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

Published On
Jan 29, 2020

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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