With all that being said, is it really worth all those dollars? With the proliferation of social media, ads are now aired in full online before they hit the big screen on game day. If the majority of the audience has already seen the commercials, do brands and companies need to spend the millions of dollars in airing it during the big game?

Moreover, with online media, campaigns and advertisements experience a much longer shelf life. In the past, once the commercials aired, that was it – no revisiting or replaying, no sharing. Now, with the popularity of social media and the ever-growing online video platform YouTube, advertisements live on for days, months, and even years. As such, the success of an ad relies not only on the viewership on game-day, but on the virality of the ad – How many times was it viewed? How many times was it mentioned on Twitter? How many shares did it receive?

In recent years, some of the most successful ad campaigns relied on social media. Nike’s “Write The Future” ad aired during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and relied on a heavy social media/viral push in the months leading up to the championship game. In a twist of convention, Nike isn’t an official sponsor of FIFA World Cup – Adidas is. According to statistics from Wieden+Kennedy (the agency that produced the campaign), Nike generated 40 million + online views of their 3-minute spot, 1.9 billion impressions on Facebook, and their Facebook Fan Page experienced an increase of 336 per cent in Likes. Above all that, Nike captured 30 per cent of the brand buzz – double that of Adidas.

From Dave Thier of Forbes: “A stat like $3.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime may see a serious hit in the future as advertisers realize that the internet can yield just as big an audience as football without having to go through NBC.”

Below, we take a look at some of the 2012 Super Bowl advertisements that have been generating buzz in the past few weeks and offer our own critique of their potential success and virality:

Honda CR-V: Matthew Broderick “Matthew’s Day Off”

Car manufacturers will appear to be taking over our television sets this weekend as commercial after commercial will be turbocharged and performance-inspired. Honda is releasing their newest model of the CR-V and hoping to take us back to our days of bowl cuts and Club Monaco sweaters. Using the clever appeal of the ever popular ‘80s movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the commercial stars Matthew Broderick as he takes a day off from his acting responsibilities. The commercial revisits memorable scenes from the movie and even ties in a Chinese New Year angle.

For a social tie-in, Honda has a Leap List Facebook app on their Page encouraging users to create a bucket list of activities they want to complete during the leap year. Nothing to note on Twitter besides their official hashtag: #dayoff.

• Our take: Is it memorable? No, there’s nothing humourous or riské and nothing to drive us to pass it on to our friends. Moreover, the entire ad spot has been aired online. Viral success? The ad has been on YouTube for four days and it already has nearly 434,000 views. Chances of me taking a bathroom break when this spot airs on game day? 100 per cent.

Volkswagen: “The Bark Side”

Volkswagen is given top marks in my books for not revealing the entire ad prior to the big game – you’re paying millions of dollars for a 60-second spot, take advantage of it. By producing a commercial for their commercial, VW cleverly leaves us wanting more by peaking our curiousity for what’s to come. The fan favourite The Force from last year’s Super Bowl was a huge hit that attracted nearly 50 million views online and this year VW builds on that with their The Bark Side commercial for a commercial. The dogs bark through Darth Vader’s theme, a.k.a. The Imperial Death March, and that’s it.

• Our take: Unlike the other car commercials we touch on in this post, there isn’t even a hint of a car or a mention of horsepower in this commercial and, ultimately, that’s what the Super Bowl viewer wants: to be entertained. VW gets top marks because they don’t reveal the actual advertisement online, leaving us curious and wanting to view more. Proof of their success: the teaser already has over 10 million hits on YouTube. Above all that, who doesn’t love cute dogs?

Hyundai

As if we weren’t getting enough of car advertisements, Hyundai decides to hit us with five advertisements on game day. Five. The theme of the advertisements is performance and follows a very patriotic American theme. From a man performing chest compressions on his unconscious boss and the stars and stripes forever, to a racing cheetah and the Rocky theme song, the commercials, according to Inside Line (and we couldn’t agree more), are “all over the map creatively.” Of the five commercials, the only one that has Super Bowl potential is the “All For One” ad that scored the coveted pre-kick time slot. With the Rocky theme song and over 200 “actual” Hyundai team members, the ad provides a decent mix of random humour and pop culture appeal.

