Canadians won't see the same real-time TV ads for cars, drinks and snacks that Americans will watch during Sunday's Super Bowl, but the Internet allows advertisers to get their message out early and around broadcast restrictions.
For a Canadian Super Bowl commercial, Budweiser brought in hundreds of fans and a play-by-play announcer to a weekly beer-league game in Port Credit, Ont., between the Toronto Generals and Les Amigos.
A longer version of the ad is already up on YouTube and drawing thousands of hits.
"It has reach," Les Amigos captain Alex MacKenzie said from Toronto. "If you look on YouTube, you see comments from some American viewers that they want to see this for their Super Bowl."
MacKenzie and the rest of the players had no idea they would be involved in Super Bowl Sunday.
"We're going to feel like stars when it comes on."
But MacKenzie noted that fans north of the border won't be seeing the same ads during the game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.
"As a Canadian, and a football fan as well, you go and watch the Super Bowl and you almost feel let down when you don't get to see those ads in real time. Obviously, the Internet has given people the ability to get on and see them within a minute or two of being released in the U.S."
TV rights and marketing strategies generally prevent Canadians and Americans from seeing the same ads during the championship football game.
But a number of the ads are already online, including actor Matthew Broderick in a Honda CR-V spot, Samsung promoting its Galaxy II smartphone and Volkswagen with its Bolt the Dog commercial.
Marketing expert Raymond Pirouz said missing out on the ads that U.S. viewers see isn't a big deal anymore.
"Real-time is less relevant now because of the advent of the Internet, specifically YouTube," he said of the video sharing site. "Now we can go online and see the Super Bowl ads."
Pirouz said companies should put more than one version of their Super Bowl ads up on YouTube at least a week before the big game and let viewers have their say and get the "chatter" started around the brand.
"The ones they pick should be shown on Super Bowl day," said Pirouz, who lectures in marketing and new media at Western University in London, Ont.
The strategy should be applied all the time, he said.
"I hope this trend is not just for the Super Bowl but for every brand for any product launch."
Super Bowl ads, it seems, are more popular with Canadians than the game itself.
Almost half of Canadians who don't plan to watch Sunday's NFL championship game say they're still hoping to see some Super Bowl ads, according to a recent Harris-Decima Canadian Press poll.
For Budweiser, it's the third year the beer company will run a Canadian Super Bowl commercial, said marketing manager Ben Seaton.
Budweiser gave fans an early look at the ad online.
"Canadians want to be part of this Super Bowl craze and they want to be part of seeing the ads," Seaton said.
The ads have generated comments on social media like Twitter such as, "Why doesn't this happen at my men's league hockey games?" and "Anybody who has ever laced up the skates needs to watch this."
The 90-second ad will only be aired once during the game, Seaton said. A behind-the-scenes look at the Super Bowl commercial will be posted on YouTube in the coming days, he added.
CTV sales executive Perry MacDonald said the Super Bowl is still one of the biggest TV events of the year.
"TV is still the best vehicle for delivering audience and eyeballs," said MacDonald, vice-president of conventional sales.
Last year's game was the most-watched Super Bowl ever on Canadian television with an audience of 7.3 million viewers, MacDonald said.
Labatt, Chevrolet, Nissan, McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Ford, Kraft and PepsiCo are among those advertising in Canada during the game.
Some of the companies create ads specifically for the game and others don't, he said. While he wouldn't say how much CTV charges for an ad during Super Bowl, MacDonald said revenues for the event are up over last year.