The Super Bowl is the ultimate in football. It’s also the ultimate in engaging, entertaining and expensive commercials. As you know, social media has done its part to impact the advertising campaigns—so we are taking a run at finding the commercials with the most winning pre-bowl online buzz. As we have seen in the past, many ads use their Super Bowl TV time to deliver part of the content during the game while driving viewers to the website to finish the ad’s narrative. But this year, many savvy marketers have mastered the art of the the online tease in the weeks leading up to the game. These campaigns are driving plenty of pre-game social media buzz right now—and we expect it all to culminate in an online and offline ad-fest on Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, February 5. So which ads will score the biggest win on the big day?

You’ll have to wait until game time to find out. Until then, here are the ads you’re sure to be talking about before the curtain goes up ...

Super Bowl Sneak Peek:10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

1. SkechersHas Kim Kardashian Gone to the Dogs?

You might think that an ad with a bombshell socialite would be always be a winner, but Skechers caused more buzz this year with a different type of star. No, we’re not talking about billionaire Mark Cuban, but rather … the greyhounds. This ad caught some early heat. It features Mr. Quiggly, a French poodle, wearing Skechers as a race contender at a greyhound racetrack. Animal activists were instantly up in arms. The blogosphere was abuzz with discussion—as seen in the comments on Skecher’s YouTube sneak peek. Skechers assured the public that no dogs (or Hollywood celebrities) were injured in the making of the advertisement. We wish Mr. Quiggly the best of luck in his racing sneakers.

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

2. Go DaddyDanica Patrick and The Pussycat Dolls

Sex sells. Nobody knows this better than Go Daddy. This web hosting service provider’s effort this year will likely not wander far from its tried and true “sexy strategy” of previous years. The online audience never seems to get tired of mentioning it, either. The Go Daddy preview includes race star Danica Patrick and Jillian Matthews body painting a seemingly nude model. During game time, you’ll be driven to Go Daddy’s website, to see the “rest of the story.” Combine that with the inclusion of the Pussycat Dolls and you’ve got a sizzling offering. Add in the counter conversations online about sexism and lingering attention online from SOPA activist boycotts, and you’ve got some game winning online buzz.

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

3. E-Trade BabyMay the Best Man Win

We can’t get enough of the E-Trade baby. The brand’s past commercials have included a wide array of humorous scenarios weaving the service’s benefits into a trading toddler’s witty dialog. Since he’s gotten his mobile phone, he’s been unstoppable. Our research using the Sysomos MAP listening tool shows 50% of the demographic talking about the E-Trade baby and the Super Bowl online are 36-50 years old, a perfect sweet spot for this company’s products. With multiple millions of video views over the years, the current online conversation around the brand is high, but surprisingly not all favorable. We’ll have to see if the company’s commercial will deliver again this year.

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

4. PricelineIs the Negotiator Dead?

William Shatner is leaving Priceline after 12 years as its spokesperson. His departure will end an era of stilted-response comedy pieces and successful promotion. What better way to end his reign than with a cliffhanger? In Priceline’s Super Bowl preview, Shatner saves a busload of tourist passengers. He then reveals yet another compelling and competitive feature of the travel service while demonstrating its ease of use via mobile phone before plummeting to a fiery death over a cliff. Weave in the real-life crossover storyline about Shatner’s leaving and you see lots of chatter resulting online. In fact, 400K+ of you have so far watched him explode to his demise…or did you?

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

This one doesn’t use sex to sell. It elevates scientist geeks to titan status using sports stars, humor, and an unfolding product launch mystery. With 1.3M+ views so far, the video is doing a great job driving traffic for the brand. The positive sentiment numbers of the online buzz is impressive, according to Sysomos MAP. The demographics skew slightly younger (21-35 years old) and the conversation around the brand’s new product that will be announced during the game is strong so far. Super Bowl chatter tied to the brand is clustered around its contests and behind-the-scenes videos, and sports star interviews. Overall, for an ad with more humor than sex appeal, this one rates high.

5. Bridgestone Tires Titans of Tread

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

If you thought you’d be able to just sit back and watch the game, forget it. Coke’s classic polar bears will make the game truly interactive. They’ll tweet or post Facebook updates to Coke's social media accounts during the game, and they’ll encourage you to play along. What’s impressive about Coke’s campaign is that all of its social media platforms are integrated into one experience. The bears will react in real time to the outcome of the game—and you’ll be able to send virtual sodas to your friends via Coke’s Facebook app. It should come as no surprise, then, that the campaign has become a media darling—with thousands of online mentions about the comprehensive campaign’s innovations.

6. CokePolar Bears, Animation, and Real Time Engagement

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

7. Fiat 500 AbarthYou’ll Never Forget the First Time You See One

Fiat is a new advertiser this year, with 3M+ video views and counting on its sneak peek video. This pre-game performance definitely shows it as a newbie contender for great commercial. Enter the sexy approach one more time. An exotic beauty launches into a tirade that evolves into a seduction and when the young man wakes up, he’s staring at a Fiat. The online buzz is narrow, but it’s largely positive and focused on the Abarth. Not bad for a new contender. Fiat has done a very good job for a first time entry at driving attention to their message—both online and off. For playing with heart, we picked Fiat.

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

8. Mystery ChoiceMatthew Broderick Reprises Ferris Bueller

We wish we could tell you what brand this one is about, but we can’t. The pre-game buzz is all about that question itself, as reported widely in mainstream media. Rumor (i.e., well-placed promotion and innuendo) has it that Matthew Broderick will revive his quintessential Ferris Bueller role. For what company? The front-runner seems to be Honda. We can’t wait to find out and, apparently, neither can you. The video is only 12 seconds long and declares, “How can I handle work on a day like today?” as Matthew whisks open his hotel room curtains, dressed in his robe. Your guess is as good as ours, but online conversations are lit up with speculation.

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

We love it when social media is the engine driving grassroots crowd sourcing. We also love it when a company launches a massive contest with a fully integrated social media campaign attached to it. We say crunch all you want, because they’ll make more! The Doritos online campaign has it all: consumer video submissions, cash prize given away as the votes reach milestones, social media profile integration, and prize money for the video winners (who we all get to vote on). With the videos ranging from a handful of views to 2M+ and counting, the effort has been a real hit. We can’t wait to see the final piece.

9. DoritosTaking It to the People

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

You’re doing something right when your sneak preview video racks up 9.3M+ views long before game day. You also know that you’re still going strong from the previous year (50M+ views) when you use the same blockbuster movie theme again. Dogs are big this year and the Volkswagen commercial is no exception. These canines sing a rendition of a Star Wars anthem with promises of more to come in the saga. The theme continuation speaks to the demographic Volkswagen is seeking to reach. The website offers a galactic invitation if you get connected via social and we will await to find out what that means.

10. Volkswagen Star Wars and The Bark Side

Super Bowl Sneak Peek: 10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Fix It Some might argue that the formula for Super Bowl ads is just too…well, formulaic. Maybe it is. But when a formula works, why change it? What impresses us is the way companies are increasingly integrating social media campaigns into their efforts. CBS is asking everyone to vote on their favorites. Doritos is letting the viewers chose the commercial. The Coca-Cola bears will let fans offer a virtual coke in celebration or condolence. The integration of applications, cross-platform campaigns and more will make for many firsts in the world of advertising and social media. We say, game on!

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Super Bowl Sneak Peek:10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz

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Super Bowl Sneak Peek:10 Ads with Winning Online Buzz