AIG sole insurance player in super bowl XXXVIII.

Advertisers' interest in this year's Super Bowl has helped set a new record for the highest average amount ever paid for a television broadcast, but only one insurer--American International Group--made an appearance in the commercial lineup.

AIG's ad buy was purchased under the terms the commercial would run only in the fourth-quarter and only if 10 points separated the teams' score. The New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII 32-29.

CBS sold Super Bowl 30-second advertisements for an average of $2.3 million, up from last year's $2.1 million price tag.

Insurers such as John Hancock Financial Services Inc., Allstate Corp. and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. who took part as advertisers in last year's World Series coverage on Fox, did not choose to play in the Super Bowl commercial marketing game. "We considered it and decided it just simply didn't fit with our marketing plan right now," said State Farm spokesman Kip Diggs.

Supplemental health insurer Aflac Inc., which recently marked the fourth anniversary of its popular "Aflac duck" advertising campaign by premiering a television spot featuring the Looney Tunes animated characters during coverage of the college football championship bowl games, also decided it would have to pass on the Super Bowl, spokeswoman Laura Kane confirmed.

Kimberly Paterson, president of Creative Insurance Marketing, an industry consulting firm, said insurers likely are reluctant to get involved in a "battle of the brands" event such as the Super Bowl, unless they are trying aggressively to push a new product or ready to make a leap from being lesser-known to a household name.

Progressive Corp., the third-largest private-passenger auto insurance writer in the United States, used this strategy in debuting its E.T. commercial during the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show in 1999. The commercial featured the famous alien from Steven Spielberg's hit movie.

"The thing about the Super Bowl is not just the size of the audience; it's also the competition with other advertisers," Paterson said. "The ads featured during the show are 'buzz' ads that require a real creative flair, and typically good humor and excellent effects."

Because of the attention they get, Super Bowl advertising slots typically are sold two of three times, in case an advertiser backs out because they feel their spot isn't testing well, Paterson added. "It would be better to do nothing at all than to premiere an ad at the Super Bowl and have it flop," she said.