Adapting an Idea

Many things in life come down to a simple risk/reward analysis.  Starting a business is risky for most people because they must invest a good sum of money.  And it’s possible they’ll never get this money back.  Entering a contest like this, on the other hand, entails very little risk.  What’s the worst case?  You invest a little money, and your entry or idea doesn’t come through.  That’s exactly why I wanted to try this project out.  With very little investment, I thought it had the potential to really go big.  Thus far, the concept hasn’t exploded.  I’ve thought from the beginning that I would know within about a week whether this was going to go somewhere.  It would have either taken off virally or it wouldn’t have.  Given it hasn’t, I think making any trades will remain incredibly difficult.  I still think my original idea would make a very cool commercial.  And hey you never know, maybe just that right person will see this blog to get it going.  That would be awesome.  Short of that, I do have some other ideas, though.

Sometimes the willingness to adapt appropriately is a necessity to move forward.  While I haven’t decided the next best route yet or even if I would purse it this year, I do have multiple candidates.  I actually even wrote an entirely different script for an entry a while ago.  This is a strong contender.  But there are other ideas that have come up as well.  This is definitely not over.  I will continue for a little while longer to push for my original idea to go forward.  I still think it would be an amazing story.  So, for one last push, please help me get it going!  One more trade up would bring a lot more credibility to the story.  Posting that picture as large as possible on this blog would be very entertaining for people.  As always, thanks so much to anyone willing to repost this blog somewhere or help spread the word. I appreciate it!      

A Far Cry from the Usual

Crash The Super Bowl is an amazingly unique contest put together by Doritos.  I’ve studied its history and watched many past commercial entries.  It’s incredible that normal people can put together such creative and well-produced commercials.  For specifics, check out: http://videocontestnews.com/2012/01/07/a-brief-history-of-the-crash-the-super-bowl-contest/ .  Seriously, go to this page, find the names of past finalists, and watch some videos on YouTube. If you’re like me, a good portion of your day will be shot.  These videos are hilarious.

Hilarious videos are the norm. In this contest’s history, every single aired commercial has used a humor approach.  It has become the standard, it’s expected, and the vast majority of entrants will use it.   But where’s the fun in seeing what you expected?  Yes, it could still be funny, but you knew it was coming.  And the concept will probably be baby or animal based, yet again.  That was the past, and it worked great then.  This is the now, and people want something new.  Present a new option in a field of the old, and I think people will welcome it. 

When was the last time you saw a commercial based on a REAL story?  It doesn’t happen very often.  A change-up is just what this contest needs.  An inspirational story is that little push many need to remind them of their own ambitions.  People appreciate reminders of their dreams, and they like to see that big ideas are still possible.  It brings them hope that their ideas can succeed, too. As you can see, my commercial concept is quite different than most normal entries. The ideal attributes that I want my commercial to present are basically where I’m starting at, also.  I have hope, I believe big ideas are possible, and I’m trying to purse my idea.  Regardless of how this idea goes, I will maintain that attitude.  These are important outlooks, and I encourage everyone else to live by them as well.  If anyone is willing to post a link to my blog somewhere, it would really help me get this moving.  I would appreciate it so much.  Thanks for reading!

Time to Gain some Momentum

Well my idea is out there!  And the number of page views at this blog is increasing.  I posted a thread on Reddit, and I definitely got some initial interest for the idea.  Here is a link to it:  http://www.reddit.com/r/casualiama/comments/10bdq4/i_want_to_barter_up_a_bag_of_doritos_to_an/

I’d like to especially thank a participant there with the username, Nickolaus.  He was the first one to reply to the Reddit post, and he went out of his way to make his own thread promoting me on another website.  It’s not very often you meet someone completely new that does something so awesome for you.  So thanks again, buddy! 

