other and asking the question “What’s up?†A few months after the commercial came out, everyone (beer drinkers or not) were saying the annoyingly catchy phrase.
Always 2015 “Like a Girl†commercial changed the tone of the phrase, instead of seeing it as an insult, they used it as an empowering message. The ad was a huge success and mostly featured young children and their perspectives on what it means to be “a girlâ€.
Before jumping ship and moving to Sony PlayStation, Jerry Lambert starred in Holiday Inn’s “Whale Song†commercial. In the ad, he and a colleague try to do their best imitations of the majestic humpback whale. The commercial has been called both funny and annoying by viewers.
The Apple 1984 commercial was the first to introduce the personal computer to the world. The advertisement was one of the strangest ads in the 1980s as it was set in a dystopian land with strange characters but contributed to the company making over $150 million in sales in the next few months.
The 2012 “Volkswagen: The Force†commercial is perhaps one of the most adorable of that year. It featured a young boy dressed in a Darth Vader costume who walks around the house trying to use “The Force†to move different items. After being unsuccessful, he runs outside and reaches out to the vehicle, which blinks at him.
The Jeep “Jurassic Park†commercial features original Jurassic Park actor Jeff Goldblum as he has a daydream about driving the latest Jeep Wrangler to escape from a T-Rex in the jungle. It shows the vehicle as it drives in and around rough terrain while also showing off its speed.
Over the years, candy companies have been known for their comedic takes on commercials, but Starburst is higher up on the list of absurdities than others. In 2007, their “Bus Station†ad featured a little lad who loved berries and cream so much that he decided to let two guys at a bus station know by singing a song.
The Monster “When I Grow Up†advertisement features multiple children responding with answers including “…I want to be a yes manâ€, “…I want to be underpaid†and “…I want to be replaced on a whimâ€. At the end, the company writes “There’s a better job out thereâ€.
Chrysler “Imported from Detroit†is a 2011 commercial which featured the city of Detroit and rapper Eminem with the tagline “Imported from Detroitâ€. It was one of the first companies to produce American-made cars and one of the most successful to do so.
The 2000 John West Salmon “Bear†commercial begins with a narrator describing bears. Only seconds later a fisherman runs toward and attack one of the bears. The two begin to fight in a kung fu style for the bear’s salmon.
Groupon’s 2018 “Who Wouldn’t†features funny lady Tiffany Haddish, who encourages people to use the app in order to support local businesses. The ad then goes on the show someone who does not support the cause and is kicked in the gut with a football because of it.
Avocados from Mexico’s “Secret Society†is a 2017 commercial which aired during Super Bowl LI. It features a secret group of people who claim to be responsible for many of the biggest events in US history and express dismay about not being able to keep them a secret, including that avocados from Mexico have good fats.
Honda’s 2004 “Hate Something, Change Something (Grr)†animated commercial features motors flying through fields, each one being changed until the end of the advertisement. It also features a catchy tune and dancing animals.
Durex’s 2009 “Get it On†commercial featured a group of animals blown out of condoms engaging in a series of sexual activities. The somewhat controversial commercial immediately went viral and sales of the condom brand significantly increased.
Jack in the Box’s 2018 Jack vs Martha advertisement is a commercial which featured the company’s mascot and Martha Stewart. In the beginning o the ad, Martha creates a sandwich which Jack (the mascot) finds offensive and challenges Martha, which led to the hashtag #JackvsMartha.
The 2008 Skittles “Piñata†commercial is another bizarre candy commercial. This one features a recovering human piñata who was attacked by a coworker who wanted candy. The man then walks into the work room and yells after his colleague after giving him a packet of chocolate skittles.
The Cadbury “Gorilla†commercial featured a euphoric gorilla listening and playing the drums to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonightâ€. The song and the animal had absolutely nothing to do with the chocolate, but it worked in all of their favors as the song went back to the top of the charts, the sales of the chocolate increased and there was increased animal awareness for the gorillas.
Sprint’s 2018 “Evelyn†commercial features an artificial intelligence robot telling its creator about the benefits of switching over to Sprint. With the realization that the robot was right, he responds by saying “I never thought of that†which prompts the other robots to make fun of him.