This year’s Super Bowl will mark several digital firsts. Not only will the game itself be streamed online for the first time, but advertisers will be looking to social media and digital technology more than ever before to generate anticipation for their spots during the game and even in the days preceding it. Brands are now looking for other mediums to complement their TV spots. Phones, tablets, and laptops will be playing an unprecedented role in Sunday’s game, which follows the most-watched Super Bowl in history, XLV, which drew 111 million viewers.

With commercials having sold out in November at a pricey $3.5 million per 30-second spot, a steep increase of half-a-million dollars from last year, marketers are looking to get the most value for their brands by promoting their ads ahead of time.

M&M’s (a BBDO client) has announced the unveiling of a much-anticipated brown candy spokesperson. It seems that users’ reactions will be gauged in a large part by social media—Ms. Brown has a Twitter account already boasting nearly 2,000 followers and features prominently on the candy’s Facebook page. USA Today is hosting a Facebook contest in which users will be able to vote for their favorite ads and spots from 2012 and the past couple of years will also be available for viewing on YouTube’s Ad Blitz page, into which sponsors have put an incredible amount of money this year.

The modern football fan can post his reactions to the game and commercials simultaneously while watching. Besides airing frustrations or celebrating on Twitter and Facebook, fans can check on stats and other fans’ comments on apps from NFL, ESPN, and from the teams themselves.

Nielsen reports that about every two out of three tablet and smartphone users divide their attention between their handhelds and their TVs while watching programming.  Some brands are hoping to bank on this opportunity as well, either integrating into third party “second screen” apps or creating their own apps to compliment their Super Bowl commercials. Examples of these “second screen” or social TV mobile apps that will likely get a spike in usage during the game include Shazam, GetGlue, Yahoo!’s IntoNow and Miso.

Super Bowl ads have traditionally been surrounded by some degree of mystery to generate anticipation and while many brands are keeping this air of secrecy intact, some are experimenting with building buzz via early digital release of their ads and facilitating digital dialogue during the game as well.

The iAd challenges readers to identify spots on the map using their fingers which the virtual Volkswagen Tiguan “self parks” into, right between your fingers. The iAd then prompts readers to learn more about the model and its innovative features via additional web content.

Although the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is now over, having wrapped up less than a week ago, many of the key themes, products and services highlighted during the show will leave indelible impressions in the minds of the 160,000 plus attendees for the months ahead. So what were the key themes of this year’s CES and what do they bode for the advertising and content industries in the near future? Here’s my take on it:

Content + Devices + Connectivity = The Perfect Storm. One of the big take aways of the show is that the technology manufacturers are finally able to distribute consumers’ preferred content on the device of choice. This is a perfect storm of improved connectivity though in-device wifi and 4G/4G LTE mobile data speeds, proliferation of tablets and smartphones with big, crisp screens, and a large number of content providers (Hulu Plus, Netflix, Google TV to name a few) distributing content across multiple screens. As we saw with the Tom Hanks and Yahoo partnership, 2012 appears to be the year where consumers discover and watch content not through a cable provider, but thorough online content publishers.

3D TV’s might still be hype. Once again, the floor is packed with 3D TV’s from the likes of Samsung, LG, and Panasonic. While the content from providers like ESPN and Discovery seem fantastic, many TV’s require consumers to sit directly in front of the screen which makes co-viewing difficult. Also, we know that people like to look at their tablets, mobile, and laptops while watching TV. I still find it difficult to look at these other devices with 3D glasses on. Video games in 3D; however, are quite immersive and intense.

Connected TV’s mean proliferation of content searching. While 3D still seems a bit further off, connected TV’s are all over the show floor. With streaming content from apps, social networks, and publishers, consumers will soon become used to searching for shows both from the cable provider as well as the internet. Even more, many devices like Samsung and our client’s AT&T Uverse product allow consumers to link the television and mobile device together for extended content, additional content controls, and potentially extended advertising.

Gaming in new ways. With huge smartphone screens and Sony’s Playstation Vita the buzz of the show, I think handheld video games will just continue to boom. Plus, the Playstation Vita has both front and rear touch screens; the thought of playing a game using both sides of the device seems intriguing. Microsoft Kinect has spawned a few imitators as gaming without controllers continued to inspire people to line up to play games at a variety of booths.

