On the American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live (SNL), a commercial advertisement parody is commonly shown after the host's opening monologue. Many of the parodies were produced by James Signorelli. The industries, products, and ad formats targeted by the parodies have been wide-ranging, including fast food, beer, feminine hygiene products, toys, clothes, medications (both prescription and over-the-counter), financial institutions, automobiles, electronics, appliances, public-service announcements, infomercials, and movie & TV shows (including SNL itself).
Many of SNLs ad parodies have been featured in prime-time clip shows over the years, including an April 1991 special hosted by Kevin Nealon and Victoria Jackson, as well as an early 1999 follow-up hosted by Will Ferrell that features his attempts to audition for a feminine hygiene commercial. In late 2005 and in March 2009, the special was modernized, featuring commercials created since the airing of the original special.
10 Beatles Classics You Kind of Know the Words To – "The Kind of Know the Words To Singers" energetically sing the few lyrics they know from the legendary band's song catalog, and mumble the others they don't (e.g. "muttermuttermuttermutter IN TUCSON, ARIZONA! muttermuttermuttermutter" from "Get Back"), in this compilation album promo from April 1989. 16 and Pregnant Spinoffs – A November 2010 ad finds MTV cashing in with spinoffs inspired by 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom (complete with an altered logo to "MTV: Maternity Television"). The parody promotes My Super Sweet 16 and Pregnant; America's Best Pregnant Dance Crew; Wild 'n Out with a special guest (a baby); an all-baby-cribs edition of MTV Cribs; and I'm Snooki and Pregnant (Snooki would reveal her pregnancy and engagement in March 2012). 1-800-Flowers – Kristen Wiig promotes the floral retailer as a way to show love for her mother (Kate McKinnon) "even when Mom is at her most annoying". 2026 Winter Olympics – Airing one week before the Games began in Milan & Cortina, this ad featured some of the Team USA athletes excited to "go for the gold" in their chosen sports... and Gertie Burper (Jane Wickline), who dislikes being good at luge ("I just go straight down like everyone, but I scream the whole time"). 5-hour Empathy – "For when you just don't get it," the manufacturers of 5-hour Energy invent a liquid supplement that provides, according to Kenan Thompson's voiceover, "5 full hours of complete, intimate understanding of years of systemic oppression and ever-present racism." Although having an initial desire to do so, ad subject Beck Bennett is hesitant to try it, pantomiming chugging it down ("The cap is still on," notes Thompson); insisting that he is not racist ("I voted for Biden; what more do you want?!"); and offering it to wife Heidi Gardner, who also declines ("I don't need that, 'cause I'm a woman, so… it's the same").SNL: "5-hour Empathy" on YouTube (accessed October 18, 2020) 24-Hour Energy for Dating Actresses – This parody postulates that having an actress for a girlfriend, and dealing with their quirks, can leave a man exhausted and debilitated. However, this once-daily supplement gives men the energy they need to handle their paramours' constant rehearsing, mastering of foreign accents, emotional swings over callbacks, etc. Also promoted is a female formula, "24-Hour Energy for Dating Comedians."SNL: "24-Hour ENERGY Drink on YouTube (accessed July 18, 2018) 2020 Part 2: 2024 – Democratic-leaning voters are terrified over Joe Biden possibly running for re-election as U.S. President in 2024, and who would run for the party's nomination if he declined, in this October 2022 horror movie trailer "from the producers of Smile and the twisted minds of Morning Joe.""Democrats' 2024 Presidential Candidate Decision Gets Horror Movie Treatment By 'Saturday Night Live'," from Deadline, October 29, 2022
A ABBA Christmas – This infomercial spoof promotes a never-released album of holiday songs from "The Fleetwood Mac of cold weather" (Bowen Yang, episode host Kate McKinnon, and McKinnon's fellow SNL alums Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig), all set to the tunes of their well-known classics (e.g. "Gifts for Me, Gifts for You").SNL: "ABBA Christmas" on YouTube (accessed December 17, 2023) Abilify for Candidates – "Because not everyone can be President," this version of the atypical antipsychotic is specially formulated for candidates in the 2016 presidential election, among them Rick Santorum (Taran Killam) and Mike Huckabee (Bobby Moynihan)."Abilify for Candidates" on YouTube (accessed October 4, 2015) Academy of Better Careers – Spokesman Wendell Craig pitches a program for people to find jobs as stand-by operators. Action Cats – A parody of action-figure toys featuring plastic armor and weapons for live cats. Ad Council – In this 1985 ad, a pitchman appears in different ad environments and tries to describe what product he's advertising, a goal he can't achieve since the environment changes before he can mention the product. He eventually leaves without mentioning any products. The closing tagline: "Wasting your time in various ways... for no good reason." Adobe – A car that's cheap (sticker price: $179) but also unsafe (it's made entirely of clay) yet "combines German engineering and Mexican know-how!" Adopt Belushi for Christmas – On the last episode before Christmas 1976, host Candice Bergen encourages families to write in and invite John Belushi into their home for the holidays (since, unlike the rest of the cast and crew, he has no place else to go). Aerotoilet – An Aerobed-like inflatable toilet that can be used anywhere and is perfect for guests at large parties. A cut-for-time ad from Season 47.SNL: "Aerotoilet" on YouTube (accessed July 1, 2024) Airbnb – Natalie (Chloe Fineman) enjoys offering her home to guests through the lodging service... although she laments sharing it with