PepsiCo’s Doritos brand today listed the 10 finalists in its “Crash the Super Bowl” contest who are competing for coveted Super Bowl XLIX airtime and a shot at a $1 million grand prize and Universal Pictures dream job.
Selected from nearly 4,900 submissions representing 29 countries around the world, these 10 finalist ads include a record four international finalists, setting up the possibility that a filmmaker from outside the U.S. could take home the top prize for the first time in contest history.
Fans are invited to vote for the best ad at doritos.com through Jan. 28.
Two finalist ads will air during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast, one selected by fan votes at doritos.com and the other by the Doritos brand. The creator of the ad receiving the most fan votes will win a guaranteed $1 million grand prize, as well as a chance to work as a contractor for a full year onsite at Universal Pictures in Hollywood, where they will lend their creative talents to a variety of projects, including future Universal Pictures releases such as “Pitch Perfect 2” and other comedies. Go here to view the finalist ads and see the official contest rules.
The 10 Crash the Super Bowl finalist ads are:
“Doritos Angler” by James Bedford, U.K.
“Baby’s First Word” by Travis Braun, U.S.
“Selfish Sneezers” by Devon Ferguson, Canada
“The Lemonade Stand” by David Horowitz, U.S.
“Trouble in the Back Seat” by Jason Johnson, U.S.
“Mis-Spelling Bee” by Brian Kleinschmidt, U.S.
“What Could Go Wrong?” by Alex Pepper, U.S.
“Doritos Manchild” by Armand de Saint-Salvy, Australia
“When Pigs Fly” by Graham Talbot, Canada
“Middle Seat” by Scott Zabielski, U.S.
The 10 finalist ads were narrowed down from 29 semifinalist ads by a panel of judges, including executives from the Doritos brand, advertising professionals and actress/producer Elizabeth Banks, who is making her directorial debut with “Pitch Perfect 2” and has starred in films such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Seabiscuit” and “Pitch Perfect,” as well as global franchises like “The Lego Movie,” “The Hunger Games” and “Spider-Man.”
“It has been an incredible experience to lend a hand in selecting the finalists for this year’s Crash the Super Bowl program,” Banks said. “I’m excited to see which ad captures the hearts of fans and which filmmaker will win the life-changing opportunity to work at Universal.”
Each of the 10 Crash the Super Bowl finalists won an invitation to Arizona to attend Super Bowl XLIX and watch the game from a private suite, where they will tune in to learn which finalist ads will air for the world to see. The eight finalists whose commercials don’t air during the broadcast will each win $25,000. The runner-up whose ad airs, but does not receive the most fan votes, will win $50,000. The Super Bowl XLIX broadcast is set for Feb. 1 on NBC.
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.
