Hi, I'm Alexia Allina from Frito-Lay Public Relations and a new member of the Snack Chat team. (That's me on the left with legendary actress Betty White.) Three months ago, I moved from Los Angeles to Plano, Texas, to work for Frito-Lay. Last week, I had the chance to return home for a special event to launch this year’s Crash the Super Bowl program.
Though I’m officially a Texan these days, I’ll always love LA. It’s such an inspiring city –- a place where people from all over come looking for their shot at the big time. Visit a coffee shop in town and you’re bound to find aspiring filmmakers, writers or actors looking for connections and dreaming of making it in the entertainment industry. It’s what makes LA so special and what made it such a perfect backdrop to launch this year’s Crash the Super Bowl – a contest that’s all about helping would-be ad makers fulfill their destinies.
With a packed house (and thousands of viewers from across the country tuning in via webcast), the launch event offered more than 90 minutes of contest scoop, tips and tricks, and inspiration to help fans prep for this year’s competition.
Rudy Wilson, vice president, Frito-Lay and Lauren Hobart, CMO Sparkling Beverages, PepsiCo Beverages America, started off by announcing an unexpected twist to this year’s contest –- the addition of Pepsi MAX to the historically Doritos-branded program and an unprecedented six consumer-created ads airing during this year’s Super Bowl. They also revealed this year’s prize –- $5 million and a contract to create an additional ad for the brands in 2011 to the top-ranking contestant.
Then came an on-stage conversation about creating breakthrough Super Bowl ads with creative directors from two of the world’s leading ad agencies -- Jeff Goodby from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Rob Schwartz from TBWA\CHIAT\DAY. From how much emphasis should be placed on music and the role of humor in a winning spot to just how many punch lines to deliver, Jeff and Rob left no tip unturned.
From there, the stage belonged to Joe and Dave Herbert -– two formerly unemployed brothers whose homemade Doritos ad helped them take home the million dollar prize as part of Crash the Super Bowl in 2009. Joe and Dave shared the many ways winning the contest changed their lives -– from the paid work they’ve gotten creating ads for big brands to the successful board game they launched last year.
Concluding the event was a surprise appearance from the queen of last year’s Super Bowl ads, Betty White. With a wit and humor all her own, Betty energized the crowd like no one else could. Entering the stage with two hunky (her words) security guards and $5 million in tow (pictured at right), she reminded the audience that this year’s grand prize is big, really big. She also challenged fans to reclaim the top USA Today Ad Meter ranking this year, telling them it can change their lives just the same way it did hers after last year’s game. “Who knows,” Betty said, “Maybe if you win, they’ll offer you a chance to host Saturday Night Live, too.”
After the event, I had the chance to network with attendees. I was surprised by how many guests shared hints about how they plan to approach their submissions this year (don’t worry, my lips are sealed). Since I arrived at Frito-Lay this past June, I've seen firsthand that Crash the Super Bowl is a contest based on talent and creativity. Based on the folks I met last week and all the great ideas I heard, I can assure you there will be no shortage of talent in this year’s contest.
If you missed the live webcast, check out the recording here.
- Alexia
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