HD Beat's Kevin Tofel points out that the currently-running ad from the new AT&T (SBC recently purchased the long-distance carrier and the new company took the name of the long standing brand) was the first High Definition spot that ran in the new year, even jumping the gun a bit a few minutes before midnight. Tofel's right to state that the spot was great in showing what HD technology means for advertising, showing some fantastic depth and shadows that you wouldn't see the same way in standard.

This afternoon, while watching the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (what, you thought I would miss the sponsor?), I'm noticing that the latest ad for Allstate, starring Dennis Haysbert, is also running in HD. Its blue letterbox flowed to the edges of the screen, and the picture wass amazing. And, I even remember what it was about! (Yep, you can now get a deductible discount for every year of good drivership).

The early adopters in HD advertising are also privy to another benefit - the fact that there are people like Kevin and us at AdJab who are interested enough in this stuff to actually notice when it happens. The HD ads will stand apart from the SD ones, and any extra watercooler talk that comes out of the game might now include what cool spots ran in HD - expect the Super Bowl to carry a bunch more this time around, if advertisers know what's good for them.