10 Popular Old TV Commercials You Forgot About
There are old TV commercials that transcend time and hold a special place in pop culture history. At their best, they entertain audiences while effectively building brand awareness and driving sales. This list of 10 retro commercials highlights clever concepts, breakthrough advertising methods, and cultural touchpoints that stick in the public’s mind decades after going off the air. Their innovative approaches and wider impacts explain why these ads still draw interest over 30 years later.
What Makes a TV Commercial Memorable?
There are a few key factors that make a TV commercial more than a 30-second advertisement. Novel ideas captured attention, whether animating raisins to dance or having NBA stars face off for a cheeseburger. What the best old TV commercials have in common is that they leverage emotion combined with nostalgia. Others go beyond that to include some of the biggest celebrities of their time. Just as important was memorability, with funny spokes-characters, catchy jingles, and simple visual motifs etching into the cultural consciousness.
Behind the scenes, improved production quality by video production company increased cinematic appeal. And buying expensive airtime during major televised events like the Super Bowl allowed brands to showcase creativity on a huge scale. Ultimately, the best retro commercials worked because they balanced brand messaging with entertainment value in an unforgettable way.
The Best Old TV Commercials Worth Rewatching
1. Life Cereal "Mikey" (1972)
This classic ad features two older brothers trying to get their young sibling, Mikey, to eat Life cereal. They put a bowl in front of him, and he hates everything, so they expect him to balk at the cereal too. But Mikey shocks them by gobbling it up and declaring, "I like it!" with a smile. The scene cuts to the Life slogan "Kid tested, mother approved".
The commercial stood out with relatable humour and an unexpected twist ending. It also birthed the famous "Mikey" catchphrase still referenced today. Over 90% of the target demographic was aware of the ad only two years after its release, proving its major cultural penetration.
2. California Raisins, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1986)
This ad introduced the California Raisins to the world, bringing the dried grapes to life through claymation. Set to the Motown hit "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", the singing raisins use grape leaves as hats while dancing smoothly. Their unique visual design mixes real fruit close-ups with animated faces and limbs.
The commercial was a phenomenon, winning a Clio advertising award and even inspiring a Saturday morning cartoon series later on. The dancing raisins left a visual imprint with their catchy song and unexpected use contrasting with dried fruit's mundane perception.
3. Alka-Seltzer, "Spicy Meatball" (1969)
In this Alka-Seltzer commercial, a man sits down to a big bowl of freshly cooked spaghetti and meatballs. After gobbling multiple meatballs quickly, he grimaces from indigestion pain and utters Alka-Seltzer's iconic "Plop plop, fizz fizz" jingle. The familiar dissolving tablet scene conveys the product's relief power.
The ad sticks out through the lead actor's humorously over-the-top reactions and the jingle's silly simplicity. But it mainly works by connecting to a common real-world scenario - overindulging at mealtime leading to tummy issues afterwards. Alka-Seltzer promises a cure, reinforced through humor.
4. McDonald's, "The Showdown" (1993)
This larger-than-life commercial centres on an epic game of HORSE between basketball legends Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, with the prize being a Big Mac. Shot at a rooftop court in Chicago, each player tries to one-up the other with increasingly difficult trick shots. After a climatic overtime period, Jordan wins but withholds the last Big Mac from Bird as a final laugh.
The ad's star power clearly boosted attention, with Jordan at his peak career high. But it mainly emphasized McDonald's prominent standing in 1990s culture, where even the biggest sports superstars battled over its signature burger. Plus the competitive flair aligned well with fast food's mass appeal.
5. Folgers Coffee, "Peter Comes Home for Christmas" (1986)
This Folgers ad focused on the surprise homecoming of a young man named Peter joining his family for Christmas. At first, Peter's sister notices something amiss when she smelled the coffee brewing downstairs. Peter appears with a smile to greet his parents. The family shares an emotional embrace, happy to be reunited for the holidays.
