Mar 14, 2008 6:05 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Amy Johannes

Frito-Lay’s Doritos brand and MTV are in the final days of their nationwide search to find some spicy girls and sweets guys to participate in a short-form dating reality series debuting in April.

People 18 and older can compete for a chance to appear on the show, “When Spicy Meets Sweets,” by registering and building a profile at http://spicyandsweet.nextornot.com through March 16. Contestants are selected based on the amount of time people spend on the profile pages. The microsite taps into MTV’s existing NextorNot.com community that is based on the popular reality show “Next.”

The promotion, in part, originated as part of Doritos’ recent product launch, Spicy Sweet Chili tortilla chips. It plays off the experience of combining two opposite things that complement each other. So, Doritos decided to take that notion a step further into the world of dating with MTV.

“We wanted to come up with a way we could articulate the chip and product experience into something that is mirrored in real life,” said Kristen Colonna, associate director of national TV investment for OMD, the agency handling the promotion.

Eight people, four spicy girls and four sweet guys, will be selected March 17. The semi-finalists will then be filmed in 18 one-minute-long episodes that will appear on MTV starting April 18. Six episodes will air per week for three weeks.

The winning couple, to be determined by voters, will be featured on a national Doritos commercial airing this summer on MTV and MTV2.

So far, more than 25,000 have opted in to promotion, Colonna said. The average time spent on the site is about 33 minutes, she said.

“It’s all about delivering an intense experience with consumers,” Colonna said.

TV spots, in-store displays, banner ad and online marketing support the promotion.

MTV acts as the creative lead producing promotional assets for the campaign. Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Doritos’ agency of record, is acting as creative consultant. The Marketing Arm created the concept, handles displays for Doritos and is responsible for the look and feel of the campaign.

For more stories on games, contests & sweepsFor more coverage on entertainment marketing

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