The upcoming Super Bowl is likely to draw as much attention for its commercials as it will for the game. But what used to be the biggest advertising moment of the year is no match for ads in the digital age. Social networks and mobile media are changing the face of advertising and many are wondering what to expect next. Teressa Iezzi, editor of the online publication Creativity, tells NPR's Renee Montagne that advertisers are not abandoning old methods, but updating them to meet consumers where they are: online.

The Super Bowl itself is an example of how much has changed in the advertising industry, says Iezzi. Historically, brands would spend millions of dollars to air an ad for 30 seconds. Now, that 30-second spot is just the beginning.

TED  has thrown down the gauntlet to the global advertising community with a challenge to raise the bar. A free-to-enter competition will consider the best work in categories such as Social Good, Worth Sharing, Industry Impact and Talk. The deadline for entries is 7 February 2011 and all work must be entered as a video between 30 seconds and five minutes in length. See the full guidelines here.

Chris Anderson, curator at TED, explains the aim of showcasing advertising that evokes as much emotion, thought and action as a TED talk: 'This is the beginning of a dialogue with the global advertising community to nurture a new form of online advertising. In a nutshell, the slogan is: Instead of ambushing attention, amplify it! What does that mean? Well, what if the start point was not to make an ad, but to launch an idea? What if instead of giving people the sense they're being marketed to, they got the sense they were hearing from a company willing to open its doors and authentically engage - asking questions as much as offering answers. What if the prime goal of the ads wasn't first and foremost to sell, but to move people to laughter, to tears,  or to a sublime 'aha' moment - so much so that they want to share the ad with their friends? We want to see the same level of audience engagement in the ads that run on TED.com that we already have with our TED talks. And we're looking forward to celebrating the brilliant creatives out there who share our dream.' 

A multi-disciplinary panel of experts has been put together to decide on the winning work, including Contagious co-founder Paul Kemp-Robertson, who comments: 'I'm thrilled that Contagious is involved with this initiative. We're huge admirers of TED and are pleased to see that the positive social impact and cultural influence of best-practice advertising is being recognised and presented with such a prestigious platform.'

The 10 winners will be showcased at TED 2011on the main stage, shown as the only ads for a week on TED.com and, thanks to a partnership with YouTube, the winners will also be featured on the site's homepage.

Less 360, more 365, a powerful combination of micro-interactions, personalised responses and 'planned spontaneity' saw some unlikely brands creating the kind of pop culture groundswell that traditional marketers can only dream of.