The NFL has moved on to preparations for this spring's draft. CBS is licking its wounds a bit after game ratings fell short of the 2012 Super Bowl. Beyonce has moved on to begin her new world tour. Even the city of New Orleans is trying to move on from Super Bowl XLVII, taking credit for throwing a great party while deflecting blame for the power outage that left half the stadium in the dark for more than a half hour during the third quarter of the game.

And the brands that famously advertised on CBS during the Super Bowl? Many are still trying to leverage the marketing platforms they launched in association with the game, while others are still defending themselves. And all are trying to figure out what they did right or wrong, memorable or forgettable, to apply to the next go-round: Super Bowl XLVIII on Fox.

Among the biggest group of advertisers, car companies, Lincoln, Hyundai and Toyota have been generating some of the most impressive follow-up interest from consumers, based on the findings of analysts of online traffic. Samsung's ad featuring comedians Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen discussing the conventions of Super Bowl ads (above) now tops viral interest, according to some measures, squeezing past Toyota's pre-game lead in online buzz among Super Bowl advertisers.Continue reading...

"Brotherhood," Budweiser's 2013 Super Bowl ad, was among those which stood out among rather routine fare.

Super Bowl ads (the complete list) this year provided few gems, according to an emerging consensus of industry professionals.

Many were deemed lame or even confusing, and generally considered ineffective and off-brand. Several brands seemed to suffer rather than benefit from the frenzy of sneak peeks and full-commercial reveals in this year's rush for pre-Game exposure and social buzz.

If any Super Bowl should be a key moment for Mercedes-Benz, the 2013 game on February 3rd is it. The brand's name is on the stadium where the Big Game is taking place, for one thing. It's introducing an important new model. And Mercedes-Benz could use a boost in the U.S. marketplace, especially one that would reverberate around the world.

Enter Kate Upton and Usher. Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon shared some details (and a sneak peek at the shoot, above) about the brand's 60-second ad planned for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He told Business Insider that the ad will be "a tongue-in-cheeck depiction of how far a person might — or might not — go to get their heart's desire."

Such goals might be, say, an evening of clubbing with supermodel Upton, Cannon said, although "we are not using her as a sexual object," he insisted. Instead, the ad will be "upbeat, high-energy, fast-paced [but not] funny." And, of course, there will be a car in there, too. Specifically, Mercedes-Benz will be trying to appeal to a younger demographic by promoting the new CLA, which comes at a lower price point than the rest of Mercedes-Benz's luxury lineup.Continue reading...

The Big Game doesn't kick off until Sunday, but brand marketers' "reveals" of their Super Bowl campaigns are intensifying this week.

Whether they're "teasing" their actual Super Bowl spots such as Century 21, or letting everything hang out there like Hyundai (which today released all five of its Game Day commercials, and a barrage of video extras) and Honda and others, there's a torrent of Game Day spots like never before.

Will there be anything actually new to watch once the Big Game comes on? Remember when the idea was to save the reveal for during the game and be the talk of the office water cooler on Monday morning?

Here's a look at some of the latest revelations:Continue reading...

The rules of Super Bowl advertising have changed — it's no longer about the surprise of debuting your spot during the Big Game, but about seeding buzz through viral sneak peeks (or the entire spot) on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Brands are eager for a "halo effect," adding to a record tide of early "reveals" of Super Bowl ads and related content. So with that in mind, here is the latest crop of sneak peeks at the commercials you'll see on Super Bowl Sunday, starting with CareerBuilder's crazy office chimpanzees at top.

Skechers also released a teaser for its Super Bowl XLVI spot, which will air just before the two-minute warning at the end of the first half and spoofs its underdog status with a dog — a sneaker-wearing French bulldog, to be exact.Continue reading...

One of the most predictable things about Super Bowl advertising over the last few years is that GoDaddy.com runs a sexy spot and then everyone debates whether it was effective, while agreeing that at least it was provocative.

This very predictability explains why Go Daddy tries to get the buzz going early, and has leaked the first of its two Super Bowl XLVI commercial, above. Called "Body Paint," it features returnees Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels and a "nude" model and promotes its .CO domain, which was announced during last year's Super Bowl. The second spot, titled "Cloud," features Danica Patrick and the Pussycat Dolls.

But some other brands, notably autos, are still playing things closer to the vest about their Super Bowl plans.Continue reading...

In that grand old Super Bowl tradition, GoDaddy.com will be back this year with a (surprise!) racy spot, featuring celeb endorsers Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels, and a 'nude' model. "We set the standard of indecency," jokes a winking Bob Parsons, GoDaddy's outspoken CEO, to USA Today. "My ads never suggest the act of sex. Any sex in the ads is manufactured in the minds of the viewers."

Chevrolet, meanwhile, wants to draw game viewers even closer — to its brand and products that the GM division is advertising during the telecast, as well as to the Big Game itself. It's also looking for a way to punch out of the huge gaggle of car brands and ads that have insinuated themselves into Super Bowl XLVI on February 5.

So Chevy will be promoting its new Chevy Game Time App, which will allow viewers of the Super Bowl to play trivia, interact with one another via Twitter, participate in polls relating to the game and teams and Super Bowl ads, and possibly win one of 20 Chevrolets or thousands of other prizes as a result.

"This is the first time any company has attempted such a large-scale app, which will enhance the game-watching experience and help them engage in the online conversation about the Super Bowl," said Joel Ewanick, GM's global CMO. Continue reading...

Gwen Stefani for HP, Michael Jordan for Hanes, Dr. Dre for HP, Peyton Manning for Sony, Lady Gaga for Polarioid, Lance Armstong for Radio Shack, Michael Vick for… ArTran?

A new study confirms what a lot of people on both ends of the advertising paradigm suspect: celebrity endorsements aren't worth it. My colleague Sheila Shayon earlier pondered this question — find out why the evidence is swinging in favor of taking back the swag bags and shutting down the gravy train.Continue reading...