Touch screens galore. It seemed hard to walk around the floor and not see a gesture or touch-enabled device. From TV’s to laptops and tablets and smartphones, we will be swiping, pinching and typing on our screens more and more in 2012. The physical keyboard as we know it will continue to be excluded from these devices going forward.

Ultrabooks, Tablets, and smartphones continue to converge. Intel and others have released multiple ultrabooks that resemble a Macbook Air but, with 10+ hours of battery life, are highly portable. Tablets are becoming a part of almost any major manufacturer’s offering and continue to abound. Smartphones are becoming larger and more powerful. With each of these devices creeping into each other’s categories, I predict that consumers will no longer find it necessary to carry a smartphone, tablet and laptop while traveling. Which one to leave behind likely depends on work needs, but tablets and smartphones will soon become interchangable.

Connected home links devices together. Many manufacturers are creating apps that connect technology around the home such as the kitchen, heating/cooling, washing/drying and lights. Often dubbed as a way of saving electricity, a connected home may be closer than we think.

The fun parts of CES. There are always a few random devices that make you smile. This year I’ve seen an at-home dry cleaning machine from LG that refreshes garments in 39 minutes, a new and improved AR Drone remote control helicopter, and a gesture-controlled iPad-enhanced skateboard (think a Segway meets a long skateboard…with an iPad attached!).

With more attendees from industries outside of electronics than ever before exploring its trade show floors and media events, this year’s CES had a little something for everyone…and also gave a little peek into what’s coming ahead. Things are definitely about to get more interesting.

In an interview with Digital Lab TV, cinematographer Alex Buono, one of Canon’s Explorers of Light, provides an overview of the company’s newly introduced Canon Cinema EOS C300 camera.

While Canon’s new Cinema EOS C300 is a convenient handheld cinema camera weighing a little over 3 pounds, it represents a dramatic leap forward for cinematic HD video and can be used for commercial television production.

In this clip, Digital Lab TV highlights LG’s major product introduction at CES 2012, the world’s largest 3D OLED TV, the 55-inch 55EM9600.

LG’s 3D OLED TV. The company’s flagship TV product for 2012,  features Smart TV functionality with streaming and social media and support for stunning 2D and 3D pictures. Yet it is only 4mm thick. Style plus substance indeed.

Digital Lab TV gets a closer look at one of Samsung’s newest innovations this year at CES: the ES8000 Smart TV.

Samsung’s camera-equipped LED-powered ES8000 features Smart Interaction technology that allows users to control the TV’s functions via voice or natural gestures.

AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong finds time to sit down with Digital Lab TV at CES 2012 for an exclusive interview.

During the interview, Mr. Armstrong shares insights on AOL’s involvement at CES this year and offers advice on how marketers can capitalize on digital innovation moving forward.

BBDO and Proximity CMO Simon Bond interviews Facebook Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions Carolyn Everson at CES.

During the conversation, Ms Everson shares her thoughts on the prevailing trends at CES and touches on the how these trends will affect brands moving forward.

At CES, two of Yahoo!’s master content architects, Americas EVP Ross Levinshon and Chief Product Officer Blake Irving, found time to sit down for a chat with our very own Mark Himmelsbach, SVP of Digital Strategy for BBDO. The discussion revolved around Yahoo!’s big bet on scripted content, a new agreement to distribute Hollywood legend Tom Hanks’ new animated series, “Electric City.” The dialogue took place at the Hyde Lounge in Las Vegas’ Bellagio hotel, the site of the exclusive media event that unveiled the project. The venue also has an excellent view of Bellagio’s water fountains…as you’ll see when you watch this clip.

In this clip from Digital Lab’s coverage of CES 2012, Andrew Bailey, Chairman and CEO of Proximity North America, interviews Eileen Naughton, Managing Director, Global Sales at Google at CES. Ms. Naughton takes the opportunity to share insights on Google’s next largest strategic bets for the future: search, mobile and video.