My favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday is the commercials. I know I am not alone. This year, more than 111 million people watched Super Bowl 50. It was the third most watched Super Bowl in TV history. So, why am I talking about a game that was months ago? Two words, Amateur Advertising, specifically Doritos.

For ten years, Doritos has held a contest where an amateur commercial can win air time and cash. Recently, the company kicked it up a notch by adding more money to the pot, $1 million, and employment for one year at Universal Studios. But, is this contest a great marketing tool for Doritos or does it take advantage of amateur filmmakers?

The 2014 Doritos Super Bowl ad, Time Machine, cost $200 dollars to produce. It was shot in the backyard of a family member’s home. This ad was placed online with other amateur hopefuls and voted on.

And, while that was a bargain for producing a commercial, others who have entered the contest have paid thousands of dollars in production to submit a commercial that is aired online but does not make the final cut. Not only does Doritos get advertising through the online contest, news agencies also pick up the “Crash the Super Bowl” contest.

So, that’s free advertising on a national news program. Local stations also tend to air the best Super Bowl commercials, so that’s more free air time. While Doritos probably paid $5 million for a 30 second spot, the commercial gets additional air time for free.

My question: Is using amateur commercials for a primetime commercial spot a good marketing tool, or a cheap way to promote a product?

References

Pallotta, F. & Stelter, B. (2016). Super bowl 50 audience is third largest in tv history. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/08/media/super-bowl-50-ratings/

Schwartz, N. (2016). Stunning infographic charts the skyrocketing cost of a super bowl ad. For The Win. Retrieved fromhttp://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/02/how-much-does-super-bowl-ad-cost

Edwards, J. (2014). Doritos’ ‘time machine’ super bowl ad cost just $200 to make – see it here. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/doritos-time-machine-super-bowl-ad-2014-2