Someone tell Lizzo, Future (“Mask Off”), and Kidd Cudi (star of that Saturday Night Live sketch) that they need to ditch the flutes because Jack Harlow just changed the game. At least, he put it on a different angle in Doritos’ commercial for Super Bowl LVII. After weeks of teasers and drama with Missy Elliott, the full commercial is out, and it’s not what anyone anticipated. When searching for a new sound, Jack turns to the triangle, which becomes the hot new instrument.
In the expanded commercial, Jack leaves hip-hop behind. “You’re gonna quit rap for a triangle,” asks Missy. “I gotta do me, Missy,” says Jack. Everyone is on board with this. Sway on Sway’s Universe gives his new sound a thumbs up. The triangle replaced the British pound. And Jack gets nominated for the newly created category of Triangle Player of the Year…only to lose to Elton John. Yes, the triangle is so powerful it convinced Sir Elton to come out of retirement, ditch the keys, and play a giant triangle (while wearing a triangle-covered suit, naturally.)
Eagle-eyed fans from TikTok will spot Angelita Yadao-Payad, who is about to have her follower number skyrocket. She won Doritos’ #DoritosTriangleTryout TikTok challenge, which asked fans to do their best “triangle-inspired dance,” per AdWeek. Doritos will also take the triangle-madness to the Metaverse, becoming the first brand to re-create its Super Bowl commercial in the Metaverse,” per a news release. The snack brand is “offering fans the opportunity to produce and record their own musical triangle-inspired beats inside Decentraland at Doritos Triangle Studios for the chance to win epic prizes.”
Doritos will also launch the Doritos Triangle Scheme. “All Twitter users have to do is scan or tap the QR code in Doritos’ tweet on game day to generate their own unique QR code, then tweet it out with #DoritosTriangleScheme, #Entry, and @Doritos get their followers and friends to join in,” the brand announced. “The more people a fan gets to join the movement, the greater the chance they have to win the $25,000 grand prize. Those who don’t win with the QR code can keep an eye on Doritos’ Twitter feed during the game for more chances to win triangle-themed prizes.”
In the lead-up to the Super Bowl, Doritos shared a few teasers of the commercial. In one, Missy pleaded with Jack to come back into a studio. In another, Jack called Missy up for a collab, but when he proposed a “love triangle,” she wasn’t sure what he was asking. Who knew he meant an actual triangle?
Doritos first revealed that Jack was going to be involved in the 2023 Super Bowl commercial by posting a teaser of the “First Class” rapper avoiding the paparazzi to enjoy a quiet moment in his limo with a bag of Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ chips. One of the paps asks, “Is it true about the love triangle?” Jack takes a moment to consider this before saying, “Maybe.” Jack then takes a chomp of the Doritos. In the second teaser, Missy – in the hallway seen in the final teaser – answers her phone. “A collab? You know, I’ve been waiting to collab,” she says. “A love triangle? I don’t know about that.”
For ten years, Doritos invited fans to “Crash the Super Bowl” by creating their own commercials to air during the Big Game. It allowed fledging creatives a shot at the big game, allowed Doritos to get a feel about what consumers want to see in the commercials, and gave viewers some memorable moments during the Super Bowl. Doritos retired the contest after the 2016 Super Bowl, with the winner getting a chance to work with Zach Snyder, but revived it during the 2020 pandemic to help boost morale as people were under lockdown.