Eamonn Dixon on making Doritos’ 2024 Super Bowl ad—and catching 2023’s game-winning field goal ball

Eamonn Dixon has had the full Super Bowl experience—and then some. The Australian-born executive creative director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners is putting the finishing touches on his fifth Super Bowl spot for Frito-Lay. And he’s also enjoyed a fairy-tale experience at the game itself—last year, in a crazy stroke of luck, Dixon happened to catch the ball that Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs kicked through the uprights for the game-winning field goal. As the NFL would say, you can’t make this stuff up. Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Enter here Ad Age caught up with Dixon on Tuesday, just as the second teaser for his 2024 Doritos Super Bowl commercial hit social media. The spot (below) picks up where the first teaser left off, with actress Jenna Ortega walking through a convenience store. This time she is snacking from a bag of Doritos Dinamita chips, while calling out “Dina?” and “Mita?”—apparently, names of people she’s looking for. She soon wanders outside the store, but immediately stops short—confronted with something chaotic that seems to be unfolding. Dixon wouldn’t say much about the content of the upcoming Super Bowl spot beyond the teasers. (Actor Danny Ramirez will co-star in the spot, as first reported by USA Today’s Ad Meter.) But he did say the campaign is unique compared to some past Frito-Lay Super Bowl efforts—across product, audience and content strategy. It begins with the Dinamita product itself, which is unique in the Frito-Lay portfolio for its combination of flavor, crunch and, in some varieties, heat. “Technically they call it a multi-sensorial experience, and it really is a great product,” Dixon said. “It’s nice to start with a product you know people are going to love. Also, when you have a product that appeals to different parts of your senses, there’s more to talk about.” The campaign also leans into the Gen Z audience—in particular, Hispanic Americans in that demographic—more than ever before. And it’s the first chapter of a campaign that will extend throughout 2024—another relatively new approach for Frito-Lay, Dixon said. “One of the big things I think we’ve learned over the last few years is that Super Bowl is a great springboard moment for the calendar year,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to have a very engaged audience and introduce concepts and product. Throughout the year, we’re going to be following up with a whole range of content and activations that continue to develop the story of Dinamita.” Ortega, the star of Netflix’s smash hit “Wednesday,” was the perfect embodiment of all these dovetailing strategies, Dixon added—a Gen Z actress of Hispanic descent with a huge social following and magnetic screen presence. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “She’s a Gen Z darling. Everything she’s in, people love it,” Dixon said. “She’s got a bit of attitude, but does it in a way that’s really appealing. She was at the top of our list, in terms of the reach she has, the attitude she brings, and she’s so likable. And then working with her on set, I mean, she was delightful, to be honest.” The only other thing Dixon would say about the in-game spot is that “it’s really fun, it’s very explosive and big and over the top, and I think people are really going to love it.” The kick is up ... and it’s good! As this year’s Super Bowl ad debut nears, Dixon also looks back fondly at last year’s Super Bowl season—which took a surreal turn, to say the least, on game day. Dixon was at home in San Francisco that Sunday morning when he got a call from a Doritos client who had an extra ticket to the game—if he could make it to Arizona in time for kickoff. Not only did Dixon make it—just as the national anthem was being sung—but he found himself in a VIP area, with clients, behind one of the end zones. And he happened to be in exactly the right place at the right time—to catch the ball that Harrison Butker of the Chiefs kicked to win the game. (The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35) @cbssports Shoutout to that security guard 😅 #superbowl #nfl #viral #story ♬ original sound - user1807311170781 “I look back now and it’s still so bizarre, but it was definitely a great experience,” Dixon said. “All the press that followed, especially in Australia, was even more surreal.” Some in the memorabilia community have valued the ball at many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Dixon said he has looked into selling it, but as of now, hasn’t found the right opportunity. For now, he’s still in possession of the ball. “I’m not sure what I’ll end up doing with it,” he said. “Maybe it’s got a destiny that I don’t quite see yet.” Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Enter here

Eamonn Dixon on making Doritos’ 2024 Super Bowl ad—and catching 2023’s game-winning field goal ball

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