Thirty-four years ago this month, Farrah Fawcett sensuously applied Noxzema to Joe Namath’s manly chin — touching off an escalating arms race of expensive Super Bowl commercials that have frequently been more entertaining than the games.

Last year, advertisers weren’t shy about spending $2.5 million on a 30-second commercial, but only the Budweiser “Magic Fridge” commercial came within striking distance of our Top 10 list.

Below are the best Super Bowl commercials of all time, the keys to their success and the prospects of the company after the spot aired. As you can see, just because people are still talking about an ad more than 20 years later doesn’t mean the product changed the world:

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10. Budweiser “Frogs” (1995): Three frogs, perched on a log outside a bar, croaking, “Bud … Weis … Errrrrr.”

What worked: The fact that Budweiser milks every commercial concept to death – does anyone doubt there will be a “Magic Fridge 2” this year? — makes it easy to forget how cool this ad was when you first heard it. The buildup was great, with an oddly infectious catchphrase.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Four elements of a good Super Bowl commercial:

1. Keep it simple: Your key demographic has heartburn from bad pizza and Buffalo wings, is worried about his team covering the spread and is likely half drunk. Now isn’t the time for a plot that’s more confusing than “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
2. A catchphrase is nice: An advertisement keeps on giving when it features a buzz-worthy slogan such as “Nothing but net,” “Wassup!” or “Bud … weis … errrr.” Bonus points if it ends up on a T-shirt.
3. Brand recognition is vital. Even if Carmen Electra agrees to appear half-naked and the ad has a $2 million special effects budget, it doesn’t matter if nobody knows what the product is.
4. When in doubt, remember “SVAK”: The best Super Bowl of the past three decades all seem to include sex, violence, animals or kids. (Although no one has successfully produced a commercial with all four.)
— Peter Hartlaub
The results: For better or worse, the frog ads and the spin-off lizard commercials made Budweiser — which was starting to become an old-guy drink — cool again for younger partiers.

9. Xerox “Monks” (1977): Faced with a hopelessly mundane copying job, Brother Dominic puts down his quill pen and turns to a Xerox 9200 duplicating system.

What worked: “Monks” seems a bit dated now, like watching NBA video from the early 1950s. But this was the George Mikan of early Super Bowl commercials, with a narrative style and series of punch lines that set the pioneering tone for hundreds of ads that followed.

The results: The promise to reproduce documents “at an incredible two pages per second” may not seem impressive now, but Xerox is now used as both a noun and a verb – the definition of a successful brand.

8. Tabasco “Mosquito” (1998): A mosquito tries to draw blood from a Tabasco-loving yokel — with explosive results.

What worked: The commercial was simple, funny and violent. With no dialogue, no music and only two characters (including the exploding insect), Tabasco memorably promoted its brand.

The results: Tabasco still hasn’t replaced ketchup in the condiment market, and probably never will. With its huge loyal following, does Tabasco even need commercials?

7. Electronic Data Systems “Herding Cats” (2000): A “Bonanza”-like family of cat herders talk about life on the range.

What worked: Kitties and cowboys made this a favorite for both kids and adults, but the near-seamless special effects were the real MVP. Advertiser EDS came back a year later with a similar formula, featuring the “Running of the Squirrels.”

The results: We still don’t know what EDS does, but it has 117,000 employees and just signed a $1.27 billion contract extension with the British Ministry of Defense — so the ad certainly didn’t hurt the company.

Superbowl XLI

The 10 best Super Bowl ads of all time

These spots were often more entertaining than the actual game