Why the Super Bowl is a commercial for the internet.

At least half of online commentary around the big game (and waaaaayy more if you’re a thirty-something female with a group of friends predominately more interested in hair care products than athletic prowess) is focused around the commercials.

And where the commercials really matter is online. It’s an interesting commentary on the power of digital that the most expensive ‘made for t.v.’ commercials in the world are bending to audiences not parked on the couch and cheering for their team, but rather trolling their Social Media feeds and contributing to the success (or failure) of these commercials by sharing, tweeting, discussing, or plus 1-ing online.

Far from traditional television commercials, Super Bowl ads, heralded to be ‘the best of the best’ are clearly built from the ground up with an online audience in mind … just this side of too risky, referencing current viral trends, or featuring a ‘stickiness’ ensuring  its shareability online.

And it’s no wonder advertisers spend so much time focusing on the digital landscape … creating an ad for an online audience also means these commercials will have a larger life than their 30 second spot on game day. Brands use YouTube to extend the life of their spots, garnering millions more views than they’ll get during the Super Bowl alone. Blogs, newspapers, news channels and social feeds weigh in with their top choices, critiques and commentary, building an audience much wider than just football fans.

So, despite the fact that ratings for the Super Bowl still score a major point  for mainstream media, pulling in audiences viral video creators still dream of, it’s interesting that these coveted spots are filled with ‘content’ designed mainly to live online both before, during and after the big game, making another irrefutable case for the dominance of digital media.

Check out this years commercials here.