The WORST SUPER BOWL ADVERTISEMENT CAMPAIGN EVER | Subaru (Super Bowl XXVII)

They had the worst ad. And the second-worst ad. And the third-worst ad. And the 6th worst ad. And the 7th worst ad. And the 11th worst ad. It was that bad.
At Super Bowl XXVII, Subaru aired six different advertisements to promote the Subaru Impreza. What followed was arguably the worst multi-ad campaign in Super Bowl history, as of the 43 ads that aired that night, Subaru finished at the bottom of the USA Today Ad Meter for every single one of them. This is the story behind the worst ad campaign in the history of the Super Bowl
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[@PGar58]

A score of 3.22 on an ad would be like if an advertiser just spiked the product placement into the ground on every airing.

[@clydemiller4776]

I think that would be 3.96. They managed to somehow do worse than that. Three times in one day.

[@charlesvinson8817]

I was a low level employee on the ad team that year and I told them instead of airing those ads, we'd be better off spiking the ball on every play.

[@RetroJR3379]

Subaru should've done the 1st 5 commercials weeks before the SuperBowl and the big unveiling on Super Sunday

[@Rossturnerphoto]

I’d rather have to sit through all six of those Subaru commercials in every commercial break of an entire football game than ever see that toenail fungus commercial again.

[@AdamJ617]

I’ll bet that in 2019, you were wishing that you watched these ads, instead of SB LIII, which actually proved to be less watchable compared to these ads.

[@jackmessick2869]

I wouldn't sit through any of them; time for a bathroom break!

[@marioaustin9312]

Same with those whopper commercials

[@clydemiller4776]

I gotta admit; those Jublia commercials were effective. I despised those commercials. But much like the problem Jublia is formulated to solve, they really burrowed their way in - not into my toes, but into the innermost depths of my psyche. Thankfully, I’ve never developed toenail fungus that wouldn’t go away. But if that happened to me during the mid-2010s, you’re damn right my first thought would’ve been “better ask my doctor about Jublia.”

[@Rossturnerphoto]

Well, it is memorable. That’s what it has going for it, and I suppose that’s why it rated higher than some of the Subaru commercials.

[@Meme-zc4cw]

These ads are still better than 95% of the ads I see on KZbin.

[@southbeachtalent]

It's kinda relaxing. I'll take this over annoying ass Melissa McCarthy all day everyday

[@dangeiger9796]

The funniest part is that the first suggested video that comes up is a Suburu ad

[@realamerican4081]

This was the last Superbowl held in the Rose bowl. It's a shame the NFL doesn't allow these historic venues to host the game anymore.

[@matthewdaley746]

I think there's a rule, that, the, SB, can only be held in stadiums that currently, are, the home of an NFL team, that's, also, why San Diego hasn't hosted one, in many years.

[@CTubeMan]

@@matthewdaley746 I went to Jack Murphy Stadium in 2014. It was a stadium that looked much better on TV than in person. But yes, the Rose Bowl would be a great place for future Super Bowls.

[@matthewdaley746]

@@CTubeMan Additionally, monstrously inconvenient parking.

[@WhatAG23]

At least they had the Michael Jackson show

[@matthewdaley746]

@@WhatAG23 What a nebulous interjection.

[@sabgab]

The white Impreza looked too much like an AMC Pacer anyways.....

[@dbadefense1990]

To be fair, this was around the time advertisers put up textual graphics and ‘photoshoot’ angles of their products in order to appeal to Generation X who’re beginning to have their own disposable incomes and families. In the same form Subaru did their ads, in this exact same Super Bowl XXVII, was Crystal Pepsi with them also using textual words but to the tune of Van Halen’s ‘Right Now.’

[@Deltron3031]

At the same time though, even with the textualized images, the Crystal Pepsi commercial jumped around to various scenes to keep the viewer's attention. And purchasing the rights to "Right Now" was a big piece of this ad, as opposed to Subaru's use of a quiet voice and generic music bed. And the Pepsi ad did close with a shot of the product and someone drinking/enjoying it. "We eliminated the problem by eliminating the part" really motivates me to go out and buy that car! 😂

[@MatthewBaumgarten]

Subaru never appealed to me anyway, it gave me time to get off the couch and go to the kitchen. Open the fridge and grab a beer, lol

[@holstorrsceadus1990]

Some advertisers went a little nuts with the word cloud bit after Van Halen did right now so that's another thing Crystal Pepsi ruined

[@RetroJR3379]

Between the sad commercial when the man died before the SuperBowl and introduction of new soft drink Pepsi was the big winner for SuperBowl 27 commercial

[@Tubewings]

Actually, the big winner was the Jordan vs. Bird McDonald's commercial.

