For brand managers, marketers, agency teams, and business owners trying to create advertising people actually remember, studying the best advertisements of all time is more useful than simply watching them for inspiration. The challenge is that memorable advertising rarely comes from one clever line or an expensive shoot. It comes from the idea, performance, direction, cinematography, editing, sound, and brand message working together. At Scarlet Production in Bangkok, these are the same elements that shape commercial production, so this guide looks beyond nostalgia to examine what some of the world’s most famous TV commercials can teach brands about making stronger advertising.
There is no objective answer to the question, “What is the greatest TV commercial of all time?” Different audiences, countries, critics, and advertising professionals will choose differently. Apple’s 1984, Guinness’s Surfer, Coca-Cola’s Mean Joe Greene commercial, and other landmark campaigns regularly appear in advertising retrospectives.
What matters more is understanding why certain commercials remain memorable decades after their original campaigns ended.
What Makes a Commercial Memorable?
The most iconic TV ads usually succeed on four levels.
1. A strong central idea
Great production cannot rescue a weak concept.
Some famous advertising campaigns are built around dramatic stories. Others depend on a joke, visual device, unusual casting choice, or simple human interaction. In each case, the audience is given one dominant idea rather than several competing messages.
That is why understanding how TV commercials get made matters. Script development, casting, production design, cinematography, editing, sound, and post-production should all strengthen the same concept.
2. Craft that serves the concept
Technique works best when it has a reason to be there.
A controlled camera move can create wonder. An ordinary-looking room can make comedy feel authentic. VFX can turn a metaphor into something visually impossible. Practical engineering can create curiosity.
The production method has to fit the idea.
3. An emotional payoff
Humour, tension, surprise, affection, aspiration, and curiosity give viewers something to experience rather than simply something to process.
That emotional response often determines whether a commercial disappears after 30 seconds or becomes something people remember.
4. Clear brand integration
A beautifully produced short film is not automatically effective advertising.
The strongest commercials connect their entertainment value to something the brand wants to communicate. Ideally, the product is part of the idea rather than something added at the end.
The Commercials That Set the Standard
Instead of pretending there is a scientifically correct ranking of the greatest commercials ever made, the following examples were chosen because each demonstrates a creative or production principle that remains useful today.
Apple: “1984” (1984)
Apple’s 1984 commercial became closely associated with the launch of the Macintosh after airing during Super Bowl XVIII in January 1984. The commercial was developed at Chiat/Day and directed by Ridley Scott.
The spot presents a bleak, controlled world filled with rows of passive figures watching an authoritarian presence on a giant screen. A brightly dressed athlete bursts into the space and disrupts that uniform environment.
The Macintosh itself is not demonstrated through a conventional list of features.
The production decision that made it work: world-building.
The environment, wardrobe, lighting, scale, casting, editing, and tone reinforce the same conflict between conformity and disruption.
Instead of telling viewers that a new computer represented something different, the commercial made “different” something viewers could see and feel.
Takeaway for brands today: dramatise the positioning.
If a product represents freedom, simplicity, speed, rebellion, luxury, or control, ask whether the audience can experience that idea visually.
This is also where writing a commercial script becomes more than writing dialogue. The script has to establish what viewers should understand and feel before production begins.
Click here to view the commercial
Coca-Cola: Mean Joe Greene (1979)
Coca-Cola’s famous commercial featuring Pittsburgh Steelers player “Mean” Joe Greene premiered in 1979 and became one of the best-known spots associated with the “Have a Coke and a Smile” campaign.
The story is simple.
An exhausted Greene walks through a stadium tunnel. A young fan follows and offers him a Coke. The intimidating athlete gradually softens, and the exchange ends warmly.
The production decision that made it work: performance and contrast.
The commercial benefits from the difference between Greene’s formidable public image and the gentle interaction at the centre of the story.
The stadium tunnel also makes the moment feel intimate rather than spectacular.
Takeaway for brands today: emotion does not require complexity.
One believable interaction can carry an entire commercial when the product has a natural role in the scene. Here, sharing the drink is part of what changes the relationship.
Click here to view the commercial
Budweiser: “Whassup?” (1999)
Budweiser’s Whassup? campaign first appeared in late 1999 and was created by DDB Chicago. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
The premise is deliberately ordinary: friends talk on the phone while hanging out, watching television, and drinking Budweiser. Their exaggerated greeting spreads through the group.
