A forerunner of ABC's short-lived 2014 sitcom "Manhattan Love Story," which gave voice to the thoughts in its protagonists' heads, "First Date" finds two lines of thinking converging on the product. (It's also one of two ads about first dates in Super Bowl XLV, along with Chevrolet's "Status.")

"First Date" was the result of Pepsi Max managers' decision to join PepsiCo sibling Doritos in its long-running contest for consumer-generated Super Bowl ads. It was conceived by 29-year-old Nick Simotas, editor on a kids' TV show, and a friend while stuck in traffic in Southern California, PepsiCo said. 

Pepsi Max and Doritos brands together received more than 5,600 submissions, with each naming five finalists and three winners to run during the game, two picked by fans and a third chosen by brand executives. Pepsi Max executive Jill Beraud told Ad Age that joining Doritos was part of the company’s efforts “restaging the Pepsi Max brand and putting a tremendous amount of resources behind it.”

It was the only year Doritos shared the consumer-created commercial stunt. All three of Pepsi Max's spots feature the same broad humor that had come to define Doritos' popular "Crash the Super Bowl" results. 

The other two Pepsi Max spots in 2011 were "Love Hurts" and "Torpedo Cooler."

Pepsi Max's contenders for Super Bowl spots got tips from TBWA/Chiat/Day.

BRAND: Pepsi Max

YEAR: 2011

AGENCY: TBWA/Chiat/Day

SUPERBOWL: XLV

QUARTER AIRED: Q4