Super Bowl XLIX: the best ads from Budweiser to Carl's Jr

There is only one show in America this weekend and that's Sunday's Super Bowl showdown between reigning champions the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

But there is much more to the event than a simple American football match. Nowadays the Super Bowl is an over-the-top celebration of all things American.

This year the half-time extravaganza will star Katy Perry, while those who can't get tickets to the match in Phoenix will get to enjoy the slew of adverts set to air during the game, which are nowadays almost as highly-anticipated as the match itself.

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Not all are being kept under wraps until the big day. Here are some of this year's highlights:

Budweiser

Quite what an unlikely friendship between a puppy and a shire horse has to do with beer, or even American football, is unclear, but for the second year running it is the focus of Budweiser's Super Bowl ad. Last year's sentimental effort won the Super Bowl as convincingly as the Seahawks and this year's version follows a similar formula, but with added jeopardy in the form of a wolf. Unsurprisingly the two 'Buds' win the day.

Go Daddy

The Budweiser campaign may be schmaltzy, but there is no denying its power. When internet hosting company Go Daddy tried to poke fun at the beer brand's soppy advertising with an effort of its own there was outrage. The result is that this ad will NOT be appearing on screens on Sunday night.

T-Mobile

What's bigger than the Super Bowl? Kim Kardashian's profile. And that may explain why she has been signed up by mobile phone company T Mobile. In this ad she bemoans the amount of data that is not used by customers each year, and even manages to poke fun at herself, pointing out that people can use their spare data to look at pictures of her online.

Carl's Jr

If Budweiser wants to tug at the heart strings, it's also pretty obvious what the Carl's Jr Super Bowl ad is supposed to tug. The racy ad features a voluptuous and apparently naked model strolling through a market explaining how she loves to go "au naturel". The star is Kate Upton lookalike Charlotte McKinney and it turns out that she is referring to the natural burgers served by the Carl's Jr burger chain.

Kia Sorrento

Former James Bond Pierce Brosnan stars in this car advert in which he believes he is being offered the lead role in an action film. His expectation of what the scene being described to him entails is rather different to reality, but it showcases the vehicle rather nicely and neatly plays two sets of stereotypes off against each other.

Wix.com

The Super Bowl is supposed to be about American football, and this ad for web hosting company Wix.com features some of the sport's greats. The star is former Green Bay Packers quarterback, who is looking to carve out a career post retirement. Of course any new business needs a website, and the ad features start-ups by several former stars including a line-dancing Emmitt Smith.

No More

A public service announcement may seem out of place alongside the glitz and glamour of the Super Bowl but after a season of controversy off the field this NFL-funded anti-domestic abuse ad is possibly the most hard-hitting of the ads that will be shown this weekend. The NFL has been dogged by domestic abuse allegations and this spot for No More makes a powerful point.