Creators are a step closer to putting their cheesy orange fingerprints all over the latest Doritos Crash the Super Bowl campaign at Super Bowl 59.
Frito-Lay and PepsiCo have pulled 25 semifinalists—one for each of the years Doritos has run a Super Bowl ad—from a Big Game-sized bowl of thousands of submissions. Fans can view the top submissions at DoritosCrash.com, boost their favorites on social with #DoritosCrash, and, starting Jan. 14, vote for the top three finalists.
The winner will have their ad run during the Super Bowl and take home $1 million.
Nearly 20 years ago, Crash the Super Bowl first allowed anyone with a camera to make their own 30-second spot and compete for cash prizes and the ability to work with famous directors. By the time Doritos and Frito-Lay wound down the promotion in 2018, they had taken 30,000 fan commercial submissions and handed out $7 million in prizes.
During its 10-year run from 2006 to 2016, Crash the Super Bowl ads broke into the USA TODAY Ad Meter’s top five commercials each year, ranking number one four times. Unlike, say, the #DoritosTriangleTryout TikTok dance challenge from 2023, Crash the Super Bowl sent some creators into commercial work, film, and other corners of the entertainment industry.
“We still firmly believe that the best ideas often come from the most unexpected places,” said Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America. “Now that our fans have more access than ever to creative and ad-making tools, we can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves.”
In later years, the contest also doled out $1 million to ads that topped the Ad Meter. That cash went to 2009’s “Free Doritos,” 2011’s “Pug Attack,” and 2012’s “Man’s Best Friend.” An online vote earned 2012’s “Sling Baby” another $1 million.
