Seth Stevenson holds court with readers eager for this year's Super Bowl ads.

Seth Stevenson: Hi all, I'm ready to start chatting about Super Bowl ads. Let's get started.

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Washington: Seth, miss your Slate articles and hope you're doing well. On to my question ... I've seen seemingly outrageous numbers bandied about for the number of viewers who will be watching the game, including "more than 1 billion people." There's no way I buy this. A billion people? Where do these (inflated) numbers come from, and are they just a marketing ploy?

Seth Stevenson: Thanks for the kind words, I'll be writing regularly again for Slate starting next week. So let's see, 1 billion.... Even if the roughly 300 million Americans all watch the game (which they won't), that leaves 700 million people to make up the difference. Which is a tall order. Throw in the entire populations of Canada, the UK, and Australia, and we've still got a looooong way to go. You know, I think you're onto something. Further research required.

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Chicago: In the current crop, the PepsiCo commercial with sign language is one that stands out. I love the commercial and hope it gets a lot of play.

washingtonpost.com: Pepsi sign language ad previews(YouTube)

Seth Stevenson: Here's what I want from a Super Bowl spot: something over the top, or something I haven't seen before. Looks like this ad might fit in the second category, which I'm all for. I wonder if Pepsi will somehow take on the cochlear implants controversy as part of its campaign?

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Upper Marlboro, Md.: No, no, no, no! We are supposed to talk about them after the game. Stop it! Just stop it!

Seth Stevenson: Point taken. Where's the spoiler alert at the top of the chat?

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washingtonpost.com: Obviously the large viewership of the Super Bowl is what makes it an important advertising venue, but when did it become a showcase for new ads and a launchpad for new campaigns, products and brands?

Seth Stevenson: I'm sure this could be answered a few different ways, but any answer would have to include Apple's "1984" Super Bowl spot introducing the Macintosh. It launched a new product, and ramped up expectations that the Super Bowl would feature jawdropping, epic advertising.

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washingtonpost.com: Apple's "1984" ad(YouTube)

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Billion People: To take a sketch from Jerry Seinfeld: He talked about McDonalds counting hamburgers ... more than 1 billion sold. He said McDonalds needs to stop counting ... enough is enough ... just say "we're doing very well." This applies to the Super Bowl as well. Who cares how many people it is? It's a lot.

Seth Stevenson: To quote the great philosopher Jackie Chiles: preposterous! I do think one group cares deeply, though, about the exact number of people who will be watching the game—these advertisers have paid up to $2.7 million for 30 seconds of airtime, and I'm guessing they have more precise estimates of how many eyeballs they'll be reaching.

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Washington: Have Super Bowl commercial lost their cache? Every night people see quirky, funny commercials. There's nothing new to them anymore.

Seth Stevenson: I'm always disappointed in the Bud Light ads that are just semi-funny jokes. Not good enough for the big dance. As you note, we can see that kind of thing anywhere. From a Super Bowl spot, I want epic themes, pageantry, huge budgets, the works.

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Philadelphia: Hi Seth. Companies like GoDaddy.com seem to be getting a lot of mileage out of ads that Fox rejected as "too racy," and using their Web site to post the rejected ads. My question is, how do you see the expansion of Internet video forums shaping the future of Super Bowl ads (or TV ads in general)? Will TV ads lose relevance in the face of a cheaper, quicker, "always on" media channel like the Internet? Also, will Super Bowl ads be very concerned with trying to drive Internet traffic (i.e. trying to get the viewer to simply visit the Web site to find out more about the product)? Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: GoDaddy.com's Super Bowl ads

Seth Stevenson: From what I've read, the GoDaddy spot will show us some people talking about another GoDaddy spot that can only be seen on the Web. Boooooring. Of course, if this ploy manages to drive massive amounts of traffic to GoDaddy's Web site, we'll have to consider it a success. I'll be interested to see the response. Regarding your question about TV losing ads to the Internet: I think the two are rapidly blending together. That will cause a lot agitation on the part of advertisers and media companies, but for the audience there will always be some sort of combo of content and marketing, whatever the delivery device.

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Arlington, Va.: Talking about Bud Light reminded me of the Bud Bowl series so many years ago! Great series, that was.

Seth Stevenson: I think I lost 20 bucks taking the points on Bud Dry. (Does Bud Dry even exist now?)

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My favorite is still the EDS "cat herding" ad...: That one was just spot-on: Cute for those who didn't have anything to do with dealing with consultants, and fall-on-floor-laughing funny for those of us who had dealt with them!

washingtonpost.com: Herding Cats(YouTube)

Seth Stevenson: Indeed, a productive marriage of an evocative buzz phrase with some clever visuals. But: How many of us would have remembered which company it was for without your help? (Not me.)

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