• by Steve Ellwanger , November 24, 2021

In a first for Frito-Lay, the snacks marketer is going long-form with a two-minute holiday season commercial featuring Jimmy Fallon and family that debuts during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Fallon, his wife and two young daughters are front and center in a spot titled “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” as the comedian and talk-show host sings the holiday classic—with lyrics adjusted to cite a variety of Frito-Lay products.

Filmed in Los Angeles and New York, the spot from Frito-Lay’s in-house agency opens with Fallon skating on ice on which the words "Happy HoliLay’s" are superimposed.

Moving indoors, Fallon assumes various wacky characters while singing about leaning Christmas trees, tangled lights and orange Cheetos stains on white shirts.

The intent is to make people smile and spread joy, according to Chris Bellinger, vice president of creative at Frito-Lay’s in-house agency.

That’s why Fallon was chosen. “We wanted to make it smile-inducing, and he was kind of the only choice we had,” Bellinger tells Marketing Daily.

“He completely embodied it and he’s also a huge fan of the products. We said ‘we’ll send you some of your favorite chips.’ And he’s like, ‘no I’m fully stocked. I can send you guys some.’ That kind of partnership is rare.”

Last year, Frito-Lay’s holiday campaign was fronted by Anna Kendrick in a commercial where she prepares for a holiday party.

“This is more whimsical. It brings in all aspects of the holiday and is everything you can imagine that brings all the holiday moments to life—both small and large,” says Bellinger.

The company chose the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the two-minute spot because “It’s sort of like the Super Bowl for the holidays. It’s a first for us. We’re moving more and more into longer-form content and storytelling. People really want to be entertained."

Through Dec. 31, specially marked holiday packages of 14 Lay’s, Cheetos and Smartfood SKUs will generate donations to Toys for Tots.