• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 17, 2009

Denny's, which ran a Super Bowl ad in 2009 viewed as an example of how to maximize the platform, will return to the big game in February.

The restaurant chain ran a 30-second ad in the third quarter of the Pittsburgh-Arizona game that promised Americans a free Grand Slam breakfast two days after. And two million people showed up, producing some long lines in the bitter cold.

This February, Denny's will return with a second-half spot on CBS. Again, a free giveaway is expected -- with Denny's aiming to extend the impact and drive people into its 1,500-plus restaurants.

The forthcoming Feb. 7 game on CBS will mark the second time that Denny's has been a Super Bowl advertiser.

Days after the 2009 game, Initiative's Tim Spengler and CBS' Jo Ann Ross praised the Denny's stunt as prime use of Super Bowl real estate. The top executives noted that the tactic ensured the spot didn't stand alone, while it had reverberations after the game.

A recent report from Nielsen seemed to back Denny's strategy. It said marketers "urgently need to understand" that a Super Bowl campaign should not only be about ROI for the "paid media," but a return on "other activities triggered or reinforced" by it. One key metric: How much media coverage results?

Weeks after the 2009 game, Denny's CEO Nelson Marchioli estimated the stunt brought publicity worth about $50 million, and called it "a game changer." Jay Leno and Katie Couric were among those who mentioned it.

Between the ad buy and the free meals, Denny's invested some $5 million toward what the chief executive called "Super Tuesday." Marchioli later called the promotion "a catalyst for our marketing efforts in 2009."

The spot itself featured three ruffians at a Denny's trying to talk business, but dealing with interruptions from a waitress spraying whipped cream on a pancake. Denny's seemed to anticipate viewers doubting the free food. "Seriously," the voiceover said.

If Denny's goes with a free meal opportunity Feb. 7, it could look to broaden its appeal beyond breakfast. In October, it launched a "Better Burger" line with five varieties.

Boston-based Visible Measures tracks performance of online video ads. It found after the 2009 game that clips of the Denny's spot had 3.6 million views on sites such as YouTube, Yahoo and many more. But that is only derived from publicly available data, and does not include sites such as Hulu.