This commercial formed strong associations between Folgers and the warmth of family at Christmas. The focus on smell interconnected it with the coffee too, using the senses to trigger nostalgic memories. These emotional notes helped make it one of the more beloved seasonal ads of its era.
6. Pepsi, "Cindy Crawford" (1992)
In her debut ad for Pepsi, supermodel Cindy Crawford drives up in a flashy Lamborghini sports car to a dusty gas station out in the middle of nowhere. After buying a Pepsi from an older attendant, captivated by her beauty, Cindy returns to the car, where two young boys also watch her, awestruck as she drinks the soda while smiling.
Crawford was at the peak of her modeling fame, bringing aspirational glamour to the Pepsi brand. Her prestige reinforced Pepsi's appeal to multiple demographics. While a simple concept, television rarely showcased models back then quite like this.
7. Apple, "1984" (1984)
In contrast to Pepsi's glitz, Apple's "1984" commercial presented a dark dystopian world meant to reflect IBM's perceived conformity. Gray figures mindlessly watch propaganda on a big screen - until a female rebel athlete throws a sledgehammer to destroy the screen in a dramatic splash of color and light. A narrator then introduces Apple's new Macintosh PC as a beneficial choice.
Even today, Apple's iconic ad is regarded as cinematic and bold. By framing itself as rebellion against "Big Brother" uniformity, Apple positioned its computers as innovators for authentic non-conformists. The stylish clip established Apple's indie personally at the genesis of personal computing history.
8. Nike, "Just Do It" (1988)
Nike's breakout "Just Do It" campaign launched with a memorable ad featuring 80-year old Walter Stack running coast to coast across the Golden Gate Bridge. As the elderly man jogs slowly but steadily across its lengthy span, a voiceover addresses the doubts of starting an exercise habit before arriving at Nike's concise motivational slogan.
The ad called out sedentary lifestyles by showing it's never too late to adopt fitness. Walt embodied perseverance over perceived limits, reflecting Nike's "no excuses" mentality. The iconic bridge provided an aspirational backdrop, representing hard work to achieve greatness through running.
9. Old Spice, "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" (2010)
In this clever commercial, actor Isaiah Mustafa starts on a beach before seamlessly transitioning inside, on a boat, and riding a horse—all while addressing female viewers to suggest their men could be as irresistibly smooth as him by using Old Spice. His suave charm and non-sequitur visuals created mystique around the brand.
The ad's campy humor caught viewers off guard while creating a viral moment. By speaking directly to women, Old Spice reframed itself from outdated associations with grandfatherly figures. The rapid-fire odd transitions added excitement, culminating in an unforgettable callback slogan.
10. Meow Mix, "Cat Jingle" (1970s)
Rivaling the best earworm jingles is this vintage Meow Mix commercial featuring a catchy feline tune. A group of diverse cats with animated human faces sings lyrics like "Meow meow meow meow, Meow Mix, please deliver" while dancing together. The lead singer is a Siamese cat sporting a 1970s style shirt and exposing copious chest hair.
It's rare for cat food commercials to be genuinely funny and musically engaging, but Meow Mix nailed it. The tongue-in-cheek jingle extolled why cats can’t resist the product, while anthropomorphic details added quirky appeal. Multiple generations have absent-mindedly sung this silly song since!
The Bottom Line
This nostalgic tour through influential retro commercials shows why television advertising once held so much entertainment sway in culture. Before ad-skipping and cord-cutting, brands put top creative agencies to work concocting clever concepts to astound viewers while subtly persuading them. The balance of artistry, emotion, and strategic messaging etched these ads into collective memory for years.
Looking back at these memorable entries helps explain evolutions in visual storytelling too. As the video production quality and narrative complexity of commercials improved into the 1980s and 90s, they foreshadowed our modern cinematic era of premium television watches more like extended movies. Yet despite technological shifts in how audiences view content, the core need for compelling stories and executions remains to effectively promote brands by winning consumer sentiment. There's still much inspiration modern video creators can draw from these retro advertisements that pushed boundaries in their day.