[@RetroJR3379]

@@Tubewings Thats right I wasnt sure if the commercial was on SuperBowl 26 or 27

[@sickofguysnamedtodd2293]

@@RetroJR3379 speaking of Super Bowl 26, remember those Dan and Dave commercials?? “To be settled in Barcelona”. That ended up being a flop because Dan failed to qualify during the Olympic trials and didn’t even get to go to the games, and I think Dave ended finishing third or worse in the Olympics.

[@RetroJR3379]

@@sickofguysnamedtodd2293 I do and finger crossed that JG9 do a video of Dan vs Dave LOL. Gotta give them credit after Dan failed they still did the commercial

[@Tubewings]

@@sickofguysnamedtodd2293 Dave got the Bronze in Barcelona, but things ended up okay for Dan in the end...he got Gold in Atlanta.

[@rainbowdillard8581]

The set of ads seems completely in keeping with the style of ads of the time. Viewers of that era may recall the long teaser campaign from Infiniti where one saw commercials showing a droplet of water along with the word Infiniti, but not the car itself until months later.

[@Michael-sb8jf]

These sound like ads you would see at a trade show

[@PGar58]

What about the ad for E-trade that featured a windup monkey for about 45 seconds and then a graphic “Well, we just wasted two million bucks!” Hilarious.

[@PGar58]

I have had two Subarus in my life. Both were silver, both were sticks, both were about 7 years old, both were pretty fun to drive….and both cost me a lot of money on repairs. Proceed accordingly.

[@davidfiddleman2312]

Wow. I remember watching this at a bar and not remembering any ads besides Pepsi….

[@sickofguysnamedtodd2293]

Yeah the Crystal Pepsi ads with Van Halen’s “Right Now”.

[@GabrielRodriguez-mc4me]

Personally, I thought the no distributor ad was the worst. There was nothing to show!

[@jackmessick2869]

Hello fellow Whaler fan!

[@clydemiller4776]

That was the only ad of the 6 that made a clear point.

[@mkepioneet]

"Hey Kirstie Alley, remember your performance in Star Trek 2? Yeah, like that but imagine if you didn't care"

[@matthewdaley746]

At least, that character had the excuse of being an emotionless Vulcan, too bad they replaced her, for, the next two films, severely harsh.

[@southbeachtalent]

I wonder if somebody asked Kristie Alley if she was driving a Subaru. "Oh, no. God no."

[@michaelreich4827]

I remember these commercials. I have SB27 on VHS and would watch it all the time as a kid. I would always fast forward through these kind of ads. I wouldn't say they were bad, they were just there. They get a bad rap because they were Super Bowl ads. If they had come out in the summer, no one would remember them.

[@mrmoose6619]

Not a car guy by any means, but I thought the first ad was cool that they spoke about the engine and then in the 2nd ad show the car in action. Comparing the car to a Porsche 911 was like.. WOW! I want to see the car... and see how it runs. Never got that though. I didn't recognize Kirstie's voice until you said it was hers... and I always liked her voice. She sounded... way off... not a good campaign at all.

[@matthewdaley746]

The only reason it, was, her, was, because they, were, trying to squeeze out her, last, drops of superstardom, as Cheers ended a few months, later, and, her career would, never, remotely, approach that level, again.

[@craigmergenthal9291]

I thought the first ad was fairly decent if you plan on being a lot less technical in the other spots, as well as actually showing the car- beyond a super quick still shot. Saying it has a feature comparable to a Porsche for a fraction of the price is something. They spent the entire campaign on technical speak in front of stock car photos though.

[@matthewdaley746]

@@craigmergenthal9291 Serviceable idea, terrible execution.

[@chrisguardiano6143]

This isn't the only time that year Subaru messed up with ads at a big sports event as at the FA Cup Final that year between Sheffield Wednesday & Arsenal, Subaru decided to basically the air 3 of the same ads they aired for the Super Bowl to a UK audience & introduce the Impreza to the UK market. They did this to compete with UK makes Rover & Vauxhall along with Ford who also had ads at the FA Cup Final. Safe to say that Subaru failed even worse with this than at the Super Bowl as there was much more competition when it came to car ads. In fact Subaru did so badly that they haven't advertised at the FA Cup Final since & kept their involvement with English soccer limited to being the shirt sponsor of Coventry City for most of the 90's. Instead Subaru used their successful involvement in the World Rally Championship (which is very popular in the UK & in Europe) with the Impreza to market it to the UK market & drive sales.

