People spent much of Monday discussing Sunday's Super Bowl, but they weren't necessarily talking about the Ravens or 49’ers. YNN's Bill Carey says a lot of people in the advertising industry were focused on what filled the screens during breaks in the football action.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- These are the Monday morning quarterbacks, reviewing the biggest event of the year. Not the Super Bowl, but the Super Bowl ads.

They know there were some clear winners. Most just with a tug at the heart. The story of reunited friends. Of legacies. Even the story of a nation ending two wars.

But for those in the advertising world, the real test comes not from the emotion provoking ads of a Budweiser or Jeep. They tend to look for the standout ad that will stay with viewers long after the game.

“We, as advertisers, look for breakthrough creative on this night. It's really an important night and we really look for things to really evolve and push the envelope,” said Kevin Tripodi, who is with Eric Mower and Associates.

And they were there. Angry robots. Angry people in libraries. Happy car drivers. Singing candy. Talking babies. Even a baby planet.

And let's not forget the other side of the age spectrum. There were the celebrities. There were semi-celebrities. Even disappearing celebrities. And, of course, the kiss.

Tripodi said, “The Go Daddy spot gave us all some nightmares last night. But I think they achieved what they really wanted to because a lot of people are talking about that spot today.”

But beyond Go Daddy, most of the ads were seen as very safe. Few, in Tripodi's words, pushed the envelope.

“Overall, I'd say it was a kind of a mediocre night and just look forward to next year,” Tripodi said.

And there is always a next year.

Buying ad time during a Super Bowl is not for the faint of heart. CBS sold 40 companies a total of 55 commercial spots during the game. The average cost for a 30 second commercial is $3.8 million.