The Most Expensive Commercials Of All Time

Nicole Kidman
Chanel paid Nicole Kidman $3 million to act in this ad
It's not a coincidence that only one of the following ads came out after the recession.

When the Association of National Advertisers polled members in 2009, a vast 93 percent of respondents said they had to cut costs. Another poll later that year, reported that more than half were cutting back on marketing and promotional programs.

Before the recession, however, companies like Chanel had no problem paying $33 million for a two-minute commercial in 2004, featuring actress Nicole Kidman and director Baz Lurhrmann.

Others big spenders include Guinness, which spent $16 million to create a domino effect through a small town in Argentina, and a British insurance company that paid $13 million for celebrities like Ringo Starr and Bruce Willis.

Now sit back and enjoy the most expensive reported production costs in the history of ads.

Epic and funny at the same time, the ad tells its viewers: "It's a big ad, expensive ad, this ad better sell some bloody beer."

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, this ads shows a vintage Ferrari racing past world-famous sites like the Colosseum and Times Square to the sound of a roaring engine. At the end, the car refuels at a Shell gas station, only to begin another lapse around the world.

Nothing in this ad was computer generated. That's the biggest reason this ad was so expensive to make. It took 606 takes for every piece to work from start to finish. The ad, which shows parts from two Honda Accord cars pushing each other forward, was created in two continuous takes (because no studio was big enough to accommodate the entire sequence). The ad ends with the tagline: "Isn't it nice when things just work?"

First aired during the 2002 Superbowl, this 90-second commercial features Britney Spears representing the drink for the past five decades. The pop star changes outfits and sings to the decades' signature beats with the tagline: "For those who think young."

In this 2011 Superbowl ad featuring Eminem, Chrysler juxtaposes images of a barren-looking Detroit (the carmaker's headquarters) against the luxurious interior of the Chrysler 200. The rap star drives through the city to the tune of "Lose Yourself" and reaches Fox Theatre, ending with the tagline: "Imported from Detroit."

Aviva, a British insurance brand previously known as Norwich Union, released this ad in 2008 to promote its new name. In it, Bruce Willis, Dame Edna, Ringo Starr, Elle Macpherson and Alice Cooper appear next to their old selves. Like Aviva, these celebrities also changed their names in the course of the careers.

To celebrate its 80th year of marketing history, Guinness funded the "Tipping Point," which shows a small Argentinian town collaborating to assemble 6,000 dominoes that knock down books, paint cans, fridges and cars through the streets until a pint of Guinness is finally revealed.

This two-minute ad for Chanel No. 5 was directed by Baz Lurhrmann and features Nicole Kidman as a famous actress tormented by paparazzi. Much like in Moulin Rouge (Lurhrmann's most famous fim), Kidman jumps into a taxi where she meets a young writer, and falls in love.

Kidman reportedly received $3 million for her participation.

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