Bud Light – “Up for Whatever” (2014) – $12 million.
Fifth most expensive commercial ever.
The 2014 Super Bowl strikes again! This hidden-camera extravaganza ad chronicles one crazy night in the life of a guy named Ian Rapoport, who finds himself buoyed from one awesome situation to another (a limo ride with Reggie Watts, an elevator with Don Cheadle and a llama, a table tennis match with Arnold Schwarzenegger) all because he’s “up for whatever.”
Although Bud Light’s “Up for Whatever” campaign would eventually run aground on the shoals of controversy, this initial ad is a charming, amiable bit of wish fulfillment. Although it cost Bud Light a 120 million pretty pennies to produce, we can all agree that the ad makes a heck of a lot more sense than any of their current “Dilly, Dilly” spots.
Chrysler – “Imported From Detroit” (2011) – $12 Million
Fourth most expensive commercial ever.
One common thread you’ll find amongst many of these ads is celebrities. After all, there’s only so much money you can spend when making an ad that’s two minutes long, max. Unless you pull a Joker and start literally setting cash on fire, the easiest way to make one of the most expensive commercials of all time is to pay some famous person a truckload of money to star in it.
The celebrity, in this case, is Eminem. And while he might seem like an odd choice of pitchman, his presence here is pretty perfect. To introduce the luxury Chrysler 200, this ad meditates on the gritty history of Detroit, where both Chrysler and Eminem share a long and colorful past. The ad’s thesis is best captured in the line, “the hottest fires make the hardest steel.”
Aviva – “Names” (2008) – $13.4 million
Third most expensive commercial ever.
When British insurance company Norwich Union changed its name to Aviva in 2008, they wanted people to notice. So they spent over $13 million dollars hiring Bruce Willis, Ringo Starr, Elle McPherson, and Alice Cooper to star in an advert about how important their name changes had been on the road to stardom.
Out of every ad on this list, this one looks the cheapest. It’s not a glossy, high-end extravaganza, and doesn’t feature any ravishing shots of cars or sodas or Don Cheadle’s llama; it is isn’t much more than a bunch of famous people talking to the camera. Even when they’re digitally inserted into their own movies or news footage, it doesn’t look great.
But still, four celebrities! Four incredibly famous celebrities! You can’t say the money isn’t on the screen. It’s right there, and it looks like Ringo Starr.
Guinness – “Tipping Point” (2007) – $16 million
Second most expensive commercial ever.
Just because a commercial is expensive, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily inventive. But this $16 million dollar ad from Guinness is a witty delight.
Filmed on location in the tiny Argentinean village of Iruya (not cheap!) the add begins with a cascading series of dominoes that escalates into refrigerators and flaming cars knocking into each other, all leading up to a large statue of a Guinness pint.
Combining expensive material costs with a need for precision in order to get every shot just right, this ad goes to show how that a large budget is great, but an awesome idea is even better.
Chanel – “The Film” (2004) – $33 million.
Most expensive commercial ever.
Hoo boy. This ad cost a lot of money. Like, over twice as much money as the next most expensive commercial. But hey, you don’t get a lavish perfume ad starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Baz Luhrmann—both at the height of their fame—without dropping some series dimes! $33 million worth to be exact!
This three-minute ad for Chanel No. 5—titled The Film—doesn’t just feature the talents of Kidman and Luhrmann, it also includes costumes designed by Karl Lagerfield and production values that are to die for. Perfume ads generally air on the ritzier side of the ad spectrum, but this one takes the cake—and then flies in a couple extra cakes of its own just for good measure.
Unlike most of the ads on this list, The Film didn’t’ premiere during the Super Bowl. Instead, it debuted in movie theatres with … Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Since the commercial actually has something of a plot—regular-yet-super-attractive man enjoys a brief, doomed with runaway world-famous actress—we’re guessing it was like one of those shorts they play before Pixar films.
The only difference, really, is that this “short” cost almost as much as the full-length film it was preceding.