[@samuraicrunchbird]

I was expecting the 'QB rating' quote you sprinkle into so many of your videos. 😃😸😃😸

[@nancy4don]

Day #1 of sales training: " Never sell a feature without a benefit."

[@markbrown4039]

Did Kirstie Alley, may she RIP, need the money? The second one, with the screechy singing, was the worst IMO.

[@jackmessick2869]

I think Cheers ended the previous spring, so, possibly. Even Gene Hackman did/has done voice-overs. And Tom Cruise did commercials for Japanese networks, with the agreement it will NOT be shown on American network television.

[@matthewdaley746]

Unlikely, she, later, starred in, Veronica's Closet, but, her career, never, again, reached the heights it had, when, Cheers, was, a, true ratings phenomenon.

[@matthewdaley746]

@Jack Messick Cheers ended the, Spring, following the Game, though, Ted Danson, (correctly), believed the program ran its course, after, Year Seven, despite, the unforgettable finale.

[@psychorabbitt]

After all of these videos on bad ads, you should do one on the greatest multi-year ad campaign of all time - the Bud Bowl.

[@msarzo]

The Impreza was not so impressive, at least on the ad meters

[@RetroJR3379]

Now I remember Subaru LOL. RIP Kirstie Allie

[@matthewdaley746]

Cheers, all, downhill, afterwards.

[@teen_laqueefa]

@@matthewdaley746 making your way in the world today, takes everything you've got Taking a break from all your worries Sure would help alot

[@teen_laqueefa]

@@matthewdaley746 him and Veira were truly sad. The show really put a positive spin on a dive bar.

[@matthewdaley746]

@@teen_laqueefa Ruined, after, version, cut.

[@matthewdaley746]

@@teen_laqueefa Replica restaurant outstanding, however.

[@RVN1016]

We need more of these Super Bowl commercial videos outside of January and February

[@shaneharrisnj3484]

The commercials were ok, but their rally racing career in 1993-99 was OUTSTANDING! Boxer engine and 4 wheel drive= pure winter and dirt bliss.

[@marcus813]

That toe fungus ad was way better than these Subaru ads because there was more stuff going on. There was nothing going on in those Subaru ads.

[@craigmergenthal9291]

the fungus ad was your typical pharmaceutical ad, just in a spot that doesn't typically air those. It tells you what the product does, and does well in plain enough language, side effects, etc. It's just out of place. The Subaru ad is way too technical and doesn't tell what the product does well.

[@theeverelusivemodernemoguy]

Keep in mind half if not more of the target audience is probably drunk during this, so this would probably confuse people who aren't car guys like myself.

[@erichaynes7502]

This is a shame because Suburu had a really sharp commercial in late 1989 for the Suburu Legacy(I think). In the commercial the car sped around a test track and finally skidded to a halt..then a family got out and took off their safety helmets and smiled. I was a Honda guy then and almost went out and got that Legacy(or Stanza or whatever it was)!

[@stevengrvp]

Ah yes more super bowl ads can't wait for kc vs eagles at the super bowl

[@luisreyes1963]

Wait until the ad for Downy Unstopables reveals who's under the hoody. 😑

[@stevengrvp]

@@luisreyes1963 yeah

[@CTubeMan]

At 15:34 it looks like by the combined ratings Subaru would have been better off spiking their suspension system into the ground on every single play.

[@KWCline91]

Well, we know the Buffalo Bills did beat Subaru 17-negative 39.6

[@dangeiger9796]

That ad campaign is worse than if they did nothing but spike the ball into the ground on every play

[@BigTiger_99]

Welcome to dumb decisions.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Talk about a dumb decision.

[@CTubeMan]

TM

[@mst3kanita]

man and this was back when nobody was buying subarus unless you lived in Alaska, lol.

[@PeteTheRock2002]

What I would imagine was a real loser was Tempe, since they were originally supposed to host Super Bowl XXVII before it was sent from Sun Devil Stadium to the Rose Bowl.

[@thatduderobo1974]

these ads are so bad and boring i had a hard time staying awake to watch them, although these ads are not as bad as Al Michaels calling games on Amazon

[@syu_ra]

to be fair i think that's about as good an ad as possible for a product about toenail fungus lol

[@eganfo]

Your disdain for these ads cracks me up. They weren’t so bad. You’re talking about the ad 30 years later.

