Super Bowl 2011: The Top 10 Most Popular Super Bowl Ads Of All Time

The return of the Old Spice Guy is not the only reason to look forward to this Sunday's Super Bowl - there is also a football match too.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers will go head to head in the US's biggest sporting event.

However, there is no doubt that advertising has become a key component of the sporting showcase's history and tradition.

Whether it's Betty White getting thrown in the mud or a topless aftershave salesmen on a horse, ads now play a key role in the Super Bowl experience.

But which ads are the most popular? Well, in the run-up to this year's event, the Viral Video Chart has compiled the most popular Super Bowl ads of all time based on the amount of times they ranks videos by number of shares as opposed to number of views.

As such, it is a measure of virality as opposed to a measure of eyeballs, ranking ads by the volume of active pass-on rather than the more passive metric of video consumption. You can get more stats here.

The people have spoken. Enjoy!

10. EDS – Cat Herders

From: Super Bowl 2000

Shares (on Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere): 13,444

Views: 467,458 

EDS successfully managed to utilise the growing resurgence of westerns with the very 21st century phenomenon of cat memes in this ad. All way ahead of its time.

Great futuristic insight makes it one of the greatest ads of all time.

9. Audi – Green Car

From: Super Bowl 2010

Shares: 16,951

Views: 2,376,478

Going green and cop shows are big themes at the moment and Audi nailed both of them in this commercial.

Certainly one of the more humorous car commercials out there, and the ant-eater at the roadblock is a nice touch. 

8. Doritos: Sneak Attack Samurai

From: Super Bowl 2010

Shares: 17,180

Views: 1,726,853 

Doritos' Crash the Super Bowl campaign was a genius one, and its fourth consecutive year featured some of the best ads ever. Props to the ingenuity of the directors, as well as the actors.

7. Apple – 1984

From: Super Bowl 1984 

Shares: 18,432

Views: 6,224, 742

This Orwellian ad is a stark contrast to contemporary chirpy Apple ads. Dark, dull and gloomy, it is a classic nonetheless.

And the man on the TV screen, who could that be?

6. Snickers – Betty White

From: Super Bowl 2010

Shares: 19,837

Views: 3,046,729

Anyone who has ever played a pick-up football game in his or her life can probably relate to what is going on in this ad.

And Betty White, the timeless babe that she is, makes it even better.

5. Budweiser – Whassup!

From: Super Bowl 2006

Shares: 31,597

Views: 2,746,055

Budweiser’s Whassup campaign became a pop-culture phenomenon that spread like a wildfire among College Campuses and workplaces alike.

4. E*Trade – Baby, Girlfriend

From: Super Bowl 2010

Shares: 49,290

Views: 7,755,671

E*Trade launched this ad just when people were starting to get over the financial crisis. One might wonder if the downfall of Bernie Madoff helped its case or not. Wolf style! 

3. Doritos – House Rules

From: Super Bowl 2010

Shares: 273, 977

Views: 15,058,099

Another great ad from Doritos' Crash the Super Bowl campaign in 2010, although it might as well have been an ad for Under Armor and its Protect This House campaign. An ad we would love to see the outtakes from!

2. Old Spice – The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

From: Super Bowl 2010

Shares: 410,882

Views: 32,293,880

It comes as no surprise that that this ad is considered as one of the greatest of all time.

Taking the world by storm in 2010, Old Spice continues to grow in popularity. This year one lucky super-fan will even be given the exclusive honour of promoting the next big Old Spice Guy video.

1. Budweiser – 9/11

From: Super Bowl 2002

Shares: 426,393

Views: 4,449,887

Aired only once, but shared almost half a million times, this commemoration to the victims of the 9/11 attacks is the no. 1 most popular Super Bowl ad of all time. 

* Pontus Bondeson is our official Super Bowl correspondent for 2011 (or XLV as it is properly termed)!  He has excellent credentials, having played American Football for nine years, as well as being an avid fan of the sport on television. Follow his posts in the run-up to the big game to learn all about the exciting world of American football and advertising.