Amid all the clamor of companies purchasing air time for commercials during Super Bowl XLVI, it turns out that some marketers have opted to put their money into other equally high-profile TV events.

After two years as a member of the roster of companies to run ads during the Super Bowl, online vacation rental company HomeAway will not be part of the line-up during Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 on NBC.

Instead, the company is putting its ad budget into other major buys, including the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards Jan. 15 on NBC, the 54th Annual Grammy Awards Feb.12 on CBS, the 84th Annual Academy Awards Feb. 26 on ABC and the 2012 Survivor finale on CBS.

“HomeAway will not be advertising in the Super Bowl this year,” confirmed Matt Cohen, senior director of brand marketing for HomeAway. “While visibility during the Super Bowl was the right decision for building our brand as a start-up, HomeAway  – now an established player in the travel category – is today focused on building a long-term platform and campaign that focuses on what our business and category is about, which is celebrating togetherness and the shared experience families and groups can only have at a vacation home rental.”

The new campaign, “Let’s Stay Together,” “focuses on families and groups creating lasting memories out of where they stay, not just where they go,” according to HomeAway. The title comes from, and utilizes, Al Green’s 1972 classic hit, “Let’s Stay Together.”

The multi-media effort, from Austin, Texas-based ad agency GSD&M, also includes online, print, social media and various consumer-centric promotions.

The cost of a national 30-second commercial during the Academy Awards is just under $2 million, versus $3.5 million for a 30-second spot during Super Bowl XLVI, according to industry analysts.

HomeAway is seeking a response from viewers and consumers similar to that of two years ago, when the company made its first Super Bowl appearance with a commercial, “Hotel Hell Vacation.” The spot and related online mini-movie reunited Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo as the Griswolds from National Lampoon’s Vacation films.

The ad, which ran during Super Bowl XLIV, “generated a  500% increase in consumer visits to HomeAway.com on the day following the Super Bowl, as well as one million incremental page views in a 24-hour period,” according to the company.

Inspired by those results, the Austin, Texas-based company returned to the airwaves during Super Bowl XLV with a commercial that showed a family in a simulated cramped vacation hotel room in dire need of HomeAway’s services.

That ad, “Test Baby,” also attracted attention, but in a negative way: In one scene,  a baby doll is accidentally smashed against a window. The spot directed viewers to the company’s Web site, where visitors were encouraged to upload their own photos and to utilize options that included catching the baby doll or decapitating it.

Outraged viewers, many of whom cited the deplorable situation of child abuse, succeeded in having the ad revised so that the test baby is now caught by a member of the HomeAway staff. The online options also were removed. A public apology from HomeAway soon followed.

The company’s new campaign, which breaks during the Golden Globe Awards this Sunday, goes nowhere near that forbidden territory. Instead, it “goes beyond focusing solely on the shortcomings of hotels, and celebrates the benefits of vacation home rentals, including more space, value and amenities, and promotes renting a home on vacation as the ideal way for families and groups to come together,” according to HomeAway.

The campaign follows research by HomeAway revealing spending quality time together is the primary reason why families and groups go on vacation.

“This campaign speaks to our key purpose, which is to bring people together to create unforgettable experiences while on vacation,” Brian Sharples, co-founder and chief executive officer for HomeAway, said in a statement. “We want to send a message to families and groups that where you stay is as important as where you go. We believe this campaign will serve as a long-term platform for building the HomeAway brand and positioning vacation rental travel against other alternatives such as hotels.”

The ad will air in key U.S. markets on network and nationally on cable, including such networks as Travel Channel, Food Network and Home and Garden Television.