In February of 2006, following Super Bowl XL, I wrote a newsletter entitled, "The $10 Million Super Bowl Ad?". I suggested that despite all the anxieties around the future of the 30-second spot, the future of Super Bowl ads was very bright. This was the case because of all the broadband and online opportunities that can lead into and follow up the 30 second ad that shows during the game.

My proposition was that marketers would be less concerned about "throwing the long ball", i.e. spending $2.5 million per spot ($2.6 million for Super Bowl XLI, btw) if they were able to monetize that investment beyond just the on-air showing. And broadband is a great way of doing exactly that.

Today Stuart Elliott at the NY Times had a great piece, "Multiplying the Payoffs From A Super Bowl Spot", exactly on this point, and how it's playing out for Super Bowl XLI. It showcases the advertisers who are leveraging broadband this year, including Anheuser-Busch, GM and Garmin. I continue to forecast that broadband is only going to drive the price of 30 second Super Bowl spots (and in fact likely add new value to all :30s) higher as marketers come to understand how they can leverage their investments and tangibly drive revenues from them.