Are you planning to watch the Super Bowl?

Each year, millions of football fans gather in bars and living rooms to cheer on their favorite candidate for the NFL’s ultimate championship. Secretly, lots of those viewers are more interested in the new and breathtakingly expensive ads that air during the precious few commercial breaks.

Most of the ads are purchased by beer companies, Go Daddy and soft drink makers. They’re loud, feature over-the-top special effects, and often scantily-clad women.

But this year, some viewers will be treated to a rare moment of peace and quiet among this corporate cacophony.

SeaWeb has partnered with NBC Bay Area to run a commercial during the local broadcast of the Super Bowl pre-game show, in hopes of making the plight of the oceans meaningful to an audience more concerned with touchdowns than sea turtles.

The commercial is designed to shock and awe viewers without even saying a word. It’s choreographed to lead with some of the most stunning ocean images imaginable, paired with striking music followed by a dramatic cut to black. Several seconds of darkness and silence leave the viewer wondering why, and spark them to think about what they have lost. The creators hope the silence will allow people to enter the moment, become aware and participate.

Update: SeaWeb has granted Care2 special permission to share a sneak peek of the ad before it’s available to the public. Watch below!

“This is a spot with no words, but a powerful message,” said SeaWeb Board member Dr. Jennifer Scott. “The facts about loss of marine life make no impact unless people can personally experience the feeling of loss. By abruptly taking away beautiful ocean images for just a few seconds, our spot hopes to give them that understanding. Our hope is that this – not facts – will empower them to act in their own best interests and do something for the ocean today.”

The spot, produced by world-renowned film maker Bob Talbot, is deliberately striking and designed as the gateway for audience exposure to a broader campaign running on the NBC Bay Area and SeaWeb web sites and through various social media channels.

To those who saw the above commercial live: Do you think it was successful in promoting ocean conservation to the masses?

Related Reading:

Clean The Ocean, Green The Economy, UN Urges

Google Earth Video Shows Ocean Pollution Is A Global Problem

New Year’s Resolution: Let’s Gain Weight In The Ocean

Image Credit: Thinkstock