ITHACA, N.Y. -- On Super Bowl Sunday this Feb. 3, Douglas Stayman's students at Cornell University will be taking careful notes -- not on whether Drew Bledsoe is starting quarterback for the Patriots or how many yards Marshall Faulk is racking up for the Rams, but on who is advertising this year and why.

Stayman, an expert on advertising patterns, says that this year the big news is a shift in the kinds of companies willing to spend big bucks on a Super Bowl ad. "While it's no surprise that we're seeing changes, the surprise is how large the shift is," he says. Two years ago more than 20 e-businesses bought ads, while this year only three have signed up, two of them online job search firms. Instead, says Stayman, "most of the advertisers this year are more traditional companies, like AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi and film companies, that have longstanding reasons to spend large sums to launch or promote a product on Super Bowl." The change reflects not only such occurrences as the burst dot-com bubble but also the events of September 11, the war on terrorism and the recession, he says.

"There is much debate inside corporations about whether airing a commercial during the Super Bowl makes financial sense during these leaner times," adds Stayman. Ads cost about $1.9 million per 30 seconds, not to mention the added cost of producing an ad that gets noticed, he notes. "While the pricey spots do attract the world's attention, companies have to weigh the high cost of a one-shot ad against the reality of bare-bones advertising budgets, where less money spent over time, or in other vehicles, may be a better investment."

Stayman and his students will examine whether the companies that invested in Super Bowl spots this year made good business and marketing decisions in doing so. They will also discuss whether this year's crop of ads was as effective as advertisers hoped.

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EDITORS: Professor Stayman will be available to speak with the media on Super Bowl commercials at the conclusion of the Super Bowl Feb. 3, as well as the week before and after the event. He can be reached at (607) 257-4493 on Saturday and Sunday and at (607) 255-1122 weekdays.