NBA Hall of Famer and advertising staple Charles Barkley (whose Super Bowl turns include T-Mobile’s “My Faves” in 2008 and Taco Bell’s “It Rocks” and “Poem” in 2010) turns up in a home for retired athletes during one of Charles Schwab’s two Super Bowl XXXIV ads from Omnicom Group's BBDO (the other is "Ringo Starr"). Viewer attention gained, the message is delivered clearly: “It’s never too early to think about retirement.” 

BBDO campaigns for the brokerage carried spending of as much as $130 million in 2000 and $83 million in 2001, The New York Times reported in early 2002 as Schwab ended a four-year run with the shop. The agency’s efforts to include celebrities in financial advertising helped make the category approachable for consumers.

BRAND: Charles Schwab

YEAR: 2000

AGENCY: BBDO

SUPERBOWL: XXXIV