CW: Allie Tracy | AD: Allie Tracy
Lay’s: Have a good lay.
Your life is boring; there is nothing that excites you anymore. You go to work, sit in your cubicle all day, then go home and sit in that one chair you have claimed as your own, finally retiring to your bed that has the same indent from that odd fetal position you sleep in every night. Going through life one day at a time, hoping to somehow cheat the bland life you have been blessed with.
But life shouldn’t bleed you dry from the inside out. There should be something that you look forward to, something you shouldn’t only get on special occasions. Life is about indulging in the simple pleasures.
You deserve to get home and see your partner standing there with that golden twinkle in their eye, and you know what’s coming next. You’ll never have to think, “When was the last time…,” because you can know when the next time is. It’s not next Wednesday, it’s tonight. It’s anytime you want, anytime you crave. The next time you want to go to the store, rip open that foil, and reach your hand into that oily, salty, iconic, yellow bag of delicious potato chips, there is nothing stopping you.
Some things are made inconvenient on purpose, but Lay’s will never be. Have a Good Lay.
What you’re about to see:
This past semester, I took an advertising portfolio class where I partnered with a copywriter from another course to create a fully realized ad campaign. One of the first ideas I pitched was for Lay’s, built around the tagline “Always looking for a good Lay.” While my partner ultimately wasn’t on board, the idea stuck with me. It felt too strong to abandon, so I wrote it down and saved it for a time when I could fully explore it on my own.
This campaign is intentionally fun and light-hearted, constantly walking the tightrope of “What do they really mean?” One area I’ve always gravitated toward creatively is double meaning, finding language that can be read in more than one way and makes the audience pause, smile, and reconsider what they just saw. Life is full of these moments, and this campaign leans into that shared, often unspoken humor. The copy is built around phrases that are vague enough to swing both ways, toeing the line and encouraging a second glance.
Visually, I wanted the campaign to feel bold, colorful, and unmistakably Lay’s. I studied current Lay’s advertising and identified the circular pattern as a key brand element, using it as a unifying device across all pieces. This allowed the work to stay relevant in Lay’s branding while remaining energetic and scroll-stopping, whether on Instagram or a billboard. The font was chosen to be playful and bold, complementing the Lay’s script logo while maintaining strong legibility and impact.
Overall, this campaign explores how humor, restraint, and brand consistency can work together to create memorable advertising. By pairing suggestive, but never explicit, copy with vibrant, recognizable design, the work invites audiences to engage, laugh, and ultimately remember the brand.
