Doritos UFO - Ad Analysis
AI Editor notes
Straight from the gut!!
“It’s a simple, classic product-as-hero gag that works. You get the joke in five seconds: guy loves his chips so much he'll fight a UFO for them. It’s not revolutionary, but it's clean, funny, and memorable. For a Super Bowl spot, that’s a solid win.”
Quick Summary
This ad's real power wasn't just its simple, funny premise; it was the strategy behind it. As a winner of the 'Crash the Super Bowl' contest, it proved that a well-chosen consumer-generated spot could be more effective and buzz-worthy than a multi-million dollar production. It made Doritos look smart, confident, and connected to its fans, all while delivering a memorable ad that puts the product at the absolute center of the action.
Executive Summary
This ad is a masterclass in simplicity. It follows a classic three-act comedic structure: Setup, Turn, and Payoff.
The Setup (0:00-0:04): We open on a familiar scene from a thousand sci-fi movies—a conspiracy theorist's basement, cluttered with retro computers and maps. Our hero, a true believer, is dozing off, but he's not holding a piece of alien tech; he's clutching a bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese like a teddy bear. This immediately establishes the product as an object of affection.
The Turn (0:04-0:13): The alarms blare. 'UFO DETECTED.' This is the moment our hero has been waiting for. A brilliant blue tractor beam slices through the window. But the twist, the core joke, is revealed instantly: the beam isn't interested in the man; it's locked onto the bag of Doritos. The man's brief moment of validation turns into a fight for his snack.
The Payoff (0:13-0:29): What follows is pure physical comedy. A tug-of-war between a man and an unseen alien force, with the bag of chips as the rope. The humor comes from the escalation—he's literally being pulled out of his house, but his priority remains the Doritos. He loses the battle and is yanked out the window. The final punchline comes after the 'For the Bold' title card: our hero is sitting outside with a classic grey alien, amicably sharing the chips. The conflict wasn't hostile; it was a universal quest for Doritos. This final beat is crucial, as it transforms the absurd situation into a moment of connection, reinforcing the idea that the love for Doritos is universal.
The ad works because it doesn't overthink it. The core insight is that people's love for their favorite snack is primal and irrational. The execution dramatizes this insight in the most extreme, and therefore memorable, way possible. By making the product the MacGuffin that drives the entire plot, Doritos ensures it's the undisputed hero of the story. It’s a smart, efficient, and very funny piece of communication that perfectly serves the business goal: make people crave Doritos.
Brand Position
The ultimate, crave-worthy snack that inspires bold, almost irrational devotion.
Brand Archetype
The Jester. Personality: Irreverent, playful, and confident.
Creative Game Plan
Dramatize the intense, irrational craving for Doritos by pitting a fan against the ultimate external force: an alien abduction.
Diagnosis: Issues & Solutions
Primary Issue: Strategic Sense
The Problem:
The final scene, while providing a nice button on the joke, feels a little soft. The man and alien are just sharing chips. It resolves the tension but doesn't fully pay off the 'For the Bold' tagline that appears moments before.
The Solution:
Make the final interaction bolder. Instead of just sharing, the man could be teaching the alien how to eat the Dorito 'the right way' (e.g., licking the cheese dust off his fingers), or perhaps they are bartering, with the man trying to trade the rest of the bag for a ride in the spaceship. This would elevate the hero from a passive victim of his craving to an active, 'bold' negotiator, reinforcing the brand promise more sharply.
Secondary Issue: Emotional Connection
The Problem:
The ad generates a good, clean laugh, but the humor is broad slapstick. It creates a feeling of 'fun,' but doesn't carve out a more distinct emotional space for Doritos against other snack brands that also use humor.
The Solution:
The humor could have been layered with a bit more character. If the hero had one more line of dialogue during the struggle, like 'You can take me, but you can't take my Nacho Cheese!', it would have given the brand a more ownable, quotable moment that fans could latch onto, deepening the connection beyond just the visual gag.
Additional Notes
Credits
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