The morning after the big game the New Orleans Saints weren't the only big winners: advertisers cashed in on the biggest audience for any program and TV history.
So who won?
Doritos, according to Nielsen Ad Buzz. Doritos snagged 11 percent of all online buzz about Super Bowl advertisers, more than any other brand. And TiVo named Doritos' "House Rules" spot as the most engaging ad in the game, with the biggest jump in viewers from programming in the 15 minutes before and after the ad. Doritos strategy worked: it asked viewers to create ads and vote on its website on which ones should run during the big game. Engaging with viewers before the big game built in high awareness, and the company saved on high production costs.
As dot-coms replaced automakers and beer as the top ad category, newcomer Google shocked everyone with a rare TV spot, and drew the second most buzz, according to Nielsen. While every other ad during the game was brand new and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars -- if not a million -- to produce, Google's ad stood in stark contrast, it's been on the website since November.
Some new trends this year: dot-coms replaced carmakers and beer as the top ad category. This commercial included more minutes of commercials than any prior Super Bowl game. There were more 15-second ads in this game than we've seen since 2002. And CBS ran 8 minutes and 25 seconds of network promos, more than the last two years but less than the amount of time devoted to promos in 2007.
