How YouTube changed the Super Bowl commercial forever

Brands like SodaStream and GoDaddy.com are engineering their Super Bowl commercials to go viral nearly a week before the kickoff

GoDaddy
(Image credit: (AP Photo/GoDaddy.com))

Let's be clear: Even at the Super Bowl, a commercial is still a commercial, and even the most enjoyable ones exist primarily to sell you something. But over the decades, some commercials have overcome their humble origins and wormed their way into America's pop-cultural DNA. Take, for one obvious example, this 1979 Coca-Cola commercial starring Pittsburgh Steeler "Mean" Joe Greene:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.