January 5, 2015

PLANO, Texas, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than a month to go until Super Bowl XLIX, anticipation is building with millions of fans around the world eager to learn which advertisements will take center stage during The Big Game. Today, PepsiCo's Doritos brand — which has consistently presented some of the most memorable and talked-about ads of Super Bowls past — announced the 10 finalists in its "Crash the Super Bowl" contest who will be competing for coveted Super Bowl XLIX airtime and a shot at a $1 million grand prize and Universal Pictures dream job. Selected from nearly 4,900 submissions representing 29 countries around the world, these 10 finalist ads include a record four international finalists, setting up the possibility that a filmmaker from outside the U.S. could take home the top prize for the first time in contest history. Fans are now invited to vote for the best ad on www.doritos.com from January 5 to January 28.

Two finalist ads will air during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast, one selected by fan votes on www.doritos.com and the other by the Doritos brand.  The creator of the ad receiving the most fan votes will win a guaranteed $1 million grand prize, as well as an opportunity unlike any other in the history of the contest: a chance to work as a contractor for a full year onsite at Universal Pictures in Hollywood, where they will lend their creative talents to a variety of projects, including future Universal Pictures releases such as "Pitch Perfect 2" and other big comedies. To view the finalist ads and see the official contest rules, visit www.doritos.com

The 10 Crash the Super Bowl finalist ads (in alphabetical order by finalist last name) are:

  • "Doritos Angler" by James Bedford, UK
  • "Baby's First Word" by Travis Braun, USA
  • "Selfish Sneezers" by Devon Ferguson, Canada
  • "The Lemonade Stand" by David Horowitz, USA
  • "Trouble in the Back Seat" by Jason Johnson, USA
  • "Mis-Spelling Bee" by Brian Kleinschmidt, USA
  • "What Could Go Wrong?" by Alex Pepper, USA
  • "Doritos Manchild" by Armand de Saint-Salvy, Australia
  • "When Pigs Fly" by Graham Talbot, Canada
  • "Middle Seat" by Scott Zabielski, USA

The 10 finalist ads were narrowed down from 29 semifinalist ads by a qualified panel of judges, including executives from the Doritos brand, advertising professionals, and actress/producer Elizabeth Banks — who is making her directorial debut on "Pitch Perfect 2" and has starred in critically acclaimed films such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Seabiscuit," and "Pitch Perfect," as well as global franchises like "The Lego Movie," "The Hunger Games," and "Spider-Man."

"It has been an incredible experience to lend a hand in selecting the finalists for this year's Crash the Super Bowl program," Banks said. "I'm excited to see which ad captures the hearts of fans and which filmmaker will win the life-changing opportunity to work at Universal."

"Doritos fans are among the most talented and creative individuals out there — they've blown us away each year for nearly a decade," said Ram Krishnan, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Frito-Lay North America. "This year's contest is no exception and proves once again that amazing content can come from anywhere. The competition is just heating up — we're excited to find out which finalist ad the world rallies around and selects as this year's grand prize winner."

Each of the 10 Crash the Super Bowl finalists will win an invitation to Arizona to attend Super Bowl XLIX and watch the game from a private suite, where they will tune in to learn which finalist ads will air for the world to see. The eight finalists whose commercials don't air during the broadcast will each win $25,000. The runner-up whose ad airs, but does not receive the most fan votes, will win $50,000. The Super Bowl XLIX broadcast is set for Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, on NBC in the United States and local broadcast networks around the world.

PepsiCo's relationship with the NFL is among the company's longest-running and most-successful sports sponsorships. PepsiCo will leverage its relationship with the NFL to connect with consumers throughout the season with activations spanning many of the company's largest food and beverage brands, including Pepsi, Tostitos, Quaker, Doritos and Gatorade.

About Doritos
Doritos is one of the leading brands from PepsiCo's (NYSE: PEP) global snack portfolio. To learn more about the Doritos brand, visit its website at www.doritos.com.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2013, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth in shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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About Universal Pictures
Universal Studios Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com).   Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal.  NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.  NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

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SOURCE PepsiCo