Watching the Super Bowl is partially -- if not all -- about the commercials. Image: Flickr / mrbill / CC-BY

Sure, there are football teams playing — but the real entertainment for many are the 2011 Super Bowl commercials. Some commercials have already been leaked, while others are still under wraps. The 2011 Super Bowl commercials don’t even require a television to watch.

Super Bowl commercials 2011

There are many places you can watch the Super Bowl commercials in 2011. Sure, you can watch the big game on TV during a Super Bowl party. If you don’t get Fox thanks to cable disputes, don’t have a TV or want to watch the commercials but not the game, there are plenty of other places you can watch the commercials. Hulu’s AdZone will show the commercials, plus it allows you to vote on them. The commercials are also usually posted quickly on YouTube.

The cost of Super Bowl commercials 2011

As usual, Fox is charging a significant amount of money for Super Bowl commercials 2011. Each 30-second television spot during the Super Bowl costs between $2.8 and $3 million. The cost of creating a Super Bowl commercial can vary greatly. Some companies, such as Doritos, have turned over creation of a Super Bowl ad to individuals on YouTube. Others spend millions of dollars on celebrity endorsements and production value. The benefits of these commercials, though, can be huge. Brand recognition, “water cooler buzz” and new product announcements can do very well if done right during the Super Bowl. Some companies don’t even have to get their commercials to the Super Bowl to benefit from the publicity. In fact, PETA and other groups specifically use Super Bowl “banned” commercials to create their own buzz. With more than 40 percent of those younger 35 – a target demographic – watching the Super Bowl just for the 2011 commercials, it’s a huge number of people tuning into what people usually tune out for.

2011 Super Bowl commercials preview

The 2011 Super Bowl commercials season started several months before the big game. Many commercials have already been leaked online, so you can get a good preview of the 2011 Super Bowl commercials, no matter where and how you plan on watching.