A ad during the Super Bowl cost $4 million per 30 seconds. That's more than it takes to make some full-length feature films.

To get more bang for the buck, some advertisers are releasing their ads early on social media. That allows them to get a larger audience, and possibly a more diverse one,. They will either run part of the ad like a movie trailer or the entire ad. Running the entire ad becomes a pre-emptive strike and possibly whets the appetite for when it is shown during a game.

There are the upsides and downsides. For example, the Volkswagen "Get Happy" ad has already been bantered about in the media and has established its own brand. Offensive or not, people are talking about it, which is one purpose of a good commericial.

However, a Taco Bell commercial, which a female is dissed for bringing a veggie tray to a party when she could have brought a Taco Bell 12-pack, has reportedly been pulled because of protests for vegetarians. (Although, I would be surprised if Taco Bell would promote the lettuce in its tacos).

It's an interesting concept. Instead of just on Super Sunday, the traditional debut season for new ads has been stretched a week or two.

And it again raises the question. Is the Super Bowl nowadays mainly about the game or the commercials?