Yesterday was the Super Bowl. So this week, expect a million and one stories to be written about which commercials were the best and worst, which scored better with certain demographics, which are the most remembered, etc. This year, however, a few brands changed the way the game is played.

Why wait until after the big game and compete with everyone else on media attention when you can get all the hype to yourself before your ad even airs?

This was the tactic used by Focus on the Family. They got a storm of media attention due to the message (Pro-Life) and the casting (Tim Tebow). What no one ever considered was if the actual ad would be controversial, or for that matter, any good. See for yourself.

I was following Brand Bowl 2010 as they tracked real-time response to all Super Bowl commercials, and immediately following this one, the overwhelming reaction consisted of, “Was that it?” People weren’t so disappointed in the ad itself, but the hype leading up to it. But attention is what Focus on the Family was after, and that’s what they got. Whether it’s a great ad or one of the worst, they accomplished their goal.

Another advertiser who capitalized on the hype was Pepsi. For weeks leading up to the game, they were one of the most (if not the most) talked about brand. The funny thing is, they didn’t even advertise during the Super Bowl. Not one single commercial. And yet, chances are you heard about their Refresh Everything campaign already.

Compare that with today. Stories will be written ranking all the ads, talking about all the companies together instead of individually. Focus on the Family and Pepsi played by their own rules and reaped all the benefits.

For the record, my favorite Super Bowl ad was probably the least hyped. In fact, it was just a rumor they were even going to be in the Super Bowl Saturday night and Sunday morning. But come the third quarter, Google ran a TV commercial. Not just any commercial, though. This one promoted the brand, showed the main product benefits and told a captivating story. You couldn’t ask for anything more from an ad, and based on early reaction, no one is. See it here.