Arguably, Doritos was ahead of its time when it created the Crash the Super Bowl contest, launching the first fan-created ad during the 2007 Big Game. Now, eight years later, while Doritos is still running its contest, many other advertisers have also discovered the beauty of involving brand fans in the creation of their multi-million-dollar spots.

In recent years, it seems more and more brands are bringing fans into the commercial conception process. Whether the ad is fully created by a fan or fans simply choose which commercial to air, many brands are gaining traction and attention by opening up the process to the masses.

Last year, five separate brands involved consumers in the making of their Super Bowl ad, making up 13% of ads during the game. Of course, Doritos was back, airing two of its Crash the Super Bowl finalists, “Time Machine” and “Cowboy Kid.” In fact, Doritos’ ads performed extremely well against other Super Bowl ads. Both ads made the top 15 of all Super Bowl ads last year, with “Cowboy Kid” earning an Ace Score of 640 and “Time Machine” receiving a score of 613.

Retail brand H&M also brought along consumers into its big spot, which featured David Beckham. Weeks before kick-off, consumers voted whether Beckham should be “covered” or “uncovered” during the brand’s underwear ad. Not surprisingly, fans voted for the “uncovered” version, which aired during the second quarter of the game. While the fan-chosen ad was not a particular standout, it did earn a respectable Ace Score of 524. 

While not exactly consumer-created, GoDaddy made waves last year when it included a real GoDaddy consumer during one of its two 0:30 Super Bowl ads. Many of the ad’s survey respondents applauded GoDaddy for taking a different approach other than its usual, hyper-sexualized visuals, while many others found the ad funny. While the ad did not earn the highest Ace Score—a 492—it did something new and different during the Super Bowl, which many consumers appreciated.

Similar to GoDaddy, Bud Light also solicited the participation of a fan in its Big Game ads—one 0:30 and one 0:60. The #UpForWhatever beer brand surprised an unsuspecting man with a whirlwind of a night, which included many celebrity appearances and a llama. The 0:30 “Epic Night” earned an Ace Score of 472 while “Epic Night Continued” earned a score of 499.

Intuit’s QuickBooks was the fifth brand to create a fan-based Super Bowl ad last year. The small business software brand invited companies to submit their story to be entered to win a professionally produced ad to air during the Big Game. GoldieBlox, a toy company focused on building play sets for girls, earned the spot and was featured in the 30-second commercial. The ad earned an Ace Score of just 473, which is not too surprising considering the ad was for an little-known brand with a product for children. Still, many consumers found the ad “cute” and enjoyed the music.

Interestingly, in general, Super Bowl ads with fan content usually score higher. Over the last five years, these fan content ads scored 4% higher than those Super Bowl ads without fan content.

This year, Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl campaign is back along with some other brands who are bringing fans into the fold. Carnival Cruises is inviting brand fans to vote for their favorite professionally-produced ad. GoDaddy solicited consumers to name the puppy in its fur-filled spot. And Snickers is asking fans to engage on social media if they want to see its Big Game ad before kickoff.