Cingular introduced itself to a prime-time national audience with 2 1/2 minutes of advertising during Super Bowl XXXV. The company isn't commenting on how much it spent on its brand launch and marketing campaign, but maybe that's because it hurts to think about it. It was widely reported that one 30-second spot during the Super Bowl cost about $2.3 million. That means Cingular, which bought airtime for four ads, spent roughly $11.5 million just to say hello to consumers. (Celebrating the human spirit and self-expression doesn't come cheap these days.)

If you didn't catch the carrier's spots during the Super Bowl, don't worry. You won't be able to avoid Cingular in the coming months: Its national multimedia campaign will continue to run in cable TV, newspapers, magazines, outdoor billboards, radio, point of sale, direct mail and online ads.