The production decision that made it work: controlled naturalism.
The setting and behaviour make the audience feel as though they are watching a recognisable group of friends rather than a glossy fantasy.
The humour comes from repetition, timing, and escalation.
Takeaway for brands today: production value and visual polish are not the same thing.
High-quality production sometimes means knowing when a commercial should feel spontaneous, intimate, awkward, or everyday.
Click here to view the commercial
Guinness: “Surfer” (1999)
Guinness’s Surfer was released in 1999 and was created by AMV BBDO, with Jonathan Glazer directing.
The commercial follows surfers preparing to face a powerful wave. As the sequence intensifies, the white water becomes associated with the imagery of charging horses.
The result is not a literal explanation of beer. It is a visual expression of anticipation and waiting.
The production decision that made it work: turning a brand idea into a visual world.
The monochrome imagery, surfing footage, sound, pacing, performance, and visual effects work together to build tension.
The effects are memorable because they support the concept rather than replace it.
Takeaway for brands today: find a visual metaphor worth producing.
A product benefit does not always have to be demonstrated literally. Sometimes an emotion associated with the brand can become the foundation of the film.
Click here to view the commercial
That principle can also be seen across Scarlet Production’s Clones and Papieroska case studies, where technical and visual choices need to support the creative direction rather than exist simply for spectacle.
Honda Accord: “Cog” (2003)
Honda’s Cog was created by Wieden+Kennedy for the Honda Accord and directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet.
The commercial uses car components in an elaborate chain reaction, with one movement triggering the next until the sequence reaches its conclusion.
There is an immediate reason to keep watching: the viewer wants to know whether the chain will work.
The production decision that made it work: physical movement as storytelling.
Instead of telling viewers that Honda engineering is precise, the commercial turns precision into a visual event.
The chain reaction was created largely with real components rather than being built as a purely computer-generated sequence.
Takeaway for brands today: demonstrate an attribute through the filmmaking itself.
If the brand stands for precision, the production can feel precise. If it stands for speed, editing and camera movement can communicate speed.
The form becomes part of the message.
Click here to view the commercial
Snickers: Betty White (2010)
BBDO launched the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign during the 2010 Super Bowl with Betty White appearing in the debut commercial.
The spot places White in the middle of a rough recreational football game, creating an immediate mismatch between the person viewers see and the behaviour expected by the other characters.
Once the idea resolves, the casting becomes central to the joke.
The production decision that made it work: casting as part of the concept.
Betty White was not simply celebrity decoration. Her presence made the creative device work.
Takeaway for brands today: give casting a strategic purpose.
Before paying for a recognisable face, ask what that person contributes to the narrative. The right performer is often more valuable than the most famous performer.
Click here to view the commercial
Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (2010)
Old Spice’s The Man Your Man Could Smell Like was created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland and launched in 2010.
Isaiah Mustafa speaks directly to the camera while the environment around him keeps transforming. The situations become increasingly surreal, yet his performance remains controlled.
The production decision that made it work: choreography and visual escalation.
The comedy depends on coordination between performance, camera movement, props, scenery, timing, and transitions.
The frame changes rapidly while the central performance stays confident and consistent.
Takeaway for brands today: transitions can become storytelling tools.
Camera movement and production tricks should not be added simply because they look impressive. When they are built around the concept, they help the commercial move through several ideas without feeling fragmented.
Click here to view the commercial
Volkswagen: “The Force” (2011)
Volkswagen’s The Force promoted the 2012 Passat and was created by Deutsch LA, with Lance Acord directing.
The commercial follows a child dressed as Darth Vader who repeatedly attempts to use imaginary powers around the house. After several failures, the child tries again with the family Passat and finally appears to succeed because a parent activates the car remotely.
The production decision that made it work: visual storytelling with restraint.
The child does not need to explain the objective. Costume, body language, framing, reaction shots, music, and editing communicate the situation.
The filmmakers also give the joke time to develop before delivering the payoff.
Takeaway for brands today: trust the audience.
Not every emotional or comic beat needs dialogue or explanatory text. When the idea is visually clear, reducing exposition can make the commercial easier to understand and remember.
Click here to view the commercial
What Modern Brands Can Learn From These Commercials
Despite major differences in era, category, and creative style, these best TV commercials share several useful characteristics.
Start with one idea
Apple had disruption. Honda had precision. Coca-Cola had human connection. Volkswagen had childhood imagination.
