With the Super Bowl just around the corner, some of the world’s big brands started teasing the fans with trailers for the ads that will go live on the big stage. Two weeks before the start of the sporting spectacle, PepsiCo released a teaser video in which we can see the star of Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage, as he confronts the one and only Morgan Freeman, the narrator of The Story of God.
Although the 15-second ad from Goodby Silverstein & Partners did not reveal even a single clue about where this is going, all we were able to see is that each of the celebrities was summoned by PepsiCo to protect one of its brands. And while Dinklage represents Doritos Blaze, Freeman becomes the fierce protector of MTN DEW ICE.
A press release that accompanied the video states that this is the first time when the company features two of its brands in one advert to be shown during the Super Bowl. The two products just landed in PepsiCo’s portfolio and, according to Al Carey, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, they go hand-in-hand: “Doritos and Mtn Dew go perfectly together, and both brands have passionate fan bases. We think consumers will love Doritos Blaze and MTN DEW ICE, as well as this engaging Super Bowl ad.” Doritos Blaze come as a hot and spicy snack, while the MTN DEW ICE stands exactly as the opposite of the peppery chips, pampering the customers’ taste buds with clear, refreshing lemonade notes.
A week after the teaser officially aired online, the company released another video featuring hip-hop legends such as Busta Rhymes, who is on Dinklage’s side, and Missy Elliott, who backs Morgan Freeman. During the 60-second-long film, the two singers seem to be coaching the two actors, encouraging them to keep practicing tongue twisters in front of the mirror. By the end of the video, a wave of contentment embraces the coaches as they see their pupils ready to confront their counterparts.
To quote Busta, “it’s showtime, baby!” Just four days before the Super Bowl, the company launched the official 60-second in-game ad, titled “Doritos Blaze vs. MTN DEW ICE,” which sees the movie stars carry on a fairly atypical confrontation: a lip-sync rap battle.
The highly-anticipated commercial opens up with Dinklage standing in front of a fireplace, holding in his hands a bag of Doritos Blaze. He eats a chip, but as the crunchy noise echoes inside the room’s walls, the show begins. The flames grow in intensity as the actor perfectly syncs his lips with Busta’s verse from “Look at Me Now.” Just a sip of MTN DEW ICE gives Freeman the ability to literally chill the spirits around the room and freeze the surroundings with an ice-cold lip-sync performance of Missy’s well-known hit single “Get Ur Freak On.”
The film’s final images show the two actors as we saw them a couple of weeks ago: standing face-to-face. Only this time, they meet in person “armed” with the delicious PepsiCo products. These give them the super-powers to battle out each other. By the looks on their faces, they seem to be ready to jam all over again. The thing is that, for the second round, you can take sides and join one of the actors in their epic battle.
Fans are encouraged to support the actor standoff by using a modern tool. On Super Bowl Sunday, the brand launched an exclusive Snapchat lens which allows users to show off their lip-syncing skills online. They can record their rap performance and share it on social media later.
All users need to do is pick one side and show to their virtual friends that they are faithful to it by using the #SpitFire or #IceCold hashtags on Twitter and/or Instagram. Also, fans can join the conversation by following @Doritos and @MountainDew on the already mentioned social media platforms.
The final battle goes down on February 4, 2018, during the Super Bowl LII. Which side have you chosen? Let us know in the comments: