Super Bowl XLIV

Are these spots still worth the jaw-dropping $3 million and up for 30 seconds to reach 100 million viewers? It depends on what you're selling -- and how well you make your pitch. Here's why only some advertisers will come away winners in the big game.

The price of a 30-second Super Bowl ad dipped to slightly from a record $3 million in 2009, according to a study from ad researcher TNS Media Intelligence. But this year, the time allotted to ads could expand to a new record.