PepsiCo Offers $1M for Winning Super Bowl Ad

PepsiCo is aiming to grab Budweiser's crown as king of the Super Bowl ads with a contest offering $1 million to anyone who can create a Doritos ad that tops viewer ratings during the game, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company hopes the cash prize will put a fresh spin on the consumer-generated ad concept and give it the edge in pre-game hype.

Dominating the pre-match buzz has become a vital way for advertisers to justify the cost of Super Bowl ads—now $3 million for a 30-second spot. PepsiCo estimates that its contest for a consumer-made Super Bowl ad 2 years generated $36 million in free publicity. The five finalists this time around will get $25,000 each even if their ads fail to knock Budweiser out of the top spot.
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