Here’s an interesting report from yesterday quoting Akamai Technologies which found that traffic to advertisers’ website didn’t increase appreciably during the game:
Akamai delivered the Web sites and advertising content for approximately half of the companies that aired commercials during the Super Bowl, according to company spokesperson Jeff Young. This year’s advertisements featured fewer commercials with so-called cliff hangers, which drive viewers to a company’s Web site to see the conclusion of the ad, Young said.
I wonder if there is a good baseline to compare this against. It’s probably not realistic to expect a traffic increase during the game. I think the advertising is more tuned to brand recognition and spreading the message as everyone talks about their favorite SuperBowl commercials.