PLANO, Texas, Sept. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The last -- and most audacious -- Doritos Crash the Super Bowl ad contest will take one winner from the biggest advertising stage in the world to the soundstages of the world's biggest motion picture studio, and beyond.
DC Super Hero fans: get ready to Crash the Super Bowl. Doritos, one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, today announced the last call in its Crash the Super Bowl contest. Now entering its 10th and final year, this year's competition offers a grand prize with Super Heroic ambitions: the creator of the Doritos Super Bowl finalist ad receiving the most consumer votes will win the opportunity to collaborate with Zack Snyder while working with Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Entertainment. Snyder is the director of the much-anticipated big screen "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," due to hit theaters March 25, 2016.
And that's not all -- there's a $1 million grand prize, to boot.
"We're giving consumers one last shot to make their mark and see their homemade ads air during the Super Bowl broadcast," said Jeff Klein, vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay. "This is truly last call for all of those who not only want a shot at $1 million -- but want a chance to jump-start their career in Hollywood."
Think of it as a one-of-a-kind way to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the Doritos brand and Super Bowl 50. Crash the Super Bowl's cultural resume is mind-boggling. It is the contest that took the control of Super Bowl advertising out of the hands of Madison Avenue ad executives and put it into the hands of everyday consumers. Since its beginnings, the contest has received a mind-numbing 32,000 consumer submissions and handed out more than $7 million in prize money. "We've had a tremendous run with the program," says Klein. "The Doritos brand sparked a marketing industry in terms of crowd sourcing. Crash the Super Bowl has played a major role in legitimizing consumer content."
It all began in 2006, when Crash the Super Bowl invited consumers to create and submit 30-second homemade ads whose sole purpose was to extol their devotion to the Doritos brand. At the time it was a long shot, with social media still in its infancy. There was no Twitter. Facebook was mostly limited to college campuses. And even YouTube was in its wide-eyed youth. But it didn't take long to make its mark -- soon scoring among the best and even winning many of the Super Bowl's most prominent advertising competitions. "We became a pop culture phenomenon in that space," says Klein. "Ours rank among the best Super Bowl commercials of all time."
The annual contest, which went global in 2013-14 and attracted submissions from 29 countries in 2014-15, celebrated the airing of its first consumer-created ad from outside the U.S. last year, with Canadian Graham Talbot's "When Pigs Fly," a spot about a kid who earns a bag of Doritos chips by concocting a far-flung way for a pig to fly. This year, a qualified panel of judges, including Frito-Lay executives, will select three finalist ads to be announced in January.
All three of the Crash the Super Bowl finalists are certain to feel the super power of the Super Bowl. In addition to their cash prizes, each will be invited to San Francisco to not only attend Super Bowl 50, but to watch the game from a private suite -- filled with Doritos chips, of course. For its final year, competition for Super Bowl air time will be fiercer than ever, with the grand prize winning ad -- selected by consumer votes -- airing during the Super Bowl broadcast, scheduled for Feb. 7, 2016 on CBS. But, hey, in Doritos bold style, everyone wins; and for the final installment of the contest, everyone wins big. The other two finalists will each win a $100,000 prize and an opportunity to consult on an upcoming Doritos project -- an unprecedented move that will result in all three finalists walking away with life-changing opportunities.
The contest's grand prize may be the most compelling reason ever for Doritos fans to start filming their ads. Imagine winning not only $1 million, but the chance to have a life-changing career opportunity with Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Entertainment that includes the chance to collaborate with Zack Snyder, the director of one of 2016's most highly anticipated films. In addition to the upcoming "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Snyder is widely known for his work on action films, including the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead," "300," Watchmen" and, of course, "Man of Steel." The career opportunity will be tailored to the contest winner's specific areas of interest. Feeling extra bold? Heck, maybe you can even write yourself into the studio's next script. No promises. But stardom has to start somewhere.
"Only the Doritos brand gives aspiring filmmakers an opportunity to see their ads air during the Super Bowl," says Snyder. "I started my career making commercials and remain a big fan of the medium. Having made several Super Bowl commercials myself, I'm really excited to be a part of this year's contest. It is the venue which always produces the most innovative and exciting work. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with."
Be Doritos bold.
Fire up those computers. Flick on those mobile phones. Click on those video cams. The Doritos brand will accept submissions until Nov. 15, 2015. Important note to contestants: orange, cheese-flavored finger prints on entries will not unduly influence judges.
Ranking among the world's leading snack brands, Doritos products are sold in more than 70 countries and six continents. Coming soon to Metropolis & Gotham.
For more information and contest rules, please visit www.Doritos.com.
PepsiCo's relationship with the NFL is among the company's longest-running and most-successful sports sponsorships. PepsiCo will leverage its relationship with the NFL to connect with consumers throughout the season with activations spanning many of the company's largest food and beverage brands, including Pepsi, Tostitos, Quaker, Doritos and Gatorade.
About Doritos
Doritos is one of the billion-dollar brands that makes up Frito-Lay North America, the $14 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. Learn more about Doritos by visiting www.Doritos.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America