• Our take: Hyundai should have saved the tens of millions of dollars spent on the five ads. There is little to no social media back-up except for a handful of Facebook video posts and tweets. Their only possible saving grace is the “All For One” spot.

Coca-Cola: the polar bears

The Coca-Cola polar bears are throwing a game day party and they want us to join! Viewing from the comforts of their “snowfa”, the bears will be streamed live on the Coke Polar Bowl microsite and Coca-Cola is encouraging fans to RSVP to the party.

Coca-Cola is appealing to the nostalgia of the brand and bringing out the bears that we have all come to know, love, and associate with the brand. During the game, Coca-Cola will roll out two ads: a 30-second spot in the first quarter introducing the bears and a 60-second second quarter ad that will be a game-time call depending on how the game unfolds on the real-life field.

Moreover, Coca-Cola smartly extends the campaign across digital and mobile with the Coke Polar Bowl microsite. On game day, a live-stream will show the bears on their snowfa, allowing fans to chat with them live during the game. Additionally, rich-media banners will show the bears reacting to the game and the commercials as they play out. Twitter and Facebook will see Coca-Cola writing notes to fans and sending out clips extracted from the live stream. For a social good touch, Coke has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and is donating $1 to every event RSVP on Facebook.

• Our take: The ads themselves aren’t memorable. While they are cute and have a nostalgic appeal, there’s nothing there to encourage anyone to share it or watch it more than once. Additionally, the ad doesn’t appeal to the target audience – online interactions seem more appealing to younger children than to 18-34 year old men noshing on hot wings and beer. Coca-Cola’s success will lie in their strong social media tie-in with the microsite and the live-stream.

H&M: David Beckham underwear line

In the ad’s YouTube description, H&M claims that he is “sporting various pieces from the new collection.” I don’t know about you, but I really only see one piece.

• Our take: Sex appeal. Done.

What the Macy’s gift guide model also shows is that more consumers are drawn towards online shopping due to its focus on curation. Online stores are increasingly focusing on selling and packaging a particular lifestyle, making it easier for consumers to navigate their way to that perfect gift at just the right price. In a conversation with Kevin Ryan, CEO and founder of Gilt Groupe, he attests that a mix of content and curation goes a long way in informing a consumer’s purchasing decision.

To make your Valentine’s Day gift buying an easy, and perhaps even an entertaining endeavour, this year we’ve put together our own collection of sites that deliver an expertly curated selection of products.

For the uber nerd: Thinkgeek.com

Her Princess Leah hairpiece is not restricted to Halloween; he quotes Star Trek at the dinner table. Do these people sound familiar to you? If you’ve got a nerdy type to buy a gift for then thinkgeek.com is your one stop shop for all things geek. From toys, to apparel to gadgets, this site offers a plethora of paraphernalia that will potentially make your special geek pass out in glee.

For the foodie: Gilttaste.com

This person’s library is filled with cookbooks and food-related nonfiction — they spend more on kitchen gadgets than they do anything else and you’ve repeatedly heard them riff on the new culinary trend that they’re just dying to explore in their tricked out kitchen. If this is someone you know, Gilttaste.com offers the best online catalogue of curated specialty food items, be it meat, sweets, produce, or equipment. Don’t feel like rummaging through the site to pick out the perfect something? Then take a look at Gilt Taste’s Gifts section for perfectly packaged gifts that are sure to satisfy the tastes of your favourite foodie.

