Doritos Fan-Created Super Bowl Ad 'Underdog,' Created for $200, Scores No. 2 on USA TODAY Ad Meter and $600,000 Prize

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Feb 08, 2010, 02:28 ET

PLANO, Texas, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Doritos tortilla chips – the bold, intense snack brand within PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division – today announced that its consumer-created Doritos commercial, "Underdog," which aired for the first time nationally during yesterday's Super Bowl XLIV broadcast, placed second in USA TODAY's annual consumer-ranked Super Bowl Ad Meter. This is the fourth year in a row a consumer-created Doritos ad has ranked in the top five and the first time Doritos aired four ads during the Super Bowl. Now, Doritos is paying the talented creator a $600,000 prize for proving that when given the opportunity, amateurs truly can compete with the pros.

Nationwide consumer votes put "Casket," "House Rules," "Snack Attack Samurai" and "Underdog" in the Super Bowl spotlight, from six finalist ads in the fourth annual Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" program.

For taking the No. 2 spot, Joshua Svoboda, creator of "Underdog" will receive $600,000.

"What a testament of power to the people," said Rudy Wilson, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. "Doritos fans have shown us that they have the passion and creativity to compete with seasoned professionals in any industry, and they literally just gave Madison Avenue a run for its money, so we're giving them the payout they deserve. We knew Joshua had it in him and we are so proud and thrilled to hand over $600,000 to help him set off to pursue his dreams."

Last year, two unemployed brothers from Batesville, Indiana received $1 million from the Doritos brand for trumping the Madison Avenue-made commercials and ranking number one in the USA TODAY Ad Meter with their homemade Doritos commercial that they created for less than $2,000. It was a bold move that changed the brothers' lives forever and kick-started their now-thriving careers in film and television.

Always passionate about filmmaking, 24-year-old Svoboda knew it was his time to shine when he heard about Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl." A native of Raleigh, NC, Svoboda entered the contest for a chance to take one of the top three Ad Meter spots and turn his childhood dreams into reality. Over the course of three days and working with a shoestring budget of $200, Joshua cast a friend's untrained dog as the star of his commercial. The spot takes place in a park in which "man's best friend" turns the tables on an obnoxious snacker who refuses to share his Doritos chips.

This year, all six Crash the Super Bowl finalists received $25,000 and a trip to the Super Bowl. Grand prizes were based on how each of the winning Doritos ads ranked on the USA TODAY Ad Meter:

$1 million awarded for an ad that scores number one on the Ad Meter
$600,000 awarded for an ad that scores number two on the Ad Meter
$400,000 awarded for an ad that scores number three on the Ad Meter

If consumer-created Doritos ads swept all top-three rankings of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, an additional $1 million bonus was promised to each top-three placer for a total prize giveaway of $5 million.

The USA TODAY Super Bowl Ad Meter tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers to ads during the national broadcast of the Super Bowl and ranks them favorite to least favorite. Created in 1989, USA TODAY's Ad Meter has been regarded as the most influential Super Bowl ad rating in the advertising industry.

Crash the Super Bowl is one of many ways the Doritos brand continues to turn control over to consumers. The brand's commitment to fan-empowerment began with the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" program, which started in 2007 and has turned the brand's Super Bowl advertising over to its fans every year. In addition, the brand has put consumers in control through a variety of other exciting opportunities, including the Doritos "X-13D Flavor Experiment," where consumers had a chance to name a new mysterious flavor of chips; "THE QUEST," which engaged fans in a multi-faceted online and real-world adventure of challenges; and "Doritos Late Night," which provided Doritos fans ground-breaking virtual musical performances by blink-182 and Big Boi through the power of augmented reality technology where fans could enjoy and control the performances in the palm of their hand.

Frito-Lay North America is the $12 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, www.fritolay.com, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fritolay.

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.