Ray’s time-loop ad inspired by ‘Groundhog Day’ takes ABC by storm

Diving overview:

• ABC viewers will get a sense of déjà vu on Friday (February 2) as Ray’s airs a slew of ads inspired by the movie “Groundhog Day” and its famous holiday, according to a press release. He says he might feel it. Lay’s is the sole sponsor of this activation.
• This creative stars Stephen Toborowsky, who played Ned in the classic 1993 comedy film, as he repeatedly visits Artemis Pevdani’s cash register and gradually realizes he’s stuck in a time loop. Masu. Each of his eight custom spots promotes a different chip variation, and the ads air a total of 75 times throughout his day.
• “Groundhog Lay’s” is the result of a collaboration between snack marketers, Disney Advertising, Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort and Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmerott Creative Studio. This is the first advertising deal of its kind for the Rays and ABC owner Disney.

Dive Insight:

Excessive advertising frequency is a common complaint among viewers, but what if campaigns were built around that concept? Ray’s and numerous partners, including Ryan Reynolds’ popular agency Maximum Effort, Positioning repetition as an innovative media strategy, it uses the popular Bill Murray vehicle to portray a tough cynic softened by having to survive the same day. And once again.

Although Frito-Lay’s snack brand didn’t enlist Murray in its holiday-focused efforts (Jeep beat it to victory with its Super Bowl “Groundhog Day” campaign a few years ago), it still Advertising has limited sources of inspiration. The lead role went to Tobolowsky, who played the persistently irritable Ned in the original film.

The eight ads, which span a total of four minutes, depict Tobolowsky becoming increasingly aware of and distressed by his time-loop predicament as he brings various Frito-Lay chips to the register and has the same conversation with actor Pebdani about the broken register. It is. Consumers may be familiar with “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” When Tobolowsky finally breaks down in tears and asks if he’ll ever make it out of his hellish situation, Pevdani responds by asking if she knows how many flavors of Lay’s there are, and says that each type of chip available is a nightmare to check out. He indicated that he intended to repeat it again.

Ray’s series of spots aired 75 times on Groundhog Day and accounted for a third of ABC’s commercial inventory. The ads will run around shows such as “Good Morning America,” “GMA3,” “General Hospital,” “Shark Tank,” “20/20,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and during his AMC marathon broadcasts. It shows. A movie called “Groundhog Day.” To drive digital engagement, the campaign will leverage targeting and frequency tools and will be expanded to YouTube and Hulu for an additional four weeks.

While many TV purchases are scheduled months in advance through prepaid contracts, “Groundhog Lay’s” came together in just two weeks based on a pitch from Maximum Effort. The celebrity-backed agency, a regular Kimmelo collaborator, has built a reputation for quickly jumping on cultural conversations and turning them into self-referential marketing.