Over the next three years, Mercedes-Benz will launch nine all-new products in the United States market, including a new range-topping S-Class and an entirely new compact car dubbed the CLA.

It’s clear that Mercedes-Benz will rely heavily on marketing and advertising to get the word out, but in this day and age of DVR and on-line television viewing, is television advertising still and effective medium?

Yes, says Mercedes-Benz marketing head Bernie Glaser, who views television as just one approach to an effective marketing campaign. Social media and online advertising play a part, as Glaser explained to Automotive News (subscription required), as does sports advertising.

Nowhere do those worlds collide with more potential impact than the Super Bowl, which is often criticized for the stratospheric expense of a television ad spot. Mercedes-Benz will spend the money to advertise in 2013, even though the German automaker skipped a Super Bowl spot in 2012.

It helps that next year’s Super Bowl will be played in New Orleans, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Every time viewers get an aerial shot of the stadium, the three-pointed star will be in their field of vision, adding to the effectiveness of a big game ad spot.

Rival BMW, however, sees things a bit differently. As Dan Creed, vice president of marketing for BMW North America told Automotive News (subscription required), “for $4 million for a 30-second commercial, if you go to fill up the guacamole bowl, you missed it.”

Instead, BMW pulled out all the stops with its London Olympic Games advertising, and it  will do the same for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Olympic advertising is more cost-effective, and can be blended with other marketing efforts, such as guest appearances by Olympic athletes at BMW dealerships.

Then again, BMW doesn't have its name or logo on the stadium that’s hosting the big game, either. We’d call that particular play in favor of Mercedes-Benz.