For the design fiend: Fab.com

There’s nothing more this person would rather do than refurbish an ottoman, upcycle a chair or spend a day scouring the city for their next design idea or future apartment instalment. Fab.com is the place to go to get that super unique gift for the design aficionado in your life. Granted, you have to request an invitation to join the site, but once you’re accepted, Fab will surely become a perennial go-to for all your special gift-buying. In fact, they even posted a terrific blog post on how to make your Valentine’s Day sans cliché.

For the manly man: uncrate.com

From T-shirts to high tech to, yes, even luxury vehicles, Uncrate offers the most stylish gift selection for the manliest man in your life. Whether your budget is $6 (How about a set of plaid playing cards?) or sky high (Does the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo tickle your wallet? ) or somewhere in between (We recommend the Bond 50 golden anniversary collection box set) you’ll find the perfect gift for the burliest, stylin’ man in your life.

For the fashion forward: asos.com

UK-based online fashion retailer, Asos, encourages you to discover fashion online for men and women. With a considerable collection of brands, including the Asos brand, there’s bound to be something for every style of person in your life. There’s a section of the site that acts almost as a online consignment shop where you can sell and purchase new, pre-owned and vintage fashion. If you’re struggling to figure out what the vintage-junkie/ happy preppy/ couture-coveting person would want, you can scope out Asos’ fashion finder and get inspired by the looks they’ve compiled. Best of all, they offer worldwide shipping.

Within 15 mins I had made up my mind to buy something at Coach and not something small — something of significance — for the person I love the most in my life. I’d never purchased anything at Coach before. I didn’t even know where the nearest store was, but my decision was made and it took less time than most gift buying decisions I’ve made.

This is an incredible story for any brand, nonetheless a brand I wasn’t familiar with, had no affinity for, and generally associated with high school. For the Christmas 2011 I used Pinterest in a way that helped to make my life unbelievably easy and my girlfriend unbelievably happy simply by shopping for her directly from her Pinterest account.

Pinterest is hot — seriously hot.

From VentureBeat “The still-invite-only, one year-old digital pin-board site attracted nearly 11 million visitors in the week ending Dec. 17, according to data intelligence company Hitwise. Hitwise counts Pinterest as one of the top 10 websites in the social networking and forums category.”

Top 10 is actually being disingenuous. Pinterest actually falls in as the #7 social networking website, ahead of the likes of Google+ and Tumblr. That along with $37 mil in the coffers means that investors get it and so do a large number of interneters.

But like most new platforms, brands have been slow to get involved. And this is surprising because Pinterest is ripe for brands — it’s a collection of beautiful/interesting/desired things that get captured, collected, shared and ultimately bought. It’s a crowd-sourced consumer magazine at its best. Pinterest’s pages look just like those of major catalogues, something I’m sure Pinterest re-purposed on, well, purpose. Pinterest was created for the ADD mind of the Internet, for the scrollers of blogs and for those that always called themselves visual learners when we we’re growing up.

But Pinterest is more than just a social website — it’s a place to discover the wants of an individual. Facebook gives you their life story, Twitter tells you what they are doing right now but Pinterest tells you what they want their house to look like, where they want to go for vacation and even what recipe they want to make for dinner. Once brands figure this out and create strategy to tap into this huge trove of knowledge, it’s game on.

Brands everywhere are going to quickly begin to take notice to Pinterest, but those that figure out why people love the platform will be the ones that succeed the quickest. Happy pinning!

Charity Swear Box
Do you curse a lot? Do you curse a lot on Twitter? Just like if you had a swear jar at home, Charity Swear box will donate a dollar for each swear word your tweet. This creative social media tool for good was created by James Dow and Jay Gelardi, and is a easy, low involvement way to raise funds for charity. Creating something fun, that users already do, results in an easy to use, exciting campaign for good, for the world. If you know someone or seen someone who swears all the time, show them the Charity Swear box and tell them to put their bad words to good use. Watch the lovely explanatory video here, and sign up now as our friends at Fuck Cancer are the featured charity!

