40 Under 40: Matt Schaffer, Frito-Lay North America

Matt Schaffer and his team were the brains behind PopCorners’ first-ever Super Bowl ad, the "Breaking Bad"-inspired “Breaking Good," which ran earlier this year. It was also the first Big Game ad created by the in-house agency. The original idea and script for the spot seemed like a long shot, according to Schaffer, but ended up testing well and was green-lit. One challenge was staying true to the popular show without moving into parody territory. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here “We used the actual RV from the show,” said Schaffer, 39. “And we pulled up real frames from the pilot to recreate them.” Schaffer’s six-person team, which oversees Lay’s, PopCorners and Ruffles, is also the agency’s only fully remote team. “I don’t think there have been any hitches,” he said. “We overcommunicate and try to be intentional about making sure our relationships with the brand folks in Plano [Texas] are the same as if we were in the office.” Schaffer was also behind the “Road to Super Bowl” ads featuring Eli and Peyton Manning—the first major campaign for which Frito-Lay and Pepsi collaborated on one combined broadcast effort. Schaffer also created Super Bowl TikTok activations for Cheetos and Doritos, helped spearhead the creation of the Green Bay Packers’ unofficial mascot QuesoHead and worked with NBA player Jayson Tatum and lo-fi paint illustrator NBA Paint to create a Jayson Potatum doodle for Ruffles. If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Jon Stewart. I love comedy and grew up watching “The Daily Show” every night. His influence on me and my sensibilities has been huge. And I know that he’s been on the absolute edge of his seat waiting for this list to come out—so I know he’ll see this. He’s a guy who loves knowing who’s 40, and who’s not quite 40. What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? YouTube and TikTok. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? I listen to podcasts before bed. Recently, Neal Brennan’s “Blocks,” “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” and Rick Rubin’s “Tetragrammaton.” What was the last show you binge-watched? “Black Mirror.” At what age do you hope to retire? I’m not very good at sitting still. As long as I’m still having fun, I’ll be here. Right now, I’m just focused on doing cool things with nice people. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here

How Matt Schaffer’s Super Bowl spot made consumers reconsider PopCorners

Featured Stories