Doritos invites creators to turn their opinions into Super Bowl spots

“Crash the Super Bowl,” the Doritos Super Bowl challenge that ran from 2006 to 2016, once presented a foreign feat to consumers: create a commercial for the most televised event of the year.

Now that shifting creative control away from brands to creators has fueled a $250 billion industry, Doritos says it's the right time to bring the competition back. 

Instead of presenting its long-term Super Bowl campaign as an undisputed smash hit, the brand is betting on a bold tone—and telling consumers that if they didn’t like their past picks, they are more than welcome to make a better one. 

“People love a challenge and everyone has an opinion,” said Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer at PepsiCo Foods US. “It’s human nature to say ‘I have an idea and could do it better if I just had the chance.' Now, we’re giving you that chance.”

An invitation to outperform 

From now until November 11, viewers are invited to submit their best shot at a Super Bowl commercial at DoritosCrash.com for a chance to be featured as the Doritos airing spot. Later this year, a panel of judges will pick the top 25 ads, with three finalists announced in January to kickoff fan voting. To supplement some pricey air time, the winning ad’s creator will receive $1 million and an all-expenses paid trip to New Orleans for the Big Game.

“I’ve been campaigning behind the scenes to bring it back, and I think now just makes sense,” said Bellinger.  “We’re giving our fans the opportunity to access not only the biggest stage in the world, but we're also throwing a million bucks towards them, because times are rough right now.” 

Doritos is positioning years of dissenting opinions towards the winners as proof of the campaign’s relevance. This return announcement was directed by Ben Callner, who has found success in the industry after producing 2013 winner "Goat 4 Sales." 

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Why the eight-year break? 

When Doritos first launched the program, unveiling ads before the game was a novel concept. When releasing teasers and building pregame momentum became table stakes, the team took a step back and focused on promotion from new products like Dinamita or Flamin’ Hot, rather than broader brand building. 

“Those campaigns were awareness drivers for all the new products we were putting out in the world,” he said. “Now we’re stepping back and saying ‘Hey, now we’re going to do a brand message around Doritos as an equity campaign.” 

As the competition increased, so did Doritos’ desire to innovate internally. 

“When a new Super Bowl campaign is dropping every other hour, it’s a bit of a battle of the creatives to see who can get the most eyeballs and attention,” he said. “We kind of had to evolve with that for the new generation of people that were watching and engaging in Super Bowl ads.”

Requesting commercials and consumer sentiment 

Besides selecting the best spot, Bellinger and his team will also consider, “What does this new generation feel about Doritos?” He mentioned that expanding creator partnerships is a key focus for Doritos, and he’s looking for people who can “be native to their content and environment, but not in a way that feels forced or like a brand trying to be a brand.”

“We’re saying, ‘Hey, you’re amazing at what you do, so insert us into your world,’ instead of trying to bring them into ours,” he explained.

The requirement for submissions has evolved from needing a 4K high-definition camera in the early days of "Crash the Super Bowl" to now being accessible with just a smartphone, and Bellinger is eager to explore the potential this brings. Working with creators to promote "Crash the Super Bowl" is the brand’s latest initiative.

“There was a barrier to entry before,” he said. “Now we have an entire generation that grew up creating content every day. Now that anyone can be a creator, I'm excited to see what they come up with now."