European guest Oolie (also Fineman), whose one-night stay has been extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, resulting in Natalie being subjected to Oolie's discourteous manners (e.g. washing dishes with a garden hose, doing yoga topless in the front yard).SNL: "Airbnb Commercial" on YouTube (accessed April 26, 2020) Alaska Airlines – After a door plug on one of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes broke and caused decompression post-takeoff, the airline states that they're taking precautions (e.g. tightening bolts, bringing Sully Sullenberger out of retirement) and reassuring passengers that they'll have a great story to tell after the plane lands (complete with a $50 commemorative photo)."'SNL' Jokes Alaska Airlines Will Hire Captain Sully Out Of Retirement After Cabin Door Came Off Mid-Flight: "You Didn't Die, And You Got A Cool Story," from Deadline, January 20, 2024 The Al Pacino Accused Murderer Biopic Series – Fresh off playing Phil Spector in a biopic for the network, and three years after he played Dr. Jack Kevorkian in another film, HBO calls again on Al Pacino (Bill Hader) to play several other famous figures accused of murder, including Ted Kaczynski, Amanda Knox, the Menendez brothers, the captain of the Costa Concordia, Oscar Pistorius, and Conrad Murray (Michael Jackson's personal physician).SNL: "The Al Pacino Accused Murderer Biopic Series" on YouTube (accessed January 6, 2021) Al Sharpton's Casa De Sushi – Sharpton (as himself) opens a Japanese restaurant in Secaucus... even though Sharpton hates the food and only runs the restaurant because, "Well, presidential campaigns don't finance themselves, people." Almost Pizza – Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig and Nasim Pedrad appear in this spoof of DiGiorno pizza. It may look and smell like pizza, but it's not quite pizza, as proven by its molecular instability (it gets hotter when removed from the oven, shatters like glass, then regroups and crawls on the floor). AM Ale – An alcoholic beverage for the morning, because "you can't wait 'til afternoon". Amazin' Lazer – A consumer grade laser gun used for cleaning up yard waste or (as onscreen superimpositions discourage) dangerous and potentially criminal acts. The Amazing Alexander – This 1986 ad promotes a Broadway theatre performance by a popular stage hypnotist (portrayed in performance still shots by Jon Lovitz). Audience members interviewed in the ad give the show unanimous praise—the same praise, in fact, delivered in a hypnotic trance ("I loved it. It was much better than CATS. I'm going to see it again and again.").SNL: "The Amazing Alexander" on NBC.com (accessed December 28, 2017) Amazon – Husbands and kids can buy typical Mother's Day gifts (e.g. bed and bath items, a new washing machine) on the website... but moms use it to buy vibrating massagers (which one daughter mistakes for a microphone) or the best-selling novel Fifty Shades of Grey (in hard-copy or, so the husband doesn't have to know she's reading it, on Kindle).Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Amazon Echo Silver – Designed in partnership with AARP, this smart speaker device for elderly users speaks very loudly, responds to anything remotely resembling "Alexa," and mutters "Uh-huh" during long, rambling stories.SNL: Amazon Echo Silver on YouTube (accessed January 29, 2018) Amazon Go – "No lines. No Checkout. (No, seriously.)" That's the tagline for the convenience store chain where, with just a scan of their Amazon app, customers can grab what they want and leave... though, despite the reassurance, Black customers are clearly skittish to do so (e.g. Punkie Johnson insists on paying, episode host Zoë Kravitz asks white boyfriend Andrew Dismukes grab a bottle of kombucha for her)."SNL hilariously takes on Amazon Go," from A.V. Club, March 13, 2022 AMC Theatres – The movie theater chain's celebration of the moviegoing experience has been parodied in two ads: An ad that closed out Season 46 spoofs AMC's teaming with Vin Diesel to promote his upcoming F9; this parody finds Diesel (Beck Bennett) celebrating the little minutiae ("The tickets… the sticky floors… that hand-dryer in the bathroom that's louder than a choo-choo train") that makes going to "the mooo-vies" so great."Vin Diesel Makes Case For Movie Theaters In Fast & Furious 9 Trailer," from WERSM, April 26, 2021 (accessed October 2, 2022)SNL: "AMC Theatres Commercial" on YouTube (accessed May 23, 2021) Season 48's premiere parodied Nicole Kidman's AMC Theaters ad. This parody begins as a nearly shot-for-shot remake of Kidman's original ad until Kidman (Chloe Fineman) becomes a mystical, almost demonic entity as the patrons seated around her stand, cult-like, to salute the power of the theater ("Heartbreak feels good in a place like this!")."Nicole Kidman's AMC Ad Takes a Dark Turn in Hilarious 'SNL' Parody," from Indiewire, October 2, 2022 (accessed October 3, 2022) American Cancer Society – This PSA from Season 6 has spokeswoman Gail Matthius promising to honestly and openly discuss breast cancer and perform a self-exam, a promise broken when she discusses the exam in euphemisms and her chest is covered by a censor bar."American Cancer Society" on SNLTranscripts.JT.org (accessed April 26, 2020) American Dope Growers Union – Laraine Newman and a chorus of marijuana growers who "support ourselves by growing marijuana in American soil" encourage people to "look for the union label" wherever they buy dope ("It says we deal for the U.S. of A."). A 1977 parody of the ILGWU's famous ad jingle. American Express – This 2015 parody of the credit card's celebrity-driven ad campaign features episode host Chris Hemsworth recalling how people said he was too tall, too blonde, and too muscular to make it in show business. But, he concludes, "if a jacked Australian with a perfect face can make it, anyone can."SNL: Chris Hemsworth for American Express on YouTube (accessed January 26, 2018)