Viewers Choice: 5 Super Bowl Moments You Helped Create

With Super Bowl XLVII fast approaching, we can expect to see a showdown not only between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, but involving major brands who are all trying to grab your undivided attention. In fact, many people tune into the Super Bowl only to watch commercials. And boy do they tune in—with a global audience of over 100 million viewers, spots are going for a pricey $3.5 million dollars this year, according to Ad Age. However, with the emergence of social media, brands know that interactivity is key to audience engagement. I mean, hey, it is 2013.

This year it’s all about thinking beyond the 30-second spot, here, we take a look at how several well-known brands are building interactive social campaigns around their commercials:

Doritos

USA Today‘s venerable Ad Meter placed Doritos at the top during last

year’s game. For the sixth year, the Frito-Lay brand is trading in the ad agency for fans. The chip maker is leaning on fan crowdsourcing to create its ad spots with its “Crash the Super Bowl” contest. (The 2009 “Free Doritos” commercial was the most-liked commercial and it was created by two unemployed brothers from Indiana.)

In October, Doritos began accepting submissions for commercials from fans looking to win a coveted spot during Sunday’s telecast. After voters whittled down the submissions to five finalists, consumers choose their favorite video which will end up being featured during the game. Doritos will pick the other spot. In addition to scoring the cash prize, the ad that gains the highest on the ad meter will work with director Michael Bay on the next Transformers movie.

Pepsi

As sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime show

this year, Pepsi is producing what it calls the first “crowdsourced” show in Super Bowl history. Starting in December, the food and beverage company launched a social media campaign, encouraging fans to become a part of Beyonc’s performance. Fans were told to submit photos in specific positions under the hashtag #pepsihalftime, and the winning photos will be digitally stitched together to create a unique seamless 30-second dance performance which will debut at the beginning of the halftime show. Several lucky fans will also join the singer onstage in New Orleans during the performance.

Coca-Cola

Not to be outdone by it’s cola rival, Coca-Cola has launched cokechase.com, an interactive website where viewers can “sabotage” several rival groups vying for a mirage of a Coke bottle in the desert. Fans can vote to distract a group of cowboys, showgirls and “Badlanders,” with the winning team to be revealed on Super Bowl Sunday.

The campaign has not been without controversy; however, with some Arab-Americans showing their disproval of the desert character featured in the spot (who is not a character in the competition) believing the individual personifies racist stereotypes. The company responded saying the character identity is a part of a key plot twist in the campaign.

Audi

In the old days, ad execs made all of the decisions. However, in the age of social media, brands are realizing that customer input could go a long way to creating awareness and loyalty. Luxury carmaker Audi did just that when it filmed three separate endings to its Super Bowl ad and let fans do the voting. The commercial features a seemingly introverted, dateless teenager who, emboldened by his father’s 2013 Audi S6, gains enough confidence to kiss the prom

king’s date. The audience chooses the boy’s fate after her date notices she’s getting smooched. The car company revealed the winning ending this week–the boy gets a black eye from the Mr. Prom King and speeds away in the spot titled “Worth It.”

Budweiser

Budweiser’s iconic Clydesdales have been Super Bowl staples, making 23 appearances in the big game since 1986.  But in the age of social media, the beer brand needed to freshen up it’s image. Budweiser joined Twitter for the first time this week with a rather unique social media campaign. The Anheuser-Busch brand is encouraging its fans to help name its newest “star,” a baby horse. To tug on its consumer’s heartstrings, the brand also released their 2013 commercial on YouTube yesterday–a first for the beer maker–and plans to reveal the winning name during the Super Bowl broadcast.