The FINANCIAL -- Iconic "Doritos Girl" Ali Landry, who rose to fame 15 years ago by starring in a Doritos Super Bowl ad, reunited with the Doritos brand once again last night when she announced the five finalists for this year's Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest.

Selected out of thousands of entrants, the five finalists will now compete for the chance to have their ads air during the Super Bowl XLVII broadcast on Feb. 3, 2013 on CBS. Two ads will air — one selected by America's votes and one by the Doritos brand team. The finalist whose ad scores highest on the USA TODAY Ad Meter rankings will be awarded the career-changing opportunity to work with acclaimed film director Michael Bay on the next installment of the blockbuster "Transformers" movie franchise, along with a shot at a $1 million bonus.

This marks the seventh year in a row consumers have created Super Bowl ads for Doritos, one of the flagship brands from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division.Landry launched her acting career on the heels of her eye-catching performance in the 1998 Doritos Super Bowl ad titled "Laundromat." Following her success on the Super Bowl stage, she achieved recurring roles on popular television shows, including "Felicity," "Two Guys and a Girl," "Sunset Beach," and "Popular," in addition to three seasons on the hit UPN network series "Eve."

She also earned a number of hosting credits including the music-talk show "Farm Club.com," NBC's "Spy TV," and "Full Frontal Fashion" on WE. Landry visited a Laundromat like the one that helped propel her career to celebrate the 15th anniversary of her iconic Super Bowl commercial and announce this year's five Crash the Super Bowl finalists. "In 1998 little did I know that my participation in a Doritos Super Bowl commercial would change the rest of my life," said Landry, who will be in the Los Angeles area today casting her vote in the contest and greeting fans. "As I celebrate 15 years as the 'Doritos Girl,' I couldn't be more excited to partner with the Doritos brand to announce the five finalists vying for a life-changing opportunity like the one I had."

The five Crash the Super Bowl finalist ads (in alphabetical order by finalist last name) are: "Goat 4 Sale" by Ben Callner, "Road Chip" by Tyler Dixon, "Fashionista Daddy" by Mark Freiburger, "Express Checkout" by Sasha Shemirani,  "Fetch" by Joe TarantoStar power is the theme of this year's contest.

In addition to sharing the same Super Bowl spotlight as Landry, this year's grand prize winner will also get the chance to work with Bay on the next installment of the "Transformers" movie franchise from Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, set to be released on June 27, 2014. As one of Hollywood's boldest and most bankable feature film directors, Bay's repertoire includes such blockbuster hits as the "Transformers" franchise, "Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor," "Bad Boys" and "The Rock."  Bay's films combined have grossed $5.4 billion in worldwide ticket sales, and his most recent hit, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," ranks as the fifth-highest grossing movie of all time, earning $1.2 billion at the box office.

"Similar to the opportunity Crash the Super Bowl provides to aspiring filmmakers, I also got my first big break creating ads," said Bay, who began his career as a creative force in the advertising world, winning many of the industry's top accolades, including being honored as "Commercial Director of the Year" by the Directors Guild of America at the young age of 27. "I am truly impressed with all five of these Doritos spots and excited to work with one of the creators as they make a name for themselves in Hollywood."

"Every year, we're simply overwhelmed with the quality, creativity and talent behind our fans' ads," said Ram Krishnan, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "This year is no different. Each of these five finalists brought their A-game to the contest, and we can't wait to see what happens when we get to the Super Bowl."

Since Crash the Super Bowl began in 2007, consumer-created Doritos ads have consistently ranked within the top-five spots of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, and three of the last four years they have scored the No. 1 ranking.

Each of the five finalists win $25,000 and a trip to New Orleans to attend Super Bowl XLVII in a private luxury suite at the game, where they will tune in to learn for the first time which of their Doritos ads will compete for the top spot in the USA TODAY Ad Meter before a worldwide audience. As PepsiCo Inc. said, bonus prizing will be awarded, based on how each ad ranks on the USA TODAY Ad Meter: $1 million will be awarded for an ad that scores the No. 1 spot on the USA TODAY Ad Meter, $600,000 will be awarded for an ad that scores the No. 2 spot on the USA TODAY Ad Meter, $400,000 will be awarded for an ad that scores the No. 3 spot on the USA TODAY Ad Meter.

Created in 1989, USA TODAY's Ad Meter has been regarded as the most influential Super Bowl ad rating in the advertising industry. USA TODAY Ad Meter does not sponsor and is not affiliated with the contest.

PepsiCo's relationship with the NFL is among the company's longest running and most successful sports sponsorships. PepsiCo leverages its partnership with the NFL to connect with consumers throughout the season, culminating at the Super Bowl with exciting activations by the company's largest food and beverage brands. Examples include:

Pepsi will sponsor the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show in New Orleans featuring global music icon Beyoncé on February 3, 2013, bringing Pepsi's signature style of consumer engagement to pop culture's biggest stage.
   

The national Pepsi NFL Anthems program brought to life original anthems for seven iconic NFL teams and featured some of today's most talented musical artists and players.
   

The NFL PLAY 60 Super Bowl Contest presented by Quaker is offering once-in-a-lifetime prizes to inspiring kids who make eating right and physical fitness a priority, with one grand prize winner selected to go to Super Bowl XLVII and run the game ball onto the field.
   

Gatorade and the Gatorade Sports Science Institute have been working closely with 11 NFL rookies this year to help guide their fueling plans and help improve performance, with each rookie's story documented in a web series called "Everything to Prove" on NFL.com. 
   

Since 1983, Gatorade has partnered with the NFL to fuel its athletes across all 32 teams. For Super Bowl XLVII, Gatorade will fuel the two competing teams with a highly-visible sidelines presence as well as a fuel presence in the locker rooms and training facilities.
   

Through the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week program, fans vote for a stand-out Rookie each week of the 2012 NFL regular season and finalists throughout the month of January, leading up to the announcement of the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Year in New Orleans the night before the Super Bowl.
   

All season long, the "Make Your Game Day Official" promotion gives consumers who capture Frito-Lay snacks and Pepsi beverages together a chance to win official NFL prizes, including a trip to Super Bowl XLVII.
   

NFL and Super Bowl-branded Pepsi packaging, national product displays with Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Quaker and Gatorade, and local New Orleans-themed point-of-sale materials engage fans in the marketplace.

Related Stories

• New Survey from YourTango and Ford: Couple Time in the Car Equals Love on the Road
• Mercer and RW3 form alliance to help international assignees prepare for expatriate assignments
• FTSE350 pension deficits rise above £100bn as liabilities reach record highs