Remember the Super Bowl? It used to be the beauty pageant of the advertising industry.

But the creativity we see today in advertising…is the worst it’s ever been. The Super Bowl shows it.

And Google, yes Google, will become the best thing for TV ads.

One word. Data.

What Google (not it’s search engine, but it’s ad tracking technology) has done for Internet advertising, it will soon do for TV advertising.

Google’s first foray into the TV ad-tracking/selling space was announced with Echostar’s Dish network, and it will be the tip of the iceberg.

That iceberg will change Madison Avenue like never before.

Not the brokerage of media…data just like Google’s ability to track clicks on Internet text ads, display ads, and even its ability to track activity down to the point of purchase.

What data has done for the Internet is make online advertisers smarter.

Imagine an Internet ad has a low click-through, it means nobody’s paying attention, nobody’s clicking, and the ads gets dropped in a heartbeat.

Test 20, 30, 40, 50 iterations of an ad very easily to find the best creative, color combination, copy, animation, etc.

What Google has done for us is provide us an amazing ad tracking tool so ad dollars on the Internet can be spent more intelligently every day, and even every hour.

Now Google will do the same for TV ads. Revolution is coming soon.

Today 92% of us skip ads with DVRs.

63% of us channel zap.

Although Nielsen has been around for decades, the quality of its data is archaic. Like automobiles in Cuba…it’s 2007, but its vehicles are from the 1960’s.

No one really knows how Google’s test will evolve with Echostar/Dish, but I do know several things:

#1 There are many intelligent people at Google

#2 Google is very focused on making money from targeted advertising, and the big target is TV

#3 They might not have the code cracked, but they will figure it out soon

#4 They have a model to follow. This one…

The model is in IMG’s entertainment network being taken to new levels by Rob Dalton, formerly at Fox. Right now, if you advertise on IMG’s Beauty & Fashion Network or other networks (in 33 million homes with Dish, DirectTV, and some HD cable homes), there is rich data. Advertisers can track how many people ‘clicked’ on their TV ad with their TV clicker, how many requested more information (Mercedes and BMW use it to get leads for test drives).

Advertisers LOVE this model with IMG. They can even track if the TV was put on pause, and for how long (hint: if the TV was paused during the ad for 18 minutes, they went to the Internet and researched the advertised product).

So the model for Google is already here…Google will perfect it just as it perfected Bill Gross’ GoTo advertising platform (maybe copied Bill Gross’ GoTo platform?).

What Does All This Mean?

It means that once there is Google-like data…bad ads will get better.

Once there is data, we will learn how bad the responses/’clicks’ are to ads.

Once there is data, ad agencies will be forced to improve their creative.

Once there is data, advertisers and agencies will produce more executions of TV ads at much lower prices per produced ad.

Once there is data, we will ultimately see better ads because the numbers don’t lie…they only tell the truth.

Once there is data on Dish…Google’s next deal will be with Comcast, and then Time Warner.

Once there is data from Google, Nielsen will fade away like a relic of the past.

And advertising, much to Madison Avenue’s skepticism, will become better.

Advertising will become better because of data…and the demand for better creative by advertisers.

Mark Hughes is a marketing speaker, consultant, and author of the book Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff (Penguin/Portfolio).