[@andypritchard9644]

Yeah I like JG9 but he's a little over the top with these. Yeah, these ads kinda suck but they're forgettably bad, not infamously so. Yeah, they should've showed the car in every ad, but not revealing it is not the worst aspect of these ads. The lack of enthusiasm in delivery and narration are what stand out the most. Just completely forgetable

[@carljacobs1260]

Bloodbath? Super Bowl XXVII was not a "bloodbath". It was an unsurpassed demonstration of Football excellence. Ok, so it may have vaguely resembled some baby seals getting clubbed.

[@LRS1988]

At Wilkins Hyundai and Subaru. We have Hyundais and Subarus

[@Coyotek4]

Kirstie Allie kinda sounds like the voice of the computer tracks on Shinedown's "Planet Zero" album.

[@Rockhound6165]

I still say the Nationwide commercial from the Patriots/Seahawks Super Bowl was the worst.

[@RetroJR3379]

Why do I get the feeling that Skyrizi and Ozempic going to do a SuperBowl commercial lol

[@CTubeMan]

Skyrizi has Nothing to offer.

[@matthewdaley746]

That's, increasingly, unlikely, however.

[@matthewdaley746]

@CTubeMan That's, simultaneously, everything, additionally-ironically.

[@RetroJR3379]

Never say Never lol

[@clydemiller4776]

O-O-O OZEEEEEMPICCCCC!!! ::grabs two screwdrivers and punctures both eardrums simultaneously::

[@jackmessick2869]

Usually these are shown to test audiences. A six-parter is a bit much to expect them all to be followed, especially if the game is a yawner, like this SB was.

[@TheNewChevyRoll48]

As much as I like cars, I find these ads to be a snoozer. It would've been better if they shown how the All Wheel Drive system drives off road since Subaru was a favorite among rally racers for decades. Though they started with the Legacy and then the Impreza.

[@biIIyball]

Let's be honest - no one was competing with the '93 Taurus.

[@nathanjm000]

Didn't realize Ruth Gordon was born in my hometown

[@clydemiller4776]

Coopers & Lybrand (a predecessor to PwC) had the 4th-worst ad, a remarkably boring spot that has been on YT for 2 years and has less than 300 views. Maybe they meant to air on CNBC instead of regular NBC and someone forgot a letter. Anywho - kudos to Subaru for managing to out-yawn an accounting firm. Hell of an accomplishment. Edit: Found the Olds ad that placed 5th-worst. Just a series of forgettable testimonials about people driving an Oldsmobile for extended periods of time. Another ad that does not seem Super Bowl-worthy. No wonder Olds doesn’t exist anymore.

[@darreljones8645]

Of course, the REAL question should be, how well did the Impreza sell?

[@Tubewings]

There were 23,577 produced for the 1993 model year with prices between $11,500 and $17,600.

[@jeffanderson3962]

Subaru should have just spiked this campaign into the ground

[@Davidjon1946]

I just remembered how angry I was. That I was going to be ridiculed by my classmates. Knowing that my buffalo bills were going to lose their four straight super bowl. Everyone in my seventh grade class were dallas cowboys starter jackets san francisco forty niner jackets I was the only loyal Buffalo Bills fan. every year. I just asked for a New Buffalo bill starter jacket for Christmas. My parents didn't have much money. Now I see the same kids that picked on being a bill Fan on facebook with third children holding them up and their bills gear and little jerseys saying Buffalo fan since day one 😅😅 So many f****** people jump on the bandwagon. But where were you in the nineties? Where were you and early two thousands? I'm buffalo, born and raised

[@arthurleardi5555]

What about the "herding cats," and the "Running of the squirrels at Pamplona," the next year, ads, at successive Super Bowls? Whether this was a successful or failed advertising campaign, I leave for others, like JG9, to judge. In any event, I thought, & still think, that these were examples of great satire.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Herding cats was an absolute classic

[@andrewblahut6213]

. I remember these commercials. I like the way they did it

[@billygsell3625]

I wonder who was the fourth and fifth worst ad on Super Bowl XXVIII???

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Probably the Super Bowl ads that aired in Super Bowl 55 LoL

[@Tubewings]

You can see the full list at 15:34.

[@joshuarayborn]

They were trash cars too. Horrible head gasket leaks

[@pepperjackttv]

I wouldn't have known that was Kirstie Allie if you didn't tell me. She was pretty famous at the time, why wouldn't they actually feature her in any of the ads? Lol

[@matthewdaley746]

Alas, glory proved fleeting.

[@teen_laqueefa]

Kirstie Allie, Rebecca? OH YEA, HER VOICE IS HOT!!!

[@pepperjackttv]

@@teen_laqueefa thanks for providing me proper spelling because I couldn't be bothered to look it up earlier lol

[@matthewdaley746]

@@teen_laqueefa Madhouse, just criminally underrated.

