Nothing But Net

In the wake of the Super Bowl ad extravaganza, we have located a discussion of one of the all-time most memorable Super Bowl spots – McDonald’s “The Showdown” ad from 1993 (which was remade in 2010, and “borrowed” by Nike just this year).

These actually were two Leo Burnett-created spots that depicted Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing an extreme game of h-o-r-s-e.  The stakes:  A McDonald’s Big Mac and fries.  (Yes, this was before Jordan’s outrageous gambling problem was widely documented)

You can see the ad here.  (And what IS Jordan wearing, anyway?)

The experts in this article have their own opinion, but what do you think makes this ad so memorable?  And would it have been as powerful for another brand as it was for McDonald’s?