The $12.79 Superbowl Ad!

Jackie over at the Church of the Customer reports on the bevy of brands who are inviting consumers to help create ads for that most prized of media moments: the Superbowl. This is still one of the most watched events in the world, with 98 million people tuning in last year.

She points out that Chevrolet and the NFL are half-hearted, as they only ask for ideas, and then shoot the films themselves. Doritos on the other hand actually ask for videos from aspiring film-makers and ask people to vote, with the winner being aired. And one of the 5 finalists says on the site that their ad cost the princely sum of $12.79. Which is at least $999 987 and 21 cents less that most of the ads in the Superbowl.

I can see several benefits from the Dorito's approach:

1. There's the obvious saving in production budget

2. You create interest in the brand via the voting that people do, and the film-making

3. The innovative (though getting less so in the USA) approach creates extra buzz around the brand

Most of the examples to date seem to be US based. Any European ones out there?