Ad Snacking: Doritos Goes G.O.A.T. On The Super Bowl
Each week in Ad Snacking, former advertising executive turned chef Eli Sussman takes a close look at a recent food advertisement. He'll keep the copy short to guarantee the R.O.I. for procrastinating at your desk stays high.
Everyone these days knows "H.A.M." But if you are a true connossieur of animal-based acronyms, G.O.A.T. is king. Earl Manigault, one of the most famous street basketball players of all time, was nicknamed "The Goat," which stands for "Greatest Of All Time." This Sunday, the NFL will crown the greatest team and based on popular online opinion, America will pick the greatest Doritos commercial to run during the Super Bowl. Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" contest has dominated Super Bowl advertising since 2007. The contest invites normal people to create commercials with the winner receiving $1 million and the honor of having their ad run during the game.
In 2009, 2011 and 2012 Doritos ads won "favorite Super Bowl ad," based on a USA Today poll. Earl the Goat, Tom Brady, hell, any NFL fan would tell you that winning the championship 3 out of 4 years in a row is a truly great achievement. So in an age of easily forgettable ads (especially during the world's most expensive broadcast), is this new Doritos "Goat4Sale" ad the 2013 Super Bowl's GOAT? And if Doritos wins the USA Today poll again, does that make them the Super Bowl's G(a)OAT: Greatest Advertiser Of All Time? We'll have to wait until after the game for the poll, but you can check out the Doritos GOAT ad right now.
Product: A+
DORITOS ARE THE TOAT (Tastiest of All Time)
Our awesomely bearded, pretty weird (he only has Doritos in his house) and definitely lonely (he buys a goat and only has Doritos in his house) protagonist finds his kindred spirit in a Doritos-loving goat. He buys the goat and takes him home, where he consumes hundreds of bags of Doritos the first day they spend together. Pretty cute, that Dorito-loving goat. But what starts off as good clean fun takes a turn for the worse when the maniacal Dorito-loving goat interferes with not only his popsicle stick city-building time, but his early sleep schedule.
The creepy sweater vest guy has met his match in the "here-comes-Johnny" goat who wants to eat Doritos and will NOT be denied. Our Amish-style-influenced hero didn't see the foreshadowing in that the original goat seller seemed to have gotten his ass kicked. But he was blinded by the Doritos. I think we can all agree we've been blinded by that delicious not-real cheese flavoring. Like a warm blanket of processed comfort, I can relate to a man who finds comfort in the fact that a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos can sometimes sub in for man's best friend.
Message: A+
DORITOS-ADDICTED GOATS ARE THE MDAOAT (Most Dangerous Animal Of All Time)
The statement "it's like crack" truly applies to Doritos. Some people say this is more applicable to Pringles or Twizzlers, but I can't even make my way through a tube of Pringles without getting bored and Twizzlers are just strips of red plastic. I'm not a psycho Doritos-obsessed killer goat, but I can down a bag of Doritos in about 4 minutes flat as long I also have a 2-liter and remote control nearby (how I am not 300 pounds, I have no idea). The messaging here is really two-fold: 1. Doritos are incredible, 2. beware of goats, because they will turn on you once your "here comes the apocalypse" supply of Doritos runs dry.
Creativity: A++
THIS IS THE FGRAOT (Funniest Goat-Related Ad Of All Time)
I really loved everything about this ad. It's amazing to see what a crowd-sourced ad campaign can accomplish. Doritos gets fully formed commercials and they can promote and use the good ones and disavow knowledge and connection to the bad ones. It's surprising this isn't the only model for creating advertisements. Put a cash prize up for the best and let every amateur with an iPhone or a DSLR go wild on their weekends doing the heavy lifting for your brand. When the goat screamed at the :19 second mark I laughed so hard Doritos almost came out of my nose. When the goat broke the popsicle sculpture, Doritos tears came out of my eyes. And when the goat's hoof coolly closed the door to seek its revenge, I smiled a Doritos-cheesy smile from ear to ear. USA Today need not waste money on that silly poll. I think we've found our G(a)OAT before kickoff.
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