Over the last 10 years, Doritos' "Crash the Super Bowl" contest became a staple of Super Bowl advertising, offering anyone with an idea and a camera a chance at the big leagues by making their own 30-second spot. But the PepsiCo brand is putting the contest to bed with what it is calling its "most audacious" version of the contest yet.
For the 2016 Super Bowl, contestants have the chance to win $1 million and the opportunity to work with Zack Snyder, director of 300 and Man of Steel, whose latest film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, will be released next March. The winner will work with Snyder as well as Warner Brothers and DC Comics on an undisclosed future project.
Zach Snyder
"We're giving consumers one last shot to make their mark and see their homemade ads air during the Super Bowl broadcast," Jeff Klein, vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay, said in a statement. "This is truly last call for all of those who not only want a shot at $1 million—but want a chance to jump-start their career in Hollywood."
The winning ad will air during CBS' Super Bowl 50 telecast on Feb. 7, 2016. Doritos will accept submissions until Nov. 15. Ads will be judged by a qualified panel of judges, including Frito-Lay executives. Three finalists will be announced in January.
"Crash the Super Bowl" started in 2006 and has received more than 32,000 submissions since then. In that time, Doritos has awarded some $7 million in prize money. In 2013, Doritos expanded the contest, accepting global submissions.
"We've had a tremendous run with the program," said Klein. "The Doritos brand sparked a marketing industry in terms of crowdsourcing. 'Crash the Super Bowl' has played a major role in legitimizing consumer content."
The rules of the contest have changed over the years, but the grand prize in recent years has been $1 million. For many years, that cash prize was only bestowed to Doritos ads that won USA Today's Ad Meter, which gauged consumer reaction to Super Bowl spots.
Three ads won the $1 million by doing just that—2009's "Free Doritos!", 2011's "Pug Attack" and 2012's "Man's Best Friend." A second spot from 2012, "Sling Baby," also won $1 million by winning a separate online vote.
See all four of those spots below.