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Doritos’ ‘House Rules’ ad is tops with users

For a second straight year Doritos let the public create its Super Bowl ads. And evidently the public knows what the public wants.
Image: Doritos \"Mama\" ad
A young man lays down the law to his mom’s date in the Doritos ad.Doritos
/ Source: msnbc.com

For a second straight year Doritos let the public create its Super Bowl ads. And evidently the public knows what the public wants.

As of Monday afternoon, msnbc.com users participating in our Super Bowl Ad Showdown rated the Dortios spot “House Rules” as the best of the record 48 minutes of advertising during Sunday’s big game. The ad, created by Joelle De Jesus of Hollywood, Calif., was selected by the snack maker from among 4,000 submissions.

The spot features a lothario showing up for a date with a single mother. He kills time while she gets ready by talking down to her very young son. When he takes one of the boy’s chips, the young man slaps him and tells him in no uncertain terms to keep his hand off his Doritos and  “my mama.”

“We liked that ad because it shared a situation that many people can relate to — the review that you get from the family of your date,” said Doritos spokesman Chris Kuechenmeister.

Second place in the Ad Showdown also went to a Doritos spot. “Underdog” features a puppy with a shock collar being teased by a chip-munching man. He feels the dog’s pain after the animal slips out of the collar and places it around the man's throat, leaving him writhing on the ground while the dog shoves its head in the bag.

In third place was a Snickers spot featuring Betty White playing pickup football — and taking a serious shot.

It was the second year that msnbc.com users voted an amateur Doritos spot to the top. In 2009 they voted “Free Doritos” as best of the game. The spot featured two “Office Space”-type cubicle dwellers throwing a Magic 8-Ball through a vending machine to get free Doritos ... and injure a coworker.

Does Doritos think it’s getting a good deal by having amateurs create their messages instead of the pros?

“You know, it’s a misperception about the program," Kuechenmeister said. He said the cost is about equal to hiring professionals when you figure in the cost of running the contest, the prize money — a winner can receive up to $1 million — and a Web site that allows users to choose  the four finalists that make it to the big game.

“There are a lot of pieces to this that people don’t see,” Kuechenmeister said.

Of the 4,000 submitted clips, Doritos brand managers and the company’s advertising agency whittled the total down to six finalists. Kuechenmeister said the company hasn’t made a decision about whether it will continue the contest for next year’s Super Bowl.

“It’s hard to say. We’re just really enjoying the success from this year. All of our finalists had great creativity,” he said. “Everybody is thrilled. We are so excited for our winners this year.”

“There’s no bigger stage than the Super Bowl.”

Unlike past years, there didn’t seem to be consensus on what was the best ad. Wall Street Journal users picked Audi’s "Green Police" as the top spot. While a USA Today panel slected the Betty White Snickers Ad.