Mean Joe Greene giving his jersey away. Computer generated lizards dancing to “Thriller.” Babies talking about the stock market. A middle-aged father and his football-loving friends playing dress up for Doritos.
All four of these events share a common thread: the Super Bowl, or more specifically, its famed commercials.
While the first three commercials probably are familiar, the fourth more than likely isn’t. That’s where MSU alumnus Nate Daniels and his team come in.
Daniels and the rest of the team — Mark Freiburger, Nathan Scoggins and Gabe Trevino — submitted the commercial to Doritos’ annual, “Crash the Super Bowl” competition, where thousands of videos are submitted for the chance to win up to $1 million and have a commercial on the air during the Super Bowl.
In the spot, titled “Fashionista Daddy,” a little girl convinces her father — and later his friends — to be in her fashion show by bribing them with Doritos.
The video already has won Daniels and his team $25,000 for being one of five finalists.
The winner will be picked from an online voting competition on the Facebook page for Doritos’s “Crash the Super Bowl.”
Facebook users can vote twice a day: once on their desktops and once on a mobile device. The winner and one finalist, selected by Doritos executives, will be announced Feb. 3 — the day of the Super Bowl.
Freiburger, who directed the spot, said Trevino came up with an idea for a tea party, which eventually evolved into a princess fashion show.
“It had us rolling with laughter just thinking about it,” Freiburger said.
Daniels was a minor part of the team that won last year’s contest, and said he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to make his own commercial.
“I finally learned enough, so I know how to make the best commercial,” Daniels said. “I called Mark and said ‘Mark, we gotta make our own commercial.’”
Freiburger said he didn’t hesitate before agreeing to join the project.
“I thought it’d be a lot of fun,” he said. “I kind of watched from a distance last year (and) a group of guys that I knew ended up winning.”
If their commercial is chosen, Doritos will give Daniels and his team an additional cash prize if the commercial finishes in the top-three of the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter.
The team would receive $400,000 for third, $600,000 for second and $1 million for first.
Freiburger said Doritos spots typically do well in the Ad Meter, with three of the last four contest winners finishing in the top three.
Daniels said “Fashionista Daddy” was second in views among the finalists, but voting results are not being made public — not even the finalists know.
Regardless of the results, “Fashionista Daddy” already has one fan at MSU.
Bruce Vanden Bergh, a professor of advertising and public relations said the spot is relatable and well-conceived.
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“I am 65-years-old, and I have a granddaughter who’s almost that exact age, and her room looks exactly like that,” Vanden Bergh said. “From a lifestyle standpoint, it’s dead on. It’s not contrived. It’s all very natural. That’s not easy to do.”
Daniels said win or lose on Sunday, he doesn’t want this to be his last Super Bowl commercial.
“This is fun,” he said. “I enjoy doing this. I’m really tired, but I don’t feel stressed. This is definitely a dream come true.”
