Super Bowl Commercials 2013: Components of an Awesome Ad During the Big Game

Companies shell out obscene amounts of cash for mere moments of the public's attention during the Super Bowl. Per Time magazine, the cost for a 30-second spot is up to $4 million for the intermissions during the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers clash.

If companies want to get their moneys worth, they should be sure to include a few—or all—of these key components.

Don't Forget the Product

Sometimes companies can get so caught up in entertaining you with their commercial, that they forget to effectively brand the actual product.

I want to laugh, but what good was the commercial if I don't remember the company or product that was being advertised?

This can really be an issue when companies are trying to come up with grandiose ads that meet Super Bowl commercial standards.

The one-second Miller High Life commercials from the 2009 Super Bowl were a perfect example of balancing entertainment with clear branding.

Use Babies, People Love Babies

Kids are cute...most of the time. If you want to grab the attention of an audience, put a cute kid on the screen and employ some skilled writers to augment their natural appeal.

There is no better example of this than the E-Trade baby commercials.

This is possibly the most hilarious bit of lip-syncing, baby usage and writing ever combined in a commercial. This particular ad ran during the 2008 Super Bowl.

If You Can't Get a Baby, Get Somebody Beautiful

People love babies, but we also love pretty people.

Kate Upton's Mercedes Benz commercial was deemed too sexy to air (MSN News), but I'm hoping some other lovely creature entertains us for a 30-second interval in between snaps.

How about a Kerry Washington, Zoe Saldana or Jessica Biel ad? That hasn't been rumored, announced or anything of the sort—I may have even dreamed it—but you get my drift.

The following Jessica Simpson Pizza Hut commercial that aired during the 2006 Super Bowl is a good example.

Say Something Hearftelt

With such a large portion of the country watching, the Super Bowl is a great time for a company to say something heartfelt.

Chrysler did that in 2012 with their Clint Eastwood spot, and Budweiser hit a home run with their post 9/11 Clydesdale spot in 2002.

Sometimes it's not just what you say, but when you say it.

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