I’m still very optimistic about the plan.  However, the biggest obstacle right now is bringing more attention to the idea.  Realistically, there is a very short time frame to do this in.  I really believe this idea has the potential to go viral.  I just need to promote the blog, so a few more people come.  Hopefully, word of mouth can take over, then.  I’ve got a few ideas to get more people here, and I will implement them soon.  Please tell everyone you know about my idea.  I appreciate all the help I can get a lot.  Does anyone have ideas to spread the word?  Do you know of any good forums or online communities which would be good to post at?  Please don’t be afraid to post some comments!  My next post will be more about the idea itself, I promise.  For right now, I just need to focus on growing awareness of the idea.      

It's Go Time!

From July of 2005 to July of 2006 a Canadian man named Kyle MacDonald bartered his way from a red paperclip to a house.  My dream is that I can top this.  I’ve started with a single bag of Doritos and wish to trade my way up to the most amazing item possible.  Should I be successful, my story will be the basis for an entry into Dorito’s Crash The Super Bowl Contest.  For those unfamiliar, this is a contest where normal people create 30-second ads for Doritos.  These ads are then submitted, and judges from Doritos pick five finalists.  People online then vote for their favorite entry. The creators of these five commercials all win $25,000 and a trip to the Super Bowl.  The top-voted entry online is the first Grand Prize Winner.  The judges then re-evaluate the other four and pick the second Grand Prize Winner.  These two Grand Prize Winners each get their commercial aired during the Super Bowl.  Each winner has a shot to win up to $1 million in bonus money.  How much bonus money won (if any) is determined by the commercial’s performance in an ad meter.  If the commercial ranks first, second, or third in the USA Today Super Bowl ad meter, the creator gets extra money.  The maker wins $1 million, $600,000, and $400,000 respectively for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd.

In any case, it took Kyle MacDonald just shy of a year to complete all of his trades.  I have until November 16^th 2012 (less than 2 months) to make mine AND create a commercial.  So if this is going to happen, I’m going to have to work fast.  Every year Doritos announces its rules, and then a video must be submitted within about two months.  So if you’re wondering why I’m limiting myself to such a short time period, it is due to the timing of the release of the contest rules.  Ideally, I’d like to have more time.  Still, I truly believe this is possible if I can channel my energy correctly.  I realize this idea can go nowhere without the help of others.  For that reason, I’m pledging to give away 50% of any money gained to one or more legitimately recognized charities.  If people are willing to help me, I will give back to help others.  Furthermore, I will blog to help out anyone I trade with in any way I’m comfortable with.  For example, I might mention your business, mention you’re looking for a job in a certain industry, or any other reasonable request.  As you would probably agree, I believe this is an incredible opportunity to create a truly unique ad, inspire others to pursue their dreams, and give back to aid the less fortunate.  Overall, it has the potential to positively affect multiple lives for the better.

I’ve started my trading already, and the first trade that I made was with my brother.  I traded my bag of Doritos for his old Playstation 2 and accessories (controllers, memory cards, games, etc.).  From here, very little is off the table for trades.  I just need each item to get bigger and better.  As for the format of the commercial, anyone I trade with WILL get a spot in the commercial.  Each trade will be documented with photographs.  These pictures will then be compiled into a narrated slide show that showcases the trading journey.  I live in Oswego, IL (near Aurora and Naperville).  I am willing to travel to Chicago and surrounding suburbs to make trades.  People living further away that are willing to come for a trade are also welcome.  The comments in this blog will serve as a place to make trade offers and give feedback.  Overall, I would like to make around 10 trades total.  Any more than that, and I think the 30-second advertisement would start to feel rushed.  To anyone that is willing to give feedback or make trade offers, thank you so much in advance.  At the beginning of the journey here, I will try to make a post to the blog every day and really keep up with the comments.  I want you all to get to know me a little better, inform you of more details to my plan, and keep everyone up to date on my latest trades.  My work schedule is kind of all over the place, so the timing of my posts could be a bit inconsistent.  I can’t wait to get started, and again I am so grateful for everyone interested in my story.  In the sidebar of this blog, I will have a picture of my current item with a description.  I will update it every time I make a trade.  You can use this information for making trading offers. 

Thanks!