Manhattan Beach couple hopes to ‘Crash the Super Bowl’ with their Doritos commercial

As she watched Super Bowl XLIX in February, Nancy Franklin decided she wanted in on the action.

A marketing specialist and hard core Seattle Seahawks fan, Franklin became inspired to write a commercial she could enjoy with her husband, Joe, during football and Madison Avenue’s biggest night of the year.

The Manhattan Beach couple teamed up with local South Bay talent to create a commercial for the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest. The winner’s 30-second commercial will air during the live 2016 Super Bowl broadcast and take home the million-dollar grand prize.

Though commercial scripts aren’t necessarily her area of expertise, the marketing veteran is confident she can produce a high-quality winning piece.

“I’ve known about the contest for a number of years and thought it was a great and fun idea,” Franklin said. “And I’ve been in the business for over 30 years. It’s just fun to stretch my imagination and capabilities and see if I can do something like this.”

Wanting to make the commercial shoot a community experience, the team cast local South Bay actors and crew, including Manhattan Beach director Scott Papera. More than 25 people are donating their time and talent to the shoot, Franklin said.

“I’m excited. I really believe in the script and the people we have working on this. Everyone is going in this with the desire to make it work,” she said.

But a major component of the script required filming in a supermarket. Without giving too much of the plot away, Franklin said the commercial will feature a competition for the perfect snack — Doritos chips — in a supermarket. After contacting Ralphs in Manhattan Beach and explaining their concept for the commercial and community benefits, the Franklins were given permission to film at the supermarket this weekend.

With filming right around the corner, Franklin said they are hoping for the best and planning for the worst.

“Part of this is wanting to do it for the love of the community and wanting to do something fun and creative and to see if I can compete in that arena. It’d be great to have a million dollars but I really think I can make it a win-win for everyone,” she said. “But I would also love to have bragging rights and see it at the Super Bowl — who wouldn’t?”