Dive Brief:
- Doritos is bringing back its “Crash the Super Bowl” contest that challenges fans to come up with a superior big-game ad than the brand could on its own, according to a press release.
- Those who win will see their 30-second concepts brought to life on TV’s biggest night and receive a $1 million prize, along with a trip to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Doritos is accepting submissions through Nov. 11, and the process will include several rounds of vetting.
- “Crash the Super Bowl,” which originally debuted in 2006 and ran until 2016, produced some of the Frito-Lay marketer’s most memorable, well-liked spots, including “Slap” and “Goats 4 Sale.” Doritos is supporting the relaunch with ads referencing those campaigns and pushing consumers to “do better.”
Dive Insight:
In its previous iteration, “Crash the Super Bowl” yielded some of Doritos’ most talked about ads, helping to enshrine the Frito-Lay chip brand as a fixture of big game advertising (parent company PepsiCo is a longtime NFL sponsor). Spots sourced from the contest ended up in the top five of USA Today’s closely watched Ad Meter every year over the program’s original decade-long run, with four landing in the No. 1 spot.
Since the contest was wound down in 2016, Doritos’ Super Bowl advertising has shifted more toward celebrity cameos, a common tactic for marketers that plunk down millions for 30 seconds of national airtime. The brand’s campaign for Super Bowl LVIII in February starred “Wednesday” actor Jenna Ortega and promoted a Dinamita product. Its spot from 2023 had appearances from the likes of rapper Jack Harlow and Elton John. “Dina & Mita” landed in the tenth spot on the USA Today Ad Meter while the Harlow effort did not crack the top 10.
Bringing back “Crash the Super Bowl” gives Doritos an avenue into outside creative ideas that could recapture some of its mojo. In a statement, Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America, said that fans “have more access than ever to creative and ad-making tools.” The rules note the each work must be original and “not use any artificial intelligence (AI) to create or assist in the creation of the script, creative assets or any other element.”
Doritos is rolling out a campaign touting the contest’s return, addressing criticisms of past “Crash the Super Bowl” offerings while welcoming consumers to one-up them. A pair of digital ads reference previous fan-submitted winners, “Goat 4 Sale” and “Slap,” and feature director Ben Callner and actor-director Dion Lack. Billboards and social content will also showcase disapproval of old ads. Callner, who directed “Goat 4 Sale” as well as the new commercials, has credited “Crash the Super Bowl” with changing the trajectory of his career.
Those interested in a similar shot at the limelight can visit DoritosCrash.com for submission instructions. A selection of 25 finalists — a number referencing how many years Doritos has appeared at the Super Bowl — will be assessed by a panel of judges later this year while casual consumers can vote on the top three candidates in January.
