On February 2nd, Lay’s is launching a myriad of ads inspired by the film Groundhog Day on ABC. The ads cast Stephen Tobolowsky, who starred in the classic 1993 comedy, as he experiences the unreal feeling of being trapped in a cyclical time loop. According to a press release, Lay’s is the only sponsor of the project, which includes eight unique ads, each promoting a different chip flavor, that will run a total of 75 times throughout the day.
The creative initiative, known as “Groundhog Lay’s,” is a joint endeavor between Lay’s, Disney Advertising, Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort, and Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot creative studio. This unusual advertising approach has set a precedent for both Lay’s and ABC owner Disney.
The overarching theme involves repetitive experiences, which can often repel viewers. However, Lay’s and its partners have transformed repetition into an innovative media strategy — believing the ad campaign’s design, reminiscent of Groundhog Day, could soften the audience’s perception. Tobolowsky, portraying a nuisance character named Ned from the original movie, goes through iterative visits to the checkout counter with growing realization of his time loop predicament.
As a running gimmick, the character brings different Lay’s chips to the register and undergoes the same broken register talk with Artemis Pebdani, whose presence may be familiar to viewers from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” When Tobolowsky finally questions his escape from the situation, Pebdani responds by asking him if he even knows how many Lay’s flavors there are — highlighting the character’s fate to relive his checkout nightmare for every Lay’s chip flavor.
The Lay’s ad campaign on Groundhog Day will comprise one-third of ABC’s total commercial content, appearing around popular shows like “Good Morning America,” “GMA3,” “General Hospital,” “Shark Tank,” “2020,” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” AMC’s marathon broadcasts of the Groundhog Day movie will also feature these ads. The campaign will further extend to YouTube and Hulu for a following four weeks, leveraging their targeting and frequency tools.
Remarkably, the “Groundhog Lay’s” campaign, usually reserved for upfront deals, was set up in just two weeks based on a pitch from the Maximum Effort agency. The agency, renowned for quick responses to cultural discussions and transforming them into self-referential marketing, has a regular collaboration history with Kimmelot.
Source: Lay’s time-loop ads inspired by ‘Groundhog Day’ take over ABC.