Snoball
Today’s savvy digital audience prefers information tailored to them, based on their preferences. News articles, friends reommendations, local events etc., combine for a more personalized experience online. Snoball sees this and is a way for users to donate to charity in an way that’s easy, social and fun. Based on a users preferred activities, and tied to everyday interests, the user is in control of their giving. Create an event, invite your friends to join, when your friends join, the snowball grows through customizable micro-donations or one-time gifts. The concepts behind snowball, and its personalized features, make fundraising results happen easily. The tool is useful because it is automated, fun and group based around events, all to create a “snoball” effect. Still not sure? Watch their video.

TousDonateurs
A recent comScore report notes television ads work substantially less effectively on Millennials than on older generations. However, the presence of key creative elements in advertising were shown to relate strong to successful advertising. TousDonateurs is French site where the advertisers donate to charity if users watch their ads. Users go to the site and select a charity that means something to them. They then watch several 30-second long ads, answer a quick question (to confirm the ad was watched), and the advertiser donates a euro on behalf of the viewer. We already watch 4 billion online videos each day — why not watch with purpose.

WeTopia
WeTopia is an online social game where players can contribute to real world problems. The Facebook game is all about players having fun while raising money for children’s charities. The game is free to play, and users create villages and help the community. When a player purchases a virtual good, that action results in a donation to a real world cause. With so many people playing social games, WeTopia is a way for players to contribute to a cause in a social way. WeTopia has many partners including Save the Children, Children’s Health Fund and others. Brand partners include Clorox, Mattel and Dippin’ Dots. It’s also great to note that in the past Zynga has donated millions of dollars to causes via Zynga.org group.

For even more creative social for good projects,  check out the 50/50 make or break initiative. The inititave is based around a challenge: to launch 50 projects in 50 days then raise 1million pounds for famine relief in East Africa. Looking for inspiring projects or want to get involved? Click here: 50/50 make or break initiative

Here at Invoke we’re always looking for great people to join the team and we’re going to help you blow us out of the water by letting you in on some insider tips. After many years and thousands of resumes, we’ve compiled a list of things we think all candidates should do when applying for a job here.

1. Spend time doing your homework and researching the company. Know what we do and who we work with. You should be able to tell us at least one interesting idea for the company that makes us want to hire you on the spot. Invoke needs people who kick butt, so if you’re awesome, we’re not going to let you leave.

2. Have an online presence and contribute. Make sure your Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media accounts are up to date and convey the message you want to present to us. We will Google you. We’ll probably look for you on Facebook — it’s what we do. It is imperative you understand the digital space, so consider blogging about something you’re an expert in to show us you know what you’re talking about.

3. Show us how you sell. If you were a Brewmaster, it goes without saying that you know how to make beer (so please apply now). Instead of listing skills on your resume, tell us how you used them in a way that could be beneficial to us. Maybe you won a regional customer service award or showed initiative by implementing a new recycling program. Prove that you standout.

4. Write a cover letter to fill in the blanks. Yes, we know you’re a web development ninja from your experience, but tell us something we don’t know. Did you get your degree in Bug Psychology (yes, this actually exists) or take a year off to travel the world on a unicycle? This information is just as important to us since life skills can speak volumes.

5. Be passionate about what you do. Working with Invoke means sometimes working long hours but we love what we do, we make it fun, and we surround ourselves with others who do too. Let us know why you would fit in.

6. Get a foot in the door. If you want to work for our company or industry, but you’re not yet experienced enough, just get some practice behind you. If you’re interested, apply for an internship and don’t focus on compensation or the short term. If you prove you are a rock star, we will take care of you; great talent is hard to find.

7. Last but not least, be unique. We work in a creative environment, so if you can show us something we haven’t seen before you’ll catch our attention. Here are some ideas from creative thinkers who have taken at stab at innovative job seeking methods.

Check out this video of a guy who made a QR Code Resume, as well as resumes with an interesting twist pictured below.