• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 26, 2007

Kevin Federline's notoriety might already be paying off for Nationwide Insurance, which has given the estranged husband of Britney Spears a starring role in a Super Bowl ad. That's according to online word-of-mouth measurement firm Nielsen BuzzMetrics, and its Super Bowl advertising report released Thursday.

Federline--who recently announced his pending plug for Nationwide--represented 26% of all blog conversations related to Super Bowl advertising in the seven-day period ending Jan. 21, according to Nielsen BuzzMetrics, and a whopping 49% on January 17.

"Sometimes the counterintuitive or 'campy' choice of spokesperson yields the highest pre-game buzz dividend," Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer of Nielsen BuzzMetrics, said in the report. "Nationwide saw a similar lift last year with the use of retro-star MC Hammer, and this helped them take a higher share of mindshare leading to the game."

Other top issues being discussed prior to the game include buzz around the "user-generated ad" contests by several advertisers, and a marriage proposal that is scheduled to take place during one of the ads. As in past years, total blog buzz around the Super Bowl is expected to continue building and to peak the day after the game, according to Nielsen.

Nielsen BuzzMetrics plans to audit brand buzz before, during and after the game, giving advertisers data around commercial talk-value, "stickiness," and the popularity and appeal of brand spokespersons during the big game.