10 Great Ads That Used to Be Movies To celebrate Oscars weekend, grab some popcorn and enjoy these commercial homages to Hollywood films
Everyone loves a good movie reference, and advertising is full of them. Witness the success, most recently, of Honda's tribute to Ferris Bueller's Day Off on the Super Bowl. There are many others, too. To celebrate this Sunday's Academy Awards, check out some of our favorite commercial homages to Hollywood movies below, from The Godfather to Wayne's World.
HONDA • Matthew's Day Off
A big crowd-pleaser on the 2012 Super Bowl, this RPA spot for Honda's CR-V struck all the right notes—a loving tribute with a great performance reprising a classic role by Matthew Broderick.
VOLKSWAGEN • The Force
What can you say about this one that hasn't already been said. Deutsch's Star Wars tribute is the most-watched commercial of all time, and Adweek's favorite spot of 2011. Agency and client went back to the well in 2012 with "The Dog Strikes Back."
NIKE • Back 4 the Future
If you've been waiting for 2015 since 1989, this one's for you. Last year, Nike auctioned off 1,500 pairs of the Nike MAG self-lacing shoes, the same shoe worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future II, to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.
FEDEX • Delivery to Oz
A classic Wizard of Oz tribute from the 2000 Super Bowl, this spot from BBDO New York showed a FedEx truck delivering helium balloons to Munchkins who've lost their high voices. The ad was pulled a few weeks later, when some people complained, ridiculously, that it might prompt kids to try inhalants.
AUDI • Horsehead
One of the great movie scenes ever, from The Godfather, was spoofed by Venables Bell & Partners in this 2008 Super Bowl spot, putting "old luxury" on notice.
After the jump: The Shining, Wayne's World, Misery and more.
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AdFreak is your daily blog of the best and worst of creativity in advertising, media, marketing and design. Follow us as we celebrate (and skewer) the latest, greatest, quirkiest and freakiest commercials, promos, trailers, posters, billboards, logos and package designs around. Edited by Adweek's Tim Nudd. Updated every weekday, with a weekly recap on Saturdays.


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