The Super Bowl the ultimate high and low for the die hard football fan.The high of the big game, especially if their team has made it but the low that the season is officially over and Sundays are back to long afternoon naps on the couch. For advertisers it is not only one of the most expensive one ad media buy they will make, it is the cream of the crop if they are within the top three of the USA Today Ad Meter.
Pepsi Max is geared up to crash the party … as an advertiser for the Super Bowl that is. PepsiCo has announced that sibling Doritos will be sharing the limelight during the big game this year with each airing three :30 spots for a total of 6. But, these are not PepsiCo commercials, they are all consumer generated ads. With an advertising contract awarded to the ad that ranks the highest and a $5 million payout on the line, should the ads sweep the top three rankings of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, PepsiCo is relying upon the creativity of consumers to not disappoint.
PepsiCo Crashes the Super Bowl
Crash the Super Bowl is entering is 5th season and with Doritos consumer generated ads repeatedly placing in the top 5 since 2007, and their quest to defy the odds and score the top three coveted spots, PepsiCo needed to up the ante and incorporate another brand. Pepsi MAX while performing well outside of the U.S., needed a big awareness and likability push that is more than taking a shot at Coke Zero. Bringing Pepsi MAX on board with a large purse string attached should raise some eyebrows of Coke Zero drinkers as loyalty only goes so far as the end result … and, here, the end result is a big payoff.
Maximum Brand Exposure and Sales
Sales, the goal of a brand is met with obstacles of gaining the maximum exposure while avoiding overexposure to the target market. Let’s see, we can purchase Pepsi MAX and Doritos both at the local convenience store, the drug store, the grocery store, from any vending machine – sounds like a bit of overexposure. The avenues of availability are everywhere and, with that, why would there even be a need to advertise? Well, many times when we frequent these retailers, we are focused on what we set out to buy and while the displays are eye catching, it just may not capture enough of our attention (or price point) to entice us to buy. The Super Bowl reaches the masses and a brand like Pepsi MAX and Doritos while not not necessarily appealing to the masses as far as purchasing power, it definitely does appeal to a larger group than let’s s this blog.
We know that the ads from the Super Bowl that do rank high have enjoyed increased sales, especially the year after as the buzz is can we top last years ads and we are once again exposed to the top performers of the year prior. This may explain the increased sales of Doritos in the two weeks prior to the Super Bowl as according to AdAge via data from IRI provided by PepsiCo, sales for Doritos jumped 15% to $38.7 million during the two weeks leading into the Super Bowl (the year was not provided however it is assumed that it was after 2007).
Are Your Creative Juices Flowing?
Creative juices flow constantly and while some are able to express it better than others, we all can create that appeals to others. Heck, would we be spending time reading, writing, commenting on blogs and perfecting our social media profiles and networks if we were not creative in our own way? Is money, notoriety or the sense of accomplishment that you filmed it and actually sent it enough of an incentive? Or is the hum drum of that there will be thousands of entries a reason to cease the creativity and move on?
Well, PepsiCo has made it a little easier for you to throw your mind into this and elicited the assistance of Betty White as well as the creative teams for both Pepsi MAX and Doritos. This while a bit long, is very informative as far as tips on creating your spot. The driver is within you and the ultimate prize of the money is powerful but yet being a part of defying the odds and taking the top three spots is being a part of something that you cannot deny is within you.
Will I throw my hand in…who knows?? Having filmed commercials for clients, I get deep into the weeds and will the perfectionism fall within the time line as all entries are due by November 15th; plus could I cheat on my Diet Pepsi? While I enjoy Doritos and over endulge at times, my heart belongs to Pepsi.
Will you throw your creativity in?
photo credit: Paxton Holley