For the eighth year in a row, Doritos is giving aspiring Mad Men (and Mad Women) the chance to create an ad to air during the Super Bowl and win $1 million in the process. To kick off this year's contest, the brand enlisted the help of the Crash Ambassador, a mustachioed, turtleneck-wearing, shamelessly Ron Burgundy-esque executive to lay down the rules.
In the tongue-in-cheek Web video below, created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Mr. Ambassador announces that for the first time, the competition is GLOBAL (emphasis his), which means that even you, guy from Greece, can submit your very own ad. And the big prize this year—apart from the usual having-your-work-seen-by-100-million-people and getting a million bucks—is the opportunity to work on the set of Marvel's newest Avengers movie (although in what capacity is left up in the air—craft services, perhaps?).
While most of the video has a distinctly ripped-from-Anchorman feel (look at that ridiculous double-breasted suit! What an anachronistically macho demeanor! Now he's playing the drums with two turkey legs, how absurd!), there's a brief Q&A session midway through that's a not-so-subtle takedown of the self-seriousness of the ad business.
First, the Ambassador fields a question from "Film School Guy." "Hey, man. I like framing things with my fingers. Can I make an ad?" the beanie-wearing hipster asks. "Commercial making is extremely easy!" declares the Ambassador. "It's monkey simple, people!" Take that, Cannes. Then a tone-deaf girl asks for help with her soundtrack. "We'll give you all the tips and tricks you need!" the Ambassador says. See? Not hard at all.
While the video is sure to attract hordes of Ron Burgundy-quoting millennials with outsize expectations of their own genius (then again, isn't that all millennials?! Snap), it will be interesting, as always, to see what makes the cut. Not that we envy the Frito-Lay executives who will have to spend countless hours sifting through a bunch of bros' "Sex Panther" parodies.
CREDITS
Client: Doritos
Project: Crash the Super Bowl 2014
Spot: "The Crash Ambassador"
Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Co-Chairman, Partner: Jeff Goodby
Creative Director: Ben Wolan
Copywriter: Nick Morrissey
Art Director: Tim Green
Art Director: Shravan Hegde
Head of Broadcast Production, Associate Partner: Cindy Fluitt
Executive Broadcast Producer: Hilary Coate
Broadcast Producer: Leila Seghrouchni
Interactive Producer: Austin Kim
Head of Brand Strategy: Andy Grayson
Brand Strategist: Michael Whitten
Director of Account Management, Associate Partner: Brian McPherson
Account Director: Michael Crain
Account Manager: Theo Abel
Operations Manager: Mallory Frye
Business Affairs Manager: Chrissy Shearer
Production Company: World War Seven
Director: Shillick
Director of Photography: Michael Parry
Executive Producers: Joshua Ferrazzano, David Shafei
Line Producer: Wade Harpootlian
Editing Company: World War Seven
Editor: Brady Hammes
Executive Producer: David Shafei
Visual Effects, Final Conform: Coyote Post
Visual Effects Lead: Nick Frew
Visual Effects Artists: Adam Petke, Colin Kohler, Chris Friend, Abo Biglarpour, Bogdan Ciornei
Producer: Julie Hansen
Music: Schizo Pop Music
Sound Design, Mix: Beacon Street
Engineer: Mike Franklin
Producer: Caitlin Rocklen
Telecine: Coyote Post
Colorist: Paul Byrne