What on earth could possibly justify a price tag of in excess of $3 million per 30 seconds?

Commercial moon walks?

Pilot a Formula 1 car through the empty streets of Monaco?

I can't think of much more lavish expenditure, but either way, it's not important.

The answer, is advertising space at halftime of the Super Bowl.

$3 million for 30 seconds of High-Definition exposure, seen by people the world over.

In the United States alone, the expected audience for the Super Bowl telecast is approximately 160 million.

Ignoring the fact that some critics question the worth of the 30 second spots, companies often go ‘all-out' in order to create a commercial that will be talked about long after its allotted time is up.

This year, when the Giants and Patriots are resting up for the second half; Audi, Pepsi, Honda, Kia, Doritos, Century 21 and H&M are just some of the corporations that will be shelling out the mega-bucks to get a commercial slot.

As part of our BPL Super Bowl bonanza this week, let's stroll down memory lane and have a closer look at five of the commercials that fleetingly graced our screens before finding a permanent home on YouTube.

(Writers note: Having learnt my lesson about the perils of classifying anything involved with halftime at the Super Bowl as ‘best', I will simply say that these are my personal favourites.)

5. Terry Tate Office Linebacker, Reebok, 2003

This Reebok spot lasts 3:41 seconds, yet up until the final frame, audience could very easily not know that it was a commercial for Reebok.

But the idea behind the commercial is brilliant; everyone has been in the situation where a colleague never quite does what they are supposed to, be it forgetting to refill the coffee, recycle or whatever other little office annoyances.

That's where Terry Tate comes in.

The - Reebok clad - linebacker roams the corridors "laying the wood" on anyone who breaks office procedure.

Intense.

4. Cindy Crawford, Pepsi, 1992

Wait, there's a Pepsi can in this ad?

I am not ashamed to admit that the Pepsi portion of this commercial is hardly what garnered my attention.

Crawford - voted by Men's Health Magazine as one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" - is arguably one of the most iconic figures of the 1990s, along with Northwest grunge stars, Elmo, Tu Pac and Forrest Gump.

But I doubt any of the other icons would have made this spot as famous as it has become.

Pepsi even recreated the commercial in 2009 with Crawford reprising her role, and one thing remained true on both occasions separated by 17 years.

Those kids are paying far too much attention to the Pepsi can...

3. Three Frogs, Budweiser, 1995

Another oldie, but still a goodie.

Incredibly simplistic in its delivery, the famed Budweiser spot features three frogs perched on lily pads outside a local watering-hole, each with the ability to voice a single syllable.

After a few mishaps and practice runs, the frogs eventually synchronize into the correct order. Once that order is found, they're off to the races.

This commercial became so widely recognized and engrained in the social lexicon in the United States, it was parodied by The Simpsons.

A clear-cut sign that it was a successful 30 seconds for Budweiser.

2. "The Showdown" Michael Jordan vs. Larry Bird, McDonalds, 1993

It would be an almost impossible argument to suggest that in 1993, there was a biggest sporting star on the planet than Michael Jordan.

Proof is the fact that even on Football's grandest stage, McDonalds choose to feature the Chicago Bulls star in their commercial.

But they didn't just leave His Airness to be in the spot solo, enlisting Celtics legend Larry Bird as his opponent for an impromptu competition, with Jordan's Big Mac and Fries the prize.

It begins simply enough with Bird making a shot from one knee, before escalating beyond the ridiculous over the course of the next 61 seconds, culminating with Jordan lining up a shot from the top of a neighbouring skyscraper.

It's still greatly entertaining to this day, but also a marketing masterstroke from McDonalds, pairing two of the biggest stars of US sport at the time with the biggest advertising stage.

1. 1984, Apple Computers, 1984

It's amazing to think that before the iPhones, Pads, Pods and TVs, Apple was still a driving force behind the technological revolution.

And in this instance, they created one of the first Super Bowls commercials that led to the halftime spot becoming a cultural phenomenon.

The spot, directed by Ridley Scott, pays homage to George Orwell's 1984 novel, which tells the story of a monotonous, dystopian future for mankind.

Reportedly, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was immediately taken by the idea behind the commercial when it was pitched to him in 1983 in his West Coast office.

Assumedly, Jobs would have seen IBM as "Big Brother", and envisioned his Macintosh Computer as the way take down big brother.

Putting aside the corporate history, this commercial stands alone as one of the single greatest commercials ever aired.

The benchmark.

HONORABLE MENTION...

While not technically a Super Bowl commercial - rather a commercial for the Super Bowl - I've learnt my lesson about not putting Prince at the top of any halftime-based countdown.

After being on the receiving end of a dressing down from a certain Arsenal supporting, Baseball commentating, former Seattleite, the same mistake was not going to be made twice. (Right Ed?)

Prior to his sensational Super Bowl XLI performance, "The High Priest of Pop" starred in a ripper commercial to hype his appearance in Florida.

Lesson learned.