Kate Upton is everywhere and nowhere for Mercedes-Benz as it prepares to air its 60-second Super Bowl spot on Feb. 3.
The automaker on Saturday released its official 40-second teaser for the ad, with no sign of the swimsuit model at all—even though she will star in the finished spot, created by Merkley + Partners and director Dante Ariola.
The teaser shows a mysterious wind blowing into an old New Orleans cafe, which causes a jukebox to fire up and begin playing "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones. A dog barks. The temperature rises. A cup of coffee boils. A busboy drops a stack of plates. And a Mercedes headlight flickers to life.
"A powerful force is undeniably present. What it is won't be revealed until the Super Bowl," says the description on the YouTube spot.
Apparently aware that the teaser campaign for a Super Bowl spot with Kate Upton should actually show Kate Upton, Mercedes released a second teaser on Monday titled "Kate Upton Washes the All-New Mercedes-Benz CLA in Slow Motion."
The title is misleading. Upton mostly stands by—in a small black tank top and jean shorts—while some guys in football jerseys wash the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA. This second teaser leads to Mercedes-Benz USA's CLA website, where the first teaser is prominent.
The Super Bowl spot, shot partly at the Napoleon House in the French Quarter of New Orleans, is expected to air in the fourth quarter of the game.