K-Fed, monsters and Robert Goulet
FedEx Corp. is keeping mum about what its ad will look like, keeping up a tradition of ultra-secrecy that many marketers follow in hopes of building up the maximum amount of surprise during the game, which airs tonight on CBS.
Federline will be poking fun at himself in a humorous spot for the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. under its ''Life Comes at You Fast'' campaign.
Several marketers are trying even harder to use their ads to drive traffic to Web sites associated with their brands, such as Chevrolet's college-student contest and Nationwide, which posted outtakes from its Federline ad on its Web site.
Advertisers want to get the most out of the huge cost of an ad in the big game, which is running as high as $2.6 million this year.
Others returning to the big ad game tonight:
• Garmin International Inc., another first-timer, is planning a campy spot inspired by 1960s Japanese monster movies with a showdown between an evil ''Maposaurus'' and a hero who uses a Garmin-made electronic navigation device to save the day.
• Among returning advertisers, Diamond Foods Inc.'s Emerald Nuts brand came up with a new ad, which features actor Robert Goulet.
• Other big advertisers are also returning, including Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser and Bud Light brands, which are once again the game's biggest advertisers.
AP