Lil Nas X faces off with Sam Elliott in a dance battle in Doritos' Super Bowl ad
The 60-second spot is destined to spawn #CoolRanchDance attempts on TikTok
Editor's Pick
Who’d be your pick in a dance battle between Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X and Oscar-nominated actor Sam Elliott? And why is that even a question?
The duo’s duel at the Cool Ranch is the premise of the latest Doritos Super Bowl commercial, which hypes its updated Cool Ranch flavor.
The spot, by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, features a dance-off between the two men. Even viewers who have watched both teasers—a Sam Elliott spoken-word rendition of Lil Nas X’s hit “Old Town Road” and a scene of the singer heading into town on a horse fitted with speakers—aren’t exactly sure why they are ready for a dance-contest. Perhaps this whole thing is over the bag of chips off to the side? Sure. But this is a Super Bowl spot. The plot doesn’t matter. (The chips, by the way, have a little more seasoning, but feature the same unmistakable Cool Ranch flavor that Doritos fans have known for years.)
The moves offered by Lil Nas X, at first seem like they would be tough for Elliott to match. Then Elliott's signature mustache struts its stuff. And we are here to witness it.
Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" collaborator Billy Ray Cyrus makes a quick cameo, but the ad is more about the dance-off than him—or the chips, for that matter.
Doritos is getting 60 seconds of airtime during the game’s third quarter. With "such an incredible story to tell," the spot deserved the full treatment, according to Rachel Ferdinando, senior VP and chief marketing officer of Frito-Lay North America.
By comparison, the other PepsiCo spots in the game, and there are plenty—Cheetos, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Mtn Dew Zero Sugar, SodaStream and Sabra (PepsiCo owns 50 percent of the hummus company)—get 30 seconds apiece.
When the action is over, Lil Nas X asks, "Who got next?" Perhaps it will be viewers? People can use the Sway app to scan their bodies, which will be augmented with the profile of a professional dancer, allowing them to recreate the dance moves from the ad. The brand hopes people share their footage with the hashtag #CoolRanchDance, which appears on the screen near the end of the spot. The brand is also encouraging recreations on TikTok.
Credits
- Date
- Jan 29, 2020
- Client :
- Doritos
- Agency :
- Goodby Silverstein & Partners
- Chief Marketing Officer :
- Rachel Ferdinando
- SVP :
- Marissa Solis
- Senior Director :
- Leslie Vesper
- Marketing Director :
- Gisela Saenz
- Marketing Manager :
- Kelly Burke
- Partner :
- Jeff Goodby
- Partner :
- Rich Silverstein
- Chief Creative Officer :
- Margaret Johnson
- Creative Director :
- Laura Petruccelli
- Creative Director :
- Rohan Cooke
- Associate Creative Director :
- Caroline Cappelli
- Associate Creative Director :
- Ryan Tovani
- Art Director :
- Jason Gan
- Copywriter :
- Clark Chamberlin
- Art Director :
- Mike Rodriguez
- Copywriter :
- Sam Dworkin
- Director of Production :
- Leila Gage
- Sr Producer :
- Sara Ward
- Producer :
- Alexis Bley
- Managing Partner :
- Brian McPherson
- Group Account Director :
- Meredith Williams
- Group Account Director :
- Jenna Duboe
- Account Director :
- Chris Nilsen
- Account Manager :
- Casey O’Brien
- Assistant Account Manager :
- Jordan Lofy
- Communication Strategy Director :
- Caitlin Neelon
- Communication Strategist :
- Drew Forrest
- Group Brand Strategy Director :
- Ralph Paone
- Brand Strategist :
- Ida Persson
- Senior Business Affairs Manager :
- Judy Ybarra
- Business Affairs Manager :
- Annie Holmgren
- Trafficking Manager :
- Rowena Cuejilo
- Production Company :
- Park Pictures
- Director :
- Lance Acord
- Director of Photography :
- Lance Acord
- EP/Producer :
- Caroline Kousidonis
- Editorial Company :
- Work
- Editor :
- Jono Griffith
- Assistant Editor :
- Theo Mercado
- Producer :
- Chelsea Bassler
- Executive Producer :
- Marlo Baird
- Telecine :
- A52
- Colorist :
- Gregory Reese
- Colorist Assistant :
- Corey Martinez
- Colorist Assistant :
- Aaron Flickinger
- Colorist Assistant :
- Dylan Bursick
- Color Producer :
- Jenny Bright
- Executive Producer Color :
- Thatcher Peterson
- VFX/Finishing :
- A52
- VFX Supervisor :
- Patrick Murphy
- CG Supervisor :
- Andy Wilkoff
- CG Lead :
- Andy Wikoff
- Flame Artist :
- Matt Sousa
- Flame Artist :
- James Buongiorno
- Flame Artist :
- Michael Vaglienty
- Flame Artist :
- Andres Barrios
- Flame Artist :
- Kevin Stokes
- Flame Artist :
- John Valle
- 3D Artist :
- Dustin Mellum
- 3D Artist :
- Jade Smrz
- 3D Artist :
- Quinton Woodson
- 3D Artist :
- Jose Limon
- 3D Artist :
- Josh Dyer
- 3D Artist :
- Joe Chiechi
- 3D Artist :
- Michael Cardena
- 3D Artist :
- Joe Paniagua
- 3D Artist :
- Michael Bettinardi
- 3D Artist :
- Joel Bettinardi
- Producer :
- Serena Noorani
- Executive Producer :
- Patrick Nugent
- Executive Producer :
- Kim Christensen
- Managing Director :
- Jennifer Sofio Hall
- Sound Design and Music :
- “Old Town Road” Lil Nas X Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
- Sound Design and Music :
- “Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo” Ennio Morricone
- Sound Designer :
- Michael Anastasi
- Sound Designer :
- Kai Paquin
- Mix :
- Lime Studios
- Mixer :
- Joel Waters
- Assistant Mixer :
- Collin Thomas
- Executive Producer :
- Susie Boyajan
- Director of Production :
- Margaret Brett-Kearns
- Senior Interactive Producer :
- Severin Sauliere
- Executive Social Producer :
- Danielle Riccardi
- Senior Social Producer :
- Alisa Latvala
- Social Producer :
- Jackie Kelly
- Content Creative :
- Mark Sandoff
- Content Creative :
- Emilio Diaz
- Photographer :
- Quinn Gravier
- Assistant Photographer :
- Hanna Hegnell
- Senior Print Producer :
- Noah Dasho
- Director of Creative Technology :
- Troy Lumpkin
- Executive Producer :
- Tena Goy
- Creative Technologist :
- Shan Jin
- Humrn Team :
- Tinghui Zhou
- Humrn Team :
- Ricky Wong
- Humrn Team :
- Tim Omernick
- Humrn Team :
- Melody Cao
- Humrn Team :
- Cortis Clark
- Humrn Team :
- Piotr Tatarcyzk
- Humrn Team :
- Alexander Weiss
- Humrn Team :
- Jesse Myers
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