The Best Super Bowl Ads of 2009

Beer, cars, food and jobs seem to be the four constant themes of Super Bowl ads (not necessarily in that order), and this year was no different. But this year those famous 30 second ads may reflect the hard economic times the country is facing in the midst of a recession. With the auto industry on the verge of collapse and the job market hit hard by layoffs, beer and food may seem like the only refuge for some.

The 30 second spots for Super Bowl XLIII sold for a standard rate of $3 million, but some advertisers were able to get the spots for as "cheap" as $2.4 million, according to reports. And with budgets tightened and bailouts flowing, some traditional Super Bowl advertisers were not on the air this year. That includes Ford, GM and Chrysler, all of whom have appealed for some form of federal assistance in the past two months.

With Barack Obama kicking off the show with a live interview with Matt Lauer, Jennifer Hudson starting the game with the national anthem, and Bruce Springsteen performing at halftime, there were plenty of distractions for non football fans too. But none is more universally appealing the tradition of unveiling new commercials at the Super Bowl. Some even came in 3D this year.

Oh, and by the way, the Steelers won. Here now are some of the ads.

Beer Ads

Bud Light Ad

Heineken Ad

Car Ads

Hyundai Ad

Another Hyundai Ad (less funny but more realistic)

Cars.com Ad

Audi Ad

Audi Super Bowl Ad trailer

Job Ads

Monster.com Ad

Career Builder Ad

Career Builder Ad

Food and Beverages

Denny's Ad

Dorito's Ad

Another Dorito's Ad

SoBe lizard ad

Coca-Cola - Heist Ad

PETA's banned Super Bowl ad

Pedigree Ad

E-Trade Ad