Frito-Lay to pay homage to Groundhog Day with eight different TV ads

Frito-Lay to pay homage to Groundhog Day with eight different TV ads

Chip brand Frito-Lay will air a barrage of commercials on Groundhog Day, which are meant to pay homage to the 1993 film of the same name.

The brand released eight commercials that will air Friday, all of which feature actor Stephen Tobolowsky checking out at a grocery store with a different flavor of Lay’s chips. Tobolowsky’s character becomes aware and frustrated that he is living the same event over and over again, in the same vein as what happened to Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day.

Chris Bellinger, the chief creative officer of PepsiCo Foods U.S., explained that brands are able to purchase views when buying ad time on channels but are unable to buy discussion of ads by consumers. This new wave of ads, Bellinger explained, is meant to generate such conversation.

“That’s worth its weight in gold,” Bellinger told Variety.

All eight ads are set to air on ABC, with Frito-Lay purchasing a third of the network’s national advertising inventory for Friday. Those who wish to spot the ads live can see them on Good Morning America, GMA3, General Hospital, Shark Tank, 20/20, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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Tobolowsky’s appearance in the commercials is a reference to the film Groundhog Day itself, as he played the role of Ned Ryerson, a man trying to sell Murray’s character life insurance.

On Friday morning, thousands will watch the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if the iconic animal will see his shadow. The Pennsylvania Dutch tradition serves as an indicator of whether there will be six more weeks of winter or spring will come early.

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