Doritos tortilla chips – the bold, intense snack brand within PepsiCo’s
Frito-Lay division – today announced that eight quarter-finalists have
been selected from more than 1,500 unique game ideas submitted to the
Doritos “Unlock Xbox” program. With a higher-stakes Unlock Xbox
challenge this year, consumer votes will now determine the top three
semi-finalists that will revisit Microsoft for one last pitch, where
two finalists will be selected. Fans can vote for their favorite gaming
concepts beginning now until December 31, 2009 at www.unlockxbox.com.
“As we continue to put our fans in control of the Doritos brand, they
continue to step up to our challenges and meet them with unwavering
enthusiasm and creativity,” said Rudy Wilson, vice president,
marketing, Doritos. “Many Doritos lovers are very passionate about
gaming, and were excited to give them this unmatched level of
engagement and ownership of Xbox LIVE Arcade.”
“This campaign represents a true value exchange,” said Mark Kroese,
general manager of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Advertising
Business Group. “The Xbox LIVE and Doritos communities get to become
game developers and Doritos gets to engage with their core consumers
when they are receptive to their messaging – while they are having fun.”
The Doritos “Unlock Xbox” contest challenged gaming fans to submit
original Xbox LIVE Arcade game concepts that embodied the bold and
intense Doritos experience in a unique way. From vehicle simulation to
shooter games, the top eight entries represent a wide variety of gaming
tastes. The eight quarter-finalists, as determined by a panel of
Doritos and Microsoft judges, (in alphabetical order) are:
-
“Arak Attack” by Samuel Gaultlent of Bellevue, Nebraska -
“Avatar Crash Course” by Jill Robertson of Raleigh, North Carolina -
“Fowl Play” by Matt Kurtz of New Haven, Indiana -
“Harms Way” by Justin Carpenter of Ogden, Utah -
“Have A Ball” by Keith Nelson of Spokane, Washington -
“Skies Ablaze” by BJ Chavez of Waskom, Texas -
“The Artifact” by Jonah Masse of Dixmont, Maine -
“Thrown” by Jason Santaman of San Diego, Calif.
The eight quarter-finalists each will receive a prize package for their
creativity, valued at more than $5,000. And, giving video game fans and
Doritos chip-lovers everywhere even more reason to get in on the game,
between now and December 31, 2009, visitors to www.unlockxbox.com will
have a chance to instantly win great prizes everyday including a Xbox
360 Arcade and copies of Halo 3 ODST as they log on to cast their
vote among the quarter-finalists. Promotion details and rules will be
available on www.unlockxbox.com during the promotion period.
Unlock Xbox is one of many ways the Doritos brand continues to turn
control over to consumers. The brand’s commitment to fan-empowerment
began with the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” program, which started in
2007 and has turned the brand’s Super Bowl advertising over to its fans
every year. In addition, the brand has put consumers in control through
a variety of other exciting opportunities, including the Doritos “X-13D
Flavor Experiment,” where consumers had a chance to name a new
mysterious flavor of chips; “THE QUEST,” which engaged fans in a
multi-faceted online and real-world adventure of challenges; and
“Doritos Late Night,” which provided Doritos fans ground-breaking
virtual musical performances by blink-182 and Big Boi through the power
of augmented reality technology where fans could enjoy and control the
performances in the palm of their hand.
