This Sunday, millions of American eyeballs will roll in disbelief when someone watching the Super Bowl asks, "So, which one is that Painting Manin guy?" That's because 25 percent of viewers will be watching the game only to see the commercials. And social media dribble?  Even more so.  A Burson-Marsteller poll found that 55 percent of fans are likely to post something about an ad -- four percent more than the sports fans who will enhance the game with steady tweets of trash talk and helpful play-calling.

This isn't just another facile American consumer-crazy phenomena. Ok, it is. But publicly traded companies that advertise during the Super Bowl see their stock prices go up. And companies that hype their ads with PR and social media get an even bigger return.

What this means is that when NFL concussion lawsuits finally outlaw the game, the Super Bowl will be three hours of commercials interrupted by two-minute live shots of Painting Manin throwing the ball around with Grand-Papa John.  And it'll still get the biggest numbers of the year.

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