Sept. 12--After 10 years of crashing the Super Bowl with homemade commercials, Doritos is cashing in its chips on the popular annual advertising contest.
Doritos has announced it is accepting submissions for the final edition of the contest, giving fans one last shot at airing their spot during the big game -- and winning the $1 million grand prize.
Last year's contest was won by Chicago native Scott Zabielski, whose spot, "Middle Seat," received the most fan votes and aired during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast, and many times since. The commercial was made for about $2,000, according to Zabielski.
The contest has generated more than 32,000 fan submissions and awarded more than $7 million in prize money since it was launched in 2006. It has also produced a number of memorable commercials, some of which score higher in post-game Super Bowl polls than those created by advertising agencies.
Texas-based Frito-Lay, which owns the Doritos brand, said it was time to end the groundbreaking contest, which is no longer cutting-edge in the age of YouTube, social media and user-generated videos.
"The concept really was ahead of its time," a Frito-Lay spokeswoman said. "It was a bit of a gamble to put the brand's biggest advertising moment in the hands of our fans, but our fans quickly proved it was a winning idea. We felt the time was right to find that next great program that would challenge our fans in new and exciting ways."
In addition to airing during the Super Bowl and receiving $1 million, this year's winner will also get a chance to collaborate with Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," on a future DC Universe film. Two other finalists will each win a $100,000 prize and an opportunity to consult on an upcoming Doritos project.
Super Bowl 50 is set to take place in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 7. The game will air on CBS, with 30-second commercials selling for up to a record $5 million each, according to the network.
Crash the Super Bowl submissions will be accepted until Nov. 15, with contest information at www.doritos.com.
rchannick@tribpub.com
