The 2012 Super Bowl between the New York Giants and New England Patriots was a thriller with a last minute touchdown from the Giants quarterback Eli Manning ending the game 21-17 to the Giants.

The star studded event had half time performances from Madonna with less than the usual controversy often caused by pop stars during the event which attracts over 100 million strong TV audiences.

With such a huge audience, TV networks are able to cash in on the opportunity and were charging $3.5m for a 30 second TV advert this year.  A huge amount of money for a 30 second ad break which makes you wonder how brands can ever get a return from their investment.

But Super Bowl is more than just a game of American football, it is the association with the event and the reason leading global brands pay through the nose for their ad spots.  With the rise of digital media and hype around the game, advertises are now pre-realising their adverts to cash in on the PR and pre match buzz of who is going to be advertising this year.  Adverts tend to be quirky memorable ads that will capture the attention of the massive audience.

Here is a collection of those ads put together by Mashable for 2012.