Posted by A new commercial released by Lay’s in 2024 commemorates the Groundhog Day with two exceptional actors: Stephen Tobolowsky & Artemis Pebdani.
There are already people out there saying it’s one of the most genius ideas in the last few years of advertising. You watch it for the first time, and you know immediately you are seeing something special: the commercial released by Lay’s in February 2024 is an extraordinary sponsorship with Disney, commemorating the iconic 1993 movie Groundhog Day and the famous time loop concept, which fits perfectly in a commercial.
After All, February 2nd is Groundhog Day for a reason, and that’s when the ad was released. However, what really marked our imagination forever is the movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell released in 1993: in that film, the protagonist is stuck in time, and he relives Groundhog Day forever, trying to escape this inexplicable trap. If you don’t remember the movie, you can find the official trailer below.
Now, what’s the perfect dimension for the time loop concept? Where can a sequence repeat itself over and over, just with a few changes, elevating the idea to its maximum expression? In a commercial, of course! The reason is apparent: a commercial is already something that returns repeatedly on TV while we watch our favorite channels. Now, with the 2024 Lay’s commercial, we’ll have the chance to watch a slightly different version of the ad every time, featuring a new chip’s flavor and making the story evolve every new round.
The result is a set of 8 different commercials, each telling a new side of the same story. You can watch them one after the other below. Happy Groundhog Lay’s!
Stephen Tobolowsky and Artemis Pebdani, the actors in the 2024 Lay’s commercial celebrating Groundhog Day
A great idea needs great actors, someone may say. Even there, the 2024 Lay’s commercial met the expectations: the two actors standing out in the ad are Stephen Tobolowsky and Artemis Pebdani, two American performers from different generations, perfectly matching the story.
Stephen Tobolowsky‘s presence in the Lay’s Groundhog Day commercial is the cherry on top: he was the actor playing the insurance salesman in the 1993 movie. We all remember him, right? Watch him again in the scene below.
Tobolowsky has appeared in over 250 film and television projects and is recognized for his distinctive voice and memorable character roles. Besides Groundhog Day, he appeared in movies such as Memento, The Insider, and Thelma & Louise. He’s also been active in television, with roles in popular shows like Deadwood, Californication, and The Goldbergs. His role in Groundhog Day is still his distinctive performance, though, and that’s what makes the Lay’s commercial so special.
The actress playing the cashier in the commercial is Artemis Pebdani, another iconic personality of American cinema. Her most famous role was probably as Artemis Dubois on the popular FX sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. However, she also played in series like How I Met Your Mother, Garfunkel and Oates, Scandal, and Star Trek: Lower Decks.
The two actors get along so well in the Lays commercial: the cashier represents immutable time, the trap where the character played by Stephen Tobolowsky is stuck. The way the plot evolves is fantastic: first, the man tries to get along with it; after that, the apathy comes, immediately followed by a peak of empathy and understanding. Ultimately, that man is desperate and wants to escape that loop. That’s where Artemis Pebdani shows her creepy side: she informs the man that there is no way out, with all those Lay’s flavors available. “We haven’t even gotten to the Lay’s Veggie Poppables yet.” And now we wonder if we’ll actually get there soon.
We’ll be looking forward to seeing the Lay’s Groundhog Day commercial in the following weeks, and every time it arrives, we will be playing a fascinating game, trying to discover what version of the ad was aired. The magic of the time loop applied to the advertising world: thank you, Lay’s and Disney!
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