The first ad of Super Bowl XXXV also turned out to be No. 1 on USA Today's annual Ad Meter gauge of entertainment value, an instant viewer poll that creatives both resent and desperately want to top. (Their clients, at a minimum, desperately want to top it, which has a certain trickle-down effect.)

The commercial by the Chicago office of Omnicom Group's DDB finds comedian Cedric the Entertainer overshaking a pair of beers in his enthusiasm over a date. "The spot was amusing even if, unlike Cedric's date, you knew what was coming," ad columnist Stuart Elliott wrote in The New York Times.

Encouraged by the results, Bud Light and DDB would bring back Cedric for Super Bowl ad appearances such as 2002's "Cyrano de Cedric," 2004's "Spa" and 2005's "Deserted Island." He would also star in a Budweiser ad in the 2005 game, this time promoting designated drivers ("Dance").

BRAND: Bud Light

YEAR: 2001

AGENCY: DDB

SUPERBOWL: XXXV