No need to wait to watch Superbowl spots.

Sunday is the Superbowl. Since I'm a blogger and not making any money from my blog, I can actually say the word Superbowl without worrying about the NFL sending me a cease and desist order for unauthorized trademark use. I always find it funny when certain television networks and radio stations refer to "Winning tickets to the BIG GAME" in their promotions because they don't have (and cannot get) permission to say Superbowl. That usually has a good bit to do with how much cash the advertiser has spent.

Since 1984, the Superbowl has been the coming out party for the great ads of the year. Each year advertising and marketing people wait in not-so-patient anticipation for the new spots. And I'm confident, since this is an all East Coast Superbowl with New England and New York, the cost per minute of air time will be the highest it has ever been.

While I love advertising, I don't have the opportunity to watch a lot of television. So the Superbowl is always a great opportunity to see some of the best spots of the year. But now, there's a new (and FREE) way to watch all the best spots. It's called Firebrand.

Firebrand is a new Web site and cable television show (on Ion TV) that shows the best television spots made. Now, instead of waiting to hopefully see spots within television content, you can go directly to Firebrand.com and see then any time.

You might think it strange to purposefully spend time watching television commercials. But the fact is, watching and analyzing great spots is an excellent way to be a student of the business. When you view a well-produced spot, it is often very easy to understand the strategy that led the creative team to the solution. If the strategy is not apparent, then the spots certainly are worth the talk value they create — which also helps people hone their skills and be students of the business.

I'll still watch the Superbowl. But I'll be watching Firebrand, too.