Doritos Crossover Commercial
Super Bowl Commercials are one of the biggest reasons viewers tune in to watch the big game each year. This year alone, according to a study done by Harris Interactive, roughly fifty-four percent of those watching “will be glued to their seats” for the anticipated commercials. One of the best commercials that aired during Super Bowl LII was a crossover between Doritos and Mountain Dew. By utilizing popular songs, contrasting yet captivating visuals, and well-known actors, these companies truly drew America’s attention making it an extremely well done commercial.
The commercial didn’t have much content other than the lip-synching of two very popular songs. This lack of content, however, did not inhibit the commercial in any way, but actually correlated wonderfully with the saying, “less is more.” The first song that is introduced is, “Look at Me Now” by Chris Brown which features Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. The year this song was released (Feb. 2011) it reached number six on Billboard’s Top 100. This placement showed the foreshadowing to how popular this song would actually become. Alongside ranking high on the Billboard’s list, it soared to number one on the Hot Rap Songs and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Being this well-known, it reached many countries globally and was even ranked on top charts in Australia, France, New Zealand, Canada, and The United Kingdom. In the same year it was released, it went on to win 3 awards at the 2011 BET Awards. The specific verse used in the commercial was fast, hot, and aggressive to describe the taste of Doritos’ new flavor — — Blaze:
Lets go!
Cause I feel like I’m running
And I’m feeling like I gotta get away, get away, get away
Better know that I don’t and I won’t ever stop cause
You know I gotta win everyday day, day
See they don’t really wanna pop me
This is the beginning part of the verse that Peter Dinklage so perfectly imitates. If one looks a little deeper it is discovered that twenty seconds of this verse is played, which includes one hundred and fourteen words. Breaking that up, Busta Rhymes sings approximately five point seven words per second which emphasizes the spicy, fast taste of the new flavor. The next song causes the commercial to do a complete turn around. Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On,” begins to create a cool, smooth vibe which connects to Mountain Dew’s new flavor — — Ice. A portion of this verse is sung in the commercial:
Told y’all mother, y’all can’t stop me now
Listen to me now, I’m lastin twenty rounds
And if you want me, then come on get me now
Is you with me now?, Then biggie biggie bounce
I know you dig the way I sw-sw-switch my style
This song clip plays for only seventeen seconds but only contains fifty one words, which averages out to about three words per second, showing the slow and smooth of Elliot’s song. Elliot’s song is also very popular landing on many top charts and winning awards. Released in 2001, the song reached number 7 on the Billboard Top 100 list. In regards to other countries, it ranked in the top ten in The Netherlands and The United Kingdom. The song made appearances ranking high on Rolling Stone’s Best Songs of the Decade, as well as in many movies. The change in tone from fast and sharp to soulful and smooth emphasize the contrast between the two highlighted products.
Another one of the things that shows how well the commercial is put together, is the contrasting fire with ice scenes. The flavor of Blaze is shown throughout the first half of the commercial in the fire that burning down the room that Peter Dinklage is in. The flavor is portrayed to be so hot that just one bite causes the mouth to actually be on fire. In the middle of the commercial the scene changes from a fiery background to an icy bottle of Mountain Dew. In that split second, you can hear the crackling fire turn into a cool breeze. Morgan Freeman resides in the room with Mountain Dew Ice. As soon as he takes a sip of this new flavor, the room freezes. Everything is coated in ice and a cold breeze escapes Freeman’s mouth. The commercial wraps up by placing the two rooms in a side by side shot which allows the viewer to truly see the difference of the Blaze combating Ice.
The actors and performers involved in the commercial allow for multiple audiences to be targeted. Peter Dinklage opens the commercial by biting into the new Doritos’ flavor and lip-synching “Look at Me Now” Peter Dinklage has acted in multiple widely known productions such as Underdog, Death at a Funeral, Game of Thrones, and many others. He also voiced in popular children’s films such as The Angry Birds’ Movie and Ice Age. Busta Rhymes makes the next appearance in the commercial by acting as a live picture frame. He raps alongside Peter to gain maximum effect out of the song. The song ends abruptly as the frame pans into another room with Morgan Freeman. As an actor, film director, and narrator, Freeman is known across the board. Acting in movies such as Now You See Me (1 & 2), Going In Style, Lucy, Ted 2, and many more, Morgan Freeman is an actor that is as versatile as it gets. He’s won multiple awards including an Oscar, two Golden Globes, three AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, and even the The National Medal of Arts presented to him by President Barack Obama himself. He is accompanied by singer Missy Elliot, who also plays a moving picture in a frame. She assists Freeman in the singing of her song which gives the part he plays the chill vibe to correlate with the icy setting.
The commercial was meticulously planned to create a symbiotic relationship between Doritos Blaze and Mountain Dew Ice. The drastic contrast between the two rooms is to set up each product to say the other will pair well. For example, the viewers see that Mountain Dew Ice will quench the fire, but the flames will unfreeze the “Ice” caused by the drink. This commercial uses different film techniques to captivate the audience, along with famous actors and popular music. These aspects each work alongside another to get the best results. According to a survey conducted shortly after the Super Bowl by Forbes Magazine, The Doritos/Mountain Dew commercial was number one out of the top ten funniest. This proves that being well put together on screen allows for more satisfied fans. Another article published by Forbes Magazine, was on the many things that make a commercial memorable. Some things listed included: Humor and iconic main characters. These criteria were submitted by common consumers. This Doritos/Mountain Dew Commercial satisfies every requirement for memorability. From humor with the lip-synching to iconic main characters featuring Morgan Freeman and Peter Dinklage. The collaboration between these huge companies was a huge success in helping to promote each other’s brand, while emphasizing the specific new flavor of each product.
Works Cited
“Awards.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000151/awards.
Damiani, Jesse. “The Funniest Super Bowl Commercials Of 2018, Ranked.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6 Feb. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2018/02/06/the-funniest-super-bowl-commercials-of-2018-ranked/#41fd2fa62621.
“Get Ur Freak On.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Feb. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Ur_Freak_On.
“Look at Me Now (Chris Brown’s Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_at_Me_Now_(Chris_Brown_song).
“Morgan Freeman Biography.” The Biography.com Website, 19 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/morgan-freeman-9301982.
smartinez@mlive.com, Shandra Martinez |. “More People Watch Super Bowl for the Commercials, Says Grand Rapids Ad Agency Survey.” MLive.com, MLive, 1 Feb. 2011, www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/02/more_people_are_watching_the_s.html.
Commercial Used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey01ZlAoYes