Each commercial can be summarised easily.
If the concept needs several paragraphs to explain, production may make the confusion more expensive rather than solve it.
Give every department the same creative target
Direction, cinematography, casting, production design, wardrobe, editing, music, sound, VFX, and performance should not pull in different directions.
They should all help answer the same question:
What should the audience understand or feel?
Once that is clear, production decisions become easier to evaluate.
Integrate the product into the idea
Strong commercials do not need to show the product constantly.
What matters is that its role feels meaningful.
Honda’s components create the spectacle. Coca-Cola changes the emotional interaction. Snickers resolves the central creative device. Volkswagen’s Passat provides the final payoff.
That is stronger than producing an entertaining film and attaching a logo at the end.
Match the level of craft to the idea
Cog invites viewers to admire its mechanical precision. Whassup? succeeds partly because the world feels ordinary and socially familiar.
Both are carefully made.
Good production is not about making every commercial look like a feature film. It is about finding the right visual and technical approach for the specific idea.
Build for memory, not just attention
A strange image can stop someone for a second. A distinctive creative structure is more likely to be remembered.
The dystopian world of 1984, the horses in Surfer, the mechanical sequence in Cog, and the miniature Darth Vader in The Force all give audiences something visually specific to associate with the commercial.
A useful pre-production question is:
What image, performance, or moment should someone remember tomorrow?
Making Your Own Standout Commercial
Brands do not need to imitate the style of these famous campaigns. Copying their surface characteristics is usually the least useful lesson to take from them.
A stronger approach is to identify what is distinctive about your own product, audience, and positioning, then decide how production can make that idea visible.
That process can begin with strategy and script development before moving into casting, locations, production design, filming, editing, sound, colour, motion graphics, VFX, and final delivery.
Scarlet Production provides TV commercial production services in Thailand for international and local brands looking for production support in Bangkok and across Thailand.
For a recent example, the Oppo Reno15 TVC case study shows how Scarlet handled local production in Thailand for a commercial campaign.
The goal is not to manufacture “the next 1984.”
It is to find the strongest idea your brand can credibly own, then give that idea the production treatment it deserves.
FAQ
What is considered the greatest TV commercial of all time?
There is no universally accepted winner because “greatest” can refer to creative influence, cultural recognition, effectiveness, popularity, or production craft. Apple’s 1984 and Guinness’s Surfer are among the commercials most frequently discussed in advertising retrospectives.
What are some of the best advertisements of all time?
Frequently cited examples include Apple’s 1984, Coca-Cola’s Mean Joe Greene commercial, Guinness’s Surfer, Budweiser’s Whassup?, Honda’s Cog, Old Spice’s The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, Snickers’ Betty White commercial, and Volkswagen’s The Force.
What was the most successful advertisement of all time?
There is no reliable single answer because advertising success can be measured through sales, awareness, recall, earned media, awards, or long-term brand impact.
Claims that one commercial is definitively the “most successful ad ever” should therefore be treated cautiously unless the measurement criteria are clearly defined.
Why do iconic TV ads remain memorable?
Most combine a simple creative idea with distinctive execution and an emotional response. Casting, imagery, music, sound, performance, production design, editing, and visual effects are most effective when they reinforce the same central message.
Does a TV commercial need a big budget to become memorable?
No. Some famous commercials use elaborate effects, locations, or engineering. Others rely mainly on casting, performance, humour, timing, or one simple visual idea.
The concept should determine where production resources create the greatest value.
What makes a TV commercial successful today?
A strong modern commercial should communicate a clear brand idea, earn attention quickly, suit its intended audience, and give viewers something distinctive to remember.
Brands should also consider how the main commercial will translate into shorter edits, social formats, vertical video, subtitles, and other campaign assets.
How do you create an iconic TV commercial?
There is no formula that guarantees iconic status.
A better goal is to develop a clear audience insight, a distinctive creative concept, strong brand integration, and a production approach designed specifically around that idea.
Trying to copy an already famous commercial usually creates familiarity rather than originality.
Explore What These Principles Could Look Like for Your Brand
The campaigns above succeeded in very different ways, but each turned a clear idea into something viewers could see, hear, and feel. If you are developing a commercial of your own, explore Scarlet Production’s commercial work and consider which combination of concept, performance, cinematography, production design, sound, and post-production could make your brand’s message genuinely memorable.