Doritos Names 29 Semifinalists from Around the World in Annual "Crash the Super Bowl" Contest

The consumer-created advertisements, all available for viewing on Doritos.com, come from 7 different countries, including Canada; all vying for $1 Million USD Grand Prize and Dream Job with Universal Pictures

TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The competition for this year's "Crash the Super Bowl" contest is fierce and Doritos today unveiled the top 29 semifinalists now in the running for a $1 million USD grand prize and a dream job with Universal Pictures. The consumer-created television advertisements spotlight global talent from 7 countries. These top contenders were selected from nearly 4,900 ads submitted from 29 countries around the world.

Since mid-September, fans from around the world have been sharing their love of Doritos by creating and submitting 30-second advertisements on Doritos.com. Ultimately, two of the consumer-created television ads will air in front of a global audience of more than 100 million viewers during the broadcast of the Super Bowl XLIX, the annual championship game of the National Football League in the United States. The creator of the advertisement receiving the most fan votes will win a guaranteed $1 million USD grand prize, as well as an opportunity unlike any other in the history of the contest: a chance to work for a full year at Universal Pictures in Hollywood where they will lend their creative talents to a variety of projects, including future Universal Pictures releases such as "Pitch Perfect 2" and other big comedies. To view the semifinalist ads and see the official contest rules, visit www.doritos.com.

The Crash the Super Bowl semifinalist ads (in alphabetical order by finalist last name) are:

• "Doritos Angler" by James Bedford, UK
• "Baby's First Word" by Travis Braun, USA
• "Meditasting" by Luke Seer Brown, Australia
• "Doritos Hand" by Todd Dack, USA
• "Tea Time!" by Josh Day, USA
• "Mom?" by Markus Erhart, Germany
• "Selfish Sneezers" by Devon Ferguson, Canada
• "Gone Ape" by Hugh Fleming, Australia
• "History Bites" Adam J. Hardy, USA
• "Girl Voice" by Keith Hopkin, USA
• "The Lemonade Stand" by David Horowitz, USA
• "I Did That" Zeke Hunter, USA
• "Blind Date" by Haidy Bahgat Zakher Ibrahim, Egypt
• "Trouble in the Back Seat" by Jason Johnson, USA
• "Mis-Spelling Bee" by Brian Kleinschmidt, USA
• "Cheesy Teasy" by Perry Lang, USA
• "Doritos Tiny Mouth" by Chuck McCarthy, USA
• "Dog Dreams" by Brandon Morris, USA
• "The Pink Slip" by David Olson, USA
• "What Could Go Wrong?" by Alex Pepper, USA
• "The Portal" by Jorgen Persson, Sweden 
• "Doritos Manchild" by Armand de Saint-Salvy, Australia
• "Buried Treasure" by Jessica Sattelberger, USA
• "Wish Upon a Dorito" by Matthew Shoychet, Canada
• "Summer of '64" by Dan Stowell, USA
• "When Pigs Fly" by Graham Talbot, Canada
• "Thief Catcher" by Johan A. du Toit, Canada
• "Nice Bag" by Carl Vasile, USA
• "Middle Seat" by Scott Zabielski, USA

From the pool of semifinalists, a judging panel will select the top 10 spots to become finalist ads, twice as many as in the previous year's contest. The qualified panel of judges will include Doritos executives, advertising professionals, and actress/producer Elizabeth Banks — who is making her directorial debut on "Pitch Perfect 2" and has starred in critically acclaimed films such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Seabiscuit," and "Pitch Perfect," as well as global franchises like "The Lego Movie," "The Hunger Games," and "Spider-Man."

The 10 finalists will be announced in early January 2015 and fans from around the world will have a chance to vote for their favorites at www.doritos.com. Two television commercials will air during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast, the grand prize winner selected by fan votes on www.doritos.com and the first prize winner selected by the Doritos brand, who will receive $50,000 USD.

Each of the 10 Crash the Super Bowl finalists will win an invitation to attend Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015 and watch the game from a private suite, where they will tune in to learn which two ads will air for the world to see. The eight finalists whose commercials do not air during the broadcast will each win $25,000 USD.

About Doritos
Doritos is one of the leading brands from PepsiCo's (NYSE: PEP) global snack portfolio. To learn more about the Doritos brand, visit its website at www.doritos.com.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2013, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth in shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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About Universal Pictures

Universal Studios Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com).   Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal.  NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.  NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

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SOURCE PepsiCo

Alex Thomas, PRAXIS, [phone] x298, [email protected]