https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ4K-TZXt7E
Sure, it was cute. It involved a dog. And it got the message across that the orange-colored chip is worth its weight in gold when it comes to bribery. But there was another factor hard at work lifting the Doritos Dog to the top of the Super Bowl ad pile: the underdog factor. The Doritos Dog spot was a commercial made for the people, by the people, literally – not a high-production-value mini-movie crafted by high-tech effects visualized by Mad Ave.
Thanks to Doritos’ annual “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, anyone with an idea and a video camera can enter for the chance of fame and fortune – IF their spot gets picked to air (thanks to voting, etc.) and IF USA Today ranks their spot #1 the day after the Big Game. Social media is more influential than ever, as shown by recent anti-SOPA protests and Komen’s Planned Parenthood debacle. The snack brand well knows that online chatter must be a factor for the judges at USA Today, who were tweeting me about my commercial commentary during the Super Bowl.
And boy did people tweet about the Doritos Dog. Not just because it was a good spot – one that ad execs would love to have in their portfolios. But because they want “one of them” to win. Whether it’s self-validating or sticking it to the man or being part of the American Idol-ish judging team that propels someone to 15 minutes of stardom, we all want “the regular guy” to make it.
The Doritos Dog was Davey against a lot of expensive Goliaths. And it won – making an everyday citizen an instant millionaire and media darling. Nice job, Doritos. I’m guessing we’ll be seeing your contest again for Super Bowl LXVII.
~ Denise Blasevick, @AdvertGirl & CEO, The S3 Agency
