While most sports fans will be keeping score on the field during the Super Bowl this weekend, others will be keeping score of the commercials as advertisers try to make marketing touchdowns.  Last year, over 95 million viewers watched the Super Bowl. According to eMarketer, less than 10 percent of the advertisers that purchased TV ads used their mascot, celebrity or tagline in their search terms. None of the ads during the game referenced search or social media presence.

According to ABC news online, there were two commercial spots available for Super Bowl XLIII as late as this past Wednesday…4 days before game day.  The current average cost of an ad during game broadcast $3 million dollars.  With the country in a recession, everyone, including Super Bowl advertisers, is scaling back on what they spend.  This would be the perfect time for companies to stretch their advertising dollars and add social media to the mix and drive consumer participation through search – a strategy that makes you a part of the ongoing conversation and gives your brand extended shelf life online.

“Integration” is the buzz word when it comes to media buys, especially around big events like the Super Bowl. We may sound like cheerleaders on the sidelines shouting, “Integrate! Integrate! Integrate!” But it’s a proven game plan that works. By integrating TV with search driving to social media, you will close the online-offline gap between online and traditional media that many marketers hate to admit exists. You will also have the ability to capture trends in consumer activity. It’s like having instant replay of your consumer’s behavior – data to go back and see what brought them to you and what did they do when they found you.

The Super Bowl tends to heighten conversation around cross-channel integration. And whether you’re a big game advertiser or not, it’s a great time to perk your ears up and take note of what’s happening in the space and what new strategies are being deployed.  Look at it as a perfect pre-game warm up to make the most of the remainder of the quarter and the 3 quarters left in the 2009 game.

So what should be in your integration play book that had less importance in prior years but is critical to giving you a winning season in 2009? Here’s a few tips. Make sure you buy on brand terms, celebrity names that may have been in the commercials, taglines, product names or numbers. Consider other search verticals like banner and video ads to add to your online mix. Last, but certainly not least, make sure you advertise your presence on social sites like YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc. Don’t just be there, get others interested in socializing…with you.