With the economy in the dumps and unemployment at an all time high, our attention turned to one of the few remaining free great escapes this weekend - football and the all mighty Super Bowl. At nearly $3 million for a 30-second ad, advertisers, as well as their agencies, are under enormous scrutiny to deliver results. Therefore it should come as no surprise that most agencies turned once again to their comfort zone - creativity - in an effort to create buzz and justify billings.

Not only is the fourth quarter a make-or-break season for retailers, but also recent news coverage recounting weak October sales at some of the leading retailers has many wondering if we are in for a lackluster holiday season.