Doritos 'Crash the Super Bowl' contest names four Canadian semi-finalists

Four Canadians are semi-finalists in Doritos annual “Crash the Super Bowl” contest. Since 2007, the PepsiCo snack line has invited consumers to create 30-second commercials demonstrating their love of the brand for the chance to see their ad broadcast during the Super Bowl. Doritos, which expanded the contest beyond the U.S. two years ago, altered the rules this year, making it easier for foreign entries to win. Half of the semi-finalists have to be from countries outside the U.S., as do five of the 10 finalists. Canadians Devon Ferguson, Matthew Shoychet, Graham Talbot and Johan A. du Toit are among the 29 semi-finalists, alongside consumers from Sweden, the U.K, Australia and Egypt. (Watch all four ads below.) Last year, there were three Canadians in the semi-finals, but they were cut before the top ten. Since the contest’s launch in mid-September, Doritos has received nearly 4,900 ads submitted from 29 countries across the globe. A judging panel comprised of Doritos executives, ad professionals and actress/producer Elizabeth Banks, will select the top 10 finalists, which will be announced in early January. Fans will have a chance to vote for their favorites at Doritos.com. Two TV spots will air during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast on Feb. 1 — the grand prize winning ad selected by fans, and a runner up selected by the Doritos brand. The creator of the winning ad will receive US $1 million and the chance to work at Universal Pictures for a year. http://youtu.be/17rHmn3waR0 http://youtu.be/5XKh0ocpICM http://youtu.be/I0W4aLhCwoU http://youtu.be/BG7XVLDPORg This article first appeared in Marketing Magazine.