[@matthewdaley746]

@@pepperjackttv Hollywood's viciously unkind, later.

[@americanidol30]

I wonder if they showed the last commercial during the two minute warning during the fourth quarter when the game was pretty much over. You made a video about how Honda lost 20 Million Dollars in 90 seconds when they showed three ads back-to-back-to-back during the two minute warning during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXIX when the game was much over.

[@CTubeMan]

Cognac Time!

[@CTubeMan]

Kirstie Alley

[@patrickracer43]

Is Subaru the worst? Because seriously no one is topping Just For Feet... Maybe FTX could top Just For Feet Edit: this campaign requires you to have a car person to explain to you why the boxer engine, the suspension setup, the brake system, the ECU, the distributor and the brand's reliability makes the Impreza the right car, and this wasn't the WRX STI, that didn't even come to America until the early 2000s, they couldn't even advertise the car's racing pedigree because I think Subaru was still running the Legacy in the World Rally Championship when they launched the Impreza in the North American market... I actually believe that Subaru North America actually left W&K after this campaign

[@MrTim2031]

Still better than the Ford Fusion commercial which they brought two back to back commercials. That just pissed me off and made me hate the car.

[@RobAGabor]

I used Jublia a few years ago, but not because of that ad.

[@MrDman21]

Toenail fungus? 🤣

[@GamerKiller2347]

I don't see the new JG8 video. The card in the upper right corner is for the East Carolina video.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Launches at 6 PM ET, and then, I'll switch out the cards

[@luisreyes1963]

This is no way to pay tribute to the late Kirstie Alley. A shitty series of Super Bowl ads by Subaru. 😣

[@matthewdaley746]

Yeah, not, to mention, that only a few months, later, Cheers left the airwaves, (four seasons too, late, just ask Ted Danson), this, sadly, was, just about the, last, time her voice could carry, an, ad campaign, effectively, for, years.

[@cheese2507]

I love these ads, but I am a car guy 🤷‍♂️

[@TheCrawdaddy029]

I'm okay with Subaru not show in a car in one of their commercials if there's an entire ad campaign about that car specifically in a 3-hour window with six different commercials. If that was the first ad that was kind of a bad call. But that first commercial you showed was bad for much worse reasons. First the woman talked way too fast, second she was giving technical specs to a target audience that doesn't care, and the last the comparison at the end for the Honda and the Porsche was completely unnecessary

[@njackson6807]

God I kinda get what they were going for too... "the rest of the Impreza arrives March 1st". They're not showing the car because it hasn't "arrived" yet 💀💀 Until like the very end where it's supposed to be the big reveal I guess?

[@CTubeMan]

At 2:31 were you talking to Henry Higgins?

[@NorthWoodsWalks]

...not impressed by the Imprezza... Inspired, dear sir, Inspired and funny as faa.... 🤣🤣

[@wotintarnation8388]

*Looks at LimitBreak ad* Yeah it's gonna be beat.

[@imrustyokay]

The real winner of Super Bowl XXVII was Michael Jackson, imo. Also, this reminds me of Mazda ads that aired in the UK that required you to videotape it to get the message. Of course, this is a great idea on paper, but horrible execution.

[@jackmessick2869]

Actually, I thought his performance was bizarre, with air being shot up through the stage while he grabbed his crotch.

[@matthewdaley746]

Rihanna, this Game, another, dud, I'm skipping it, no doubt.

[@matthewdaley746]

@@jackmessick2869 Speaking of which, him, Prince, and, George Michael, dying young, all, totally, sucked, but, as Madonna, ultimately, proved, there, truly, are, far, worse, things, unquestionably, are.

[@jcjones2647]

You were totally wrong about Trevor Lawrence. I hope you owned up to that

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

I said in that video I hoped it aged like sour milk. It did, and I’m so happy about that

[@ThePrufessa]

In light of that mind boggling dumb penalty from last night's game I fully expect JG9 to have a video covering the worst penalties of all time. And even though Draymond Green giving LeBron a nutshot isn't NFL themed it deserves a mention on this list.

[@chrisp679]

Which one?

[@harlanseago4876]

Which one?

[@ThePrufessa]

What do you mean which one? The one that gave KC the victory.

[@chrisp679]

@@ThePrufessa only if you consider the play to be the dumb penalty and not the call itself.

[@harlanseago4876]

@@ThePrufessa it was obviously a penalty, it was stupid on Cinci’s part. There were some horrible calls that benefitted KC earlier in the game

[@JoeBobTarheel]

10:00 JG9 being a whiny lil brat