Super Bowl ads. They’re not the reason for the season, but much like Santa, everyone loves ‘em, and they’re certainly not going away anytime soon. We watch them, we criticize them, we fawn over them, and we talk about them with our friends.

2012’s Super Bowl XLVI will be no different. Corporate America is shelling out millions to get into our minds, putting the greatest advertising minds at work to create memorable 30-second hits that eventually boost the bottom line. And when a timeout briefly stops the Patriots and the Giants, we’ll all stay in our seats to take in these gems.

Here’s five of the biggest players you can expect to see at Super Bowl XLVI:

Toyota: Japanese automaker Toyota (NYSE:TM), fresh off losing its top global sales spot to General Motors (NYSE:GM), is trying to get back into Americans’ good graces with its “reinvention” campaign. While images of its popular Camry are strewn about, the message is much broader: Buy Toyota again.

Honda: If you’ve already seen the teaser commercial, you know how cruel this is. What seems at first glance to be a trailer for a second Ferris Bueller’s Day Off instead is the run-up to its Super Bowl commercial for Honda’s (NYSE:HMC) CR-V sport utility vehicle. Honda also has tagged Jerry Seinfeld to do an ad for Acura featuring its reborn NSX sports car.

Anheuser-Busch: Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) will return with its usual array of slapstick comedy pitching Bud Light, as well as an upscale twist. The company also will run a few ads displaying its new higher-alcohol offering, Bud Light Platinum, with the commercials moreso resembling a Stella Artois commercial than the traditional low-brow light beer clips.

Coca-Cola: Super Bowl regular Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) has no idea what it’s doing this year — sort of. The soft-drink giant is going with a Thunderdome approach: Two ads enter, one ad airs. Coca-Cola officials actually will work with NBC to make a split-second decision on which advertisement runs in the second quarter, dependent on which team is up at the time. One thing we can expect (and be glad for): polar bears.

Disney: Several movie trailers will run during the Super Bowl. Only one matters. Disney’s (NYSE:DIS) The Avengers will have a 30-second plug, which probably will draw more comic fans to the game than the game itself. And while most will go ga-ga over seeing Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and Hawkeye all together, IMDB doesn’t have a cast listing for Vision, so you can count me out.

For more information on Super Bowl ads, visit Advertising Age.

— Kyle Woodley, InvestorPlace.com Assistant Editor