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From a creative standpoint, one of my favorite spots from the Big Game was Google’s surprising splash into TV, a sweet little fable dubbed "Parisian Love," told strictly through images of Google searches. But I doubt the ad itself will increase Google's revenue - the company didn't need an ad to further dominate the search sector. The only way sales would have increased, I'd argue, was some strong creative for a new company product or service, such as Google's Nexus One smartphone or the just-announced Facebook-like Google Buzz. So aside from creating some buzz among consumers and marketers, why did Google bother? What does it stand to gain?

The verdict's still out on that one, and on another strategy that's into its second year - Denny's Super Bowl-promoted Grand Slam giveaways. Last year, Denny's used a funny Super Bowl spot to promote a breakfast giveaway the Tuesday after the Big Game. Talk about a way to drive trial and talk - about 2 million meals were handed out and millions more in media impressions were made. (Not coincidentally, Marketing News has given plenty of ink/air to Denny's. Click here to see a story and here to listen to a podcast).

But the Super Bowl campaign didn't reverse sales declines in 2009, and by year's end, CMO Mark Chmiel, the mastermind behind one of the biggest marketing bonanzas of the year, was forced to leave the company. (Click here to read my Marketing News Exclusives e-newsletter interview with Chmiel about his departure.)

Nevertheless, Denny's was at it again Sunday - this year, it had three Super Bowl spots promoting the Grand Slam giveaway. And the creative, featuring a chorus of screaming chickens, was quite funny.

But how will doing the same thing again ultimately help the company, not just in buzz for the week, but in sales for the year and beyond? That remains to be seen. Furthermore, I'm puzzled as to why Denny's decided to give away Grand Slams yet again. A giveaway of its new enhanced burger line would have garnered more media impressions compared with this déjà vu story - not to mention the opportunity it would provide in introducing customers to the meals Denny's serves in other day parts. Then again, screaming cows wouldn't have been so cute.

This debate over the value of the Super Bowl ad will likely never end, but Marketing News is exploring this fascinating marketing phenomenon through two other channels this week - in an episode of the Marketing Power podcast series and in a story in this week's Marketing News Exclusives e-newsletter.

The latest MN-sponsored podcast episode, "Dockers' and Audi's Super Bowl Game Plans," is available now on iTunes, at MarketingPower.com, or by clicking here. I spoke to the marketing leaders behind these brands about their Super Bowl strategy this year and how they hoped to maximize their investments. One major element connecting their two strategies - online integration.

Dockers, which had the "guys singing in a field in their underwear" spot (not the "people in their underwear in the office" spot that coincidentally preceded it), directed viewers to enter a giveaway promotion on its Web site. The ad was also supposed to promote a shout-out to Shazam users to identify the song in the spot; from there the mobile app users would be directed to a designated Dockers brand site. The call-out didn't happen during the game (since amended on YouTube), and I've had no reply yet from the brand on why that was the case. Is it possible Shazam couldn't support the huge influx in traffic?

Audi also had a creative hit with its "Green Police" Super Bowl ad, featuring eco-enforcers busting down environmentally unfriendly practices (don't use plastic bags or you're gonna get it). In the spot, Audi's A3 TDI gets a pass from the police, having been awarded Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year prize. But Audi also decided to feature the Green Police characters in humorous public service announcements on their own YouTube channel -- to keep the buzz, and hopefully sales potential, alive well past this week.

"If you just have the spot … it’s sort of a dead-end street,” Audi of America CMO Scott Keogh is quoted as saying in the Marketing News Exclusives article "Beyond the Bowl: Social Media and Promos Prolong Super Bowl Ads' Impact." “If you have an idea and a cause around the thing … then you have a conversation, and that’s going to lift you far beyond, ‘I liked the ad, I didn’t like the ad.’”

Click here to access the Marketing News Exclusives page where you can subscribe to our bi-weekly e-newsletter and see the article yourself beginning Feb. 11. And please sound off by posting a comment below. What are your thoughts on the effectiveness or worth of a Super Bowl ad? Did any of this year's spots make you more inclined to consider or spend on a product or service? If so, why? If not, why not?