Super Bowl Ads: Who is the Champion?

By Jane Lemons

For many Super Bowl viewers, the real competition happens off the field — between the plays, when it's time for the TV ads.

Every year, advertisers spend millions to get your attention with cute kids, big celebrities and lots of animals. So, which have you liked the most over the years:

• Is it the iconic 1984 Apple ad introducing the Macintosh computer?
• Maybe it's that Volkswagen ad with the kid dressed as Darth Vader.
• Don't forget the Coca-Cola ad featuring Mean Joe Green tossing his jersey to another cute kid.
• There have been E-trade babies, Old Spice guys and those Wendy's where's-the-beef ladies.
• Or perhaps you're a fan of one of the many Budweiser ads featuring the Clydesdale horses, those talking frogs or the Bud Bowl.

If you want to get a jumps on what you'll see during the game Sunday, Feb. 2, there are ads for the ads. Many of the companies that will air commercials during the big game have already released teasers to get you interested. See some of the them here and here.

Advertisers spend a lot of money on these spots. Thirty-second television ads during this year's Super Bowl are being sold for an average of $4 million, with some going for as much as $4.5 million.

Super Bowl XLVIII — between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos — will be broadcast on FOX from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Share your thoughts about Super Bowl ads with other Patch readers — which ones have been your favorites in previous years and which ones are you looking forward to seeing this year?