The NFL 44th Super Bowl match between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts came to a close this morning with the Saints beating the Colts 31 – 17 in an amazing come-from-behind victory that saw the Saints grabbing 15 points in the final quarter.

The game, however, wasn't the only story of the day. Almost as anticipated as the game itself were the Super Bowl commercials that were shown during the break during quarters – the time considered to be the world's most costliest in the advertising industry.

Advertisers this year were willing to shell out an estimated US$2.5 (RM8.6 million) to US$2.8 million for a 30-second time slot. Last year's game brought in an estimated US$213 million, according to Kantar Media. The game's broadcaster CBS has not been claiming record prices this year, although it has said average prices were better than last year.

Besides the high price tag, Super Bowl ads are known to be the year's funniest and creative, and this year saw the likes of Budweiser, Audi, Motorola and (surprisingly) Google taking their place among the viewer's favourite commercials.

A full list of Super Bowl advertisers can be found here, while all the ads can be found on YouTube here.

With the still-recovering economy in mind, this year's Super Bowl commercials appeared to focus on value, with a tongue-in-cheek humour that would have been considered politically incorrect last year.

"Six months ago if you were optimistic or happy, it was awkward and people looked and said, 'How insensitive can you be?' " said Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates in New York in an article by Associated Press. "Now it's socially acceptable not to be sullen and depressed, but within reason. And I think the Super Bowl provides one of those venues where you can still kick back and have a good time."

Surprise!

Among the biggest surprises in the advertisers' list was Google, which has been known to view brand advertising as a waste of money. “The last bastion of unaccountable spending in corporate America," its chief executive officer Eric Schmidt said of brand advertising in 2006.

Regardless of Google's motivations, their commercial dubbed “Parisian Love” turned out to be a sweet hit, featuring a love story set in Paris explained through a series of Google search queries.

Another surprise came in the 15-second ad for David Letterman's Late Show on CBS, which saw him sitting on the same couch with his bitter NBC rival Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey. Shot under a shroud of secrecy the Secret Service would have been proud of. In the ad called "Worst Super Bowl Party ever", Letterman and Leno glumly shared a couch watching the Super Bowl, with Winfrey trying to play peacemaker between the two.

Man's best friends: cars, beer, and Megan Fox

With the Super Bowl watched by most American males, it wasn't surprising to see advertisers taking a male-centric approach in conceptualising their commercials. Among the crowd favourites was Motorola Devour's ad that featured actress Megan Fox in a bathtub sending out a picture of herself, with disastrous consequences.

Budweiser Light Beer produced several ads for the Super Bowl, including one that parodied the television series Lost, and another that featured every man's dream house: one made of beer.

Lost Parody

House of Bud

Soft drink giant Coca-Cola also got in on the action with this joint-effort with the animated characters in The Simpsons. The ad showed Simpson's character Montgomery Burns falling on hard economic times, but soon discovers everyone enjoying life with Coca-Colas in hand.

Chocolate snackbar Snickers also made a 30-second ad spot that's worth another look. The ad featured Golden Girls actress Betty White finding it tough to compete in a football game played by a group of jocks -- until she finds a Snickers bar.

Car brands used different approaches in showing off their latest offerings to the Super Bowl masses. The Dodge Charger went on the self-deprecatory route with its “Man's Last Stand” ad, which depicted men reciting a litany of things they do to keep their female partners happy – just so that they can own a Dodge.

Volkswagen meanwhile, took a quirky turn with their “punch-up” commercial that showed odd scenes in which people get punched whenever a VW car pass by. The ad ends with a scene of singer Stevie Wonder punching comedian Tracey Morgan.

One firm favourite among the car brands was Audi, with its “Green Police” ad. Here, the environmentally friendly Audi A3 TDI clean diesel car is put into focus against a backdrop of comedy, music by Cheap Trick, and socio-political commentary. All in a 60-second ad.