There still better be funny beer ads on Sunday

For television viewers, the Super Bowl offers an annual midwinter spectacle. On Sunday, in addition to a football game and a halftime show, they can watch Madison Avenue try to walk a tightrope.

The advertisers, which are spending up to $3 million for each 30-second commercial during Super Bowl XLIII, have a tricky task before them. They must figure out the right way to speak to consumers worried about the wretched economy while at the same time not ignore the long-standing appeal of Super Bowl Sunday as a night of escapist fare.

“Advertisers have to strike a delicate balance this year,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“They need to recognize the environment we’re in,” Mr. Calkins said, “so they don’t want to appear too flip, making light of a tough situation.”

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