Dog vs. Baby (Super Bowl XLVI Ads)

“You don’t have to be a professional filmmaker or a professional ad agency to compete with the best (ad makers) in the world and take home the biggest prize (a top spot on AdMeter.)”
Tony Matta, Vice-President. Marketing, Frito-Lay North America
USA TODAY

Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Loyd would have enjoyed the three commercials vying for the #1 spot in the 2012 USA Today Facebook Super Bowl Ad Meter. Lots of physical comedy. As I write this the Monday after the Super Bowl, the commercials Doritos: Man’s Best Friend,  Doritos: Sling Baby, and Bud Light Weego are all in a dead heat for the top spot and a million dollars.

But in the spirit of Chaplin’s character The Little Tramp, I’ll focus on the two Doritos spots that were consumer created on spec and submitted in the Crash the Super Bowl contest Doritos has done the last several years.

“I work out of my garage and my passion is to direct meaningful stories through films that inspires and bring people laughter. My dream is to direct mainstream comedy commercials and family friendly movies.”
Kevin T. Willson
Director of Sling Baby 

According to Willson’s  Compass Films website Sling Baby is actually his third time in a row being a Top Five Finalist in Crash The Super Bowl. The amazing thing about that is the contest usually averages around 6,000 commercials submitted. So he’s beaten the odds not only once, but three times. You may recall his Casket spot two years ago where a man is buried in a casket full of Doritos.

I aways enjoy finding loose connections, and I just learned yesterday that a writer friend I’ve known for more than fifteen years, Clare Sera, was part of Willson Idea Team. Clare was kind enough to read a feature script I wrote last year and give me some helpful notes. She’s also an actress and used to be part of the Orlando Improv group SAK Theater. I’m pulling for Sling Baby because at the end of the day the other two spots—while funny—are a little mean-spirited (what would the Save the Cat people think?), while Sling Baby fights mean-spiritedness. (Plus if someone takes the time to read a script of mine and give me notes for free, why wouldn’t I pull for their team?)

Clare is just one of the more than 50 talented people Willson brought together for Sling Baby. The entire crew is listed on the impressive website campaign they’ve put together— Vote for Sling Baby! 

 “I am a freelance graphic designer, filmmaker, photographer, and musician from Virginia Beach, VA…I shot the commercial for about $20 using a Canon 7D (which I already own). I had to buy some Doritos, a few props, and some dog treats. I originally thought the commercial would only cost $13 to produce, so I went way over budget. The most difficult part about the production was getting “Huff the Great Dane” to cooperate.
Jon Friedman
Director of Man’s Best Friend
Video contest news

I’m pulling for Friedman too, because I love seeing a guy in Virginia spend $20 on a commercial and having it beat out spots that cost millions of dollars to produce. Friedman’s company is Frame 25 Productions.

If Sling Baby and Man’s Best Friend can both hold on to one of the top three spots they will both get a sizable payout.

Update: Friedman was awarded the top spot in USA Today panel and won the $1 million prize. (A nice return on his $20. investment.) The USA Today/Facebook Ad Meter poll continues until tomorrow, still giving Sling Baby a chance at a payout.

Update: Another reason to pull for Sling Baby—One of the writers of the spot, Sean Gaffney, is a reader of this blog (and has commented in the comment section).  At this moment 5:55 CST, Sling Baby is in the lead slot with a 4.34 rating just .04 ahead of Weego and Man’s Best Friend. The USA Today/Facebook poll closes on Tuesday, 6pm EST.

Here’s the money breakdown if Sling Baby finishes in the top three slots:

BTW—Great game. Congrats to the New York Giants on the win. And just to close on an inspirational fitness note, if you want a body like David Beckham’s, avoid the Doritos and Bud Light.

Related post: Harold Loyd Vs. Buster Keaton (Super Bowl Special)

Scott W. Smith