'Never eating your chips again': Viewers slam 'disturbing' Doritos Super Bowl ad
A Doritos Super Bowl advertisement made by a Perth-born filmmaker has sent social media into meltdown with viewers slamming the ad calling it “chilling” and “disturbing” for making premature birth “appetizing”.
Hundreds of social media users have vented their disgust over the commercial, which opens with a father eating Doritos during his partners ultrasound appointment.
It ends with the mother screaming as the unborn baby lunges from her womb in pursuit of the popular snack.
The controversial advert has sparked heated debate on various social media channels with many declaring the commercial was “hilarious”, while others vowed never to eat Doritos again.
A pro-abortion group fumed at what it called the “tactic of humanizing fetuses & sexist tropes of dads as clueless & moms as uptight”.
#NotBuyingIt - that @Doritos ad using #antichoice tactic of humanizing fetuses & sexist tropes of dads as clueless & moms as uptight. #SB50
— NARAL (@NARAL) February 8, 2016
Peter Carstairs’ 30-second advertisement for Doritos was one of two finalists screened during the annual championship game of the US’ National Football League as part of a global competition.
But the short film, was pipped at the post and came in second to a rival advertisement featuring resourceful dogs.
One tweet posted by The Sklar Brothers stated: 'Nothing's more appetizing than an extremely pre mature birth. Way to go Doritos. #SB50'
Mindy Kaling tweeted: 'That Doritos ad was chilling.'
'We'll start with the idea of premature babies and then work backwards,' said the Doritos ad exec.' another social media user, Brandon McCarthy, tweeted.
"we'll start with the idea of premature babies and then work backwards," said the Doritos ad exec.
— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) February 7, 2016
Doritos: we kill babies.
— Stephen Falk (@stephenfalk) February 7, 2016
Eating Doritos around women who aren't past the 2nd trimester is the leading cause of spontaneous abortion.
— Kenny Darter (@1stRoundQB) February 7, 2016
However, there were many viewers who thought the advert was genius, including The Rock.
That Doritos baby ultrasound commercial could win best commercial of #SB50. 👏🏾😂
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 7, 2016
Doritos ad still the best ad so far #SuperBowl
— Brian Trimble (@bricktrimble) February 8, 2016
If you think the Doritos ad had to do with abortion, contraception or the killing of babies, PLEASE QUIT THE INTERNET. Like, now.
— Noelia Trujillo (@NoeliaSays) February 8, 2016
I think @Doritos wins the night with the ad featuring the dad at the ultrasound. @Buick, @Honda and #Prius all fall in closely behind.#SB50
— Kyle Harvey (@KyleHarveyOnTV) February 8, 2016
With a 100 million-plus audience, the cost of buying a 30-second advertising slot during the Super Bowl can be as much as $US5 million and the advertisements are often dissected as closely as the outcome of the game.
At stake in the annual competition was $US1 million in cash and a chance to shadow Hollywood director Zack Snyder.
Carstairs’ credits as a director include the 2007 film September and episodes of Nowhere Boys and Winners & Losers. He grew up in the Wheatbelt but lives in Melbourne.
Carstairs may not be too disappointed. Speaking to The West Australian before the result was known, he said it was about exposure and opportunity, not the cash.
“We wanted to do it because it’s such a great vehicle for exposure for a film-maker in Australia,” he said.
“The thing about being a film-maker is we don’t exist without an audience. It’s not always easy to get your stuff in front of an audience.”
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