Smith takes smiles from lawns to Lay’s in new promotion

MADISON – A Madison man is expanding his commitment to help people at home so they can take a break and smile.

Rodney Smith Jr. has risen to pop-culture icon with his initiative, Raising Men Lawn Care Service, to motivate youth to mow 50 lawns in their communities. Now, his notoriety has grown with selection as a “Smile Ambassador” on bags of Lay’s snack chips for the “Smile with Lay’s” campaign.

The campaign directly benefits Operation Smile, an international medical charity that arranges for safe surgeries for individuals with cleft conditions.

“Smile with Lay’s reflects the true power of how a smile can change the world, beginning with one-on-one interaction with a stranger to lifechanging surgeries that Operation Smile (can) provide,” Kristie Magee Porcaro with Operation Smile said.

During the Smile with Lay’s campaign, Lay’s is converting millions of potato chip bags to feature the real smiles of 30 ‘ordinary’ people, like Rodney Smith, who are doing extraordinary actions in their communities.

The new Lay’s bags continue the brand’s mission to inspire even more smiles in 2020, with up to $1 million in proceeds benefitting Operation Smile. The Lay’s Smiles packaging spotlights stories of the 30 Smile Ambassadors who help homeless, veterans, youth, elderly and more. Hopefully, their inspiring work will bring smiles to faces of people across the country, spokesperson Ashleigh Hernandez said.

COVID-19 concerns led to cancelling in-person production in Dallas, Texas for Smile Ambassadors’ VIP photo and video shoot. As an alternative, each Smile Ambassador captured self-portraits with their phones, and Lay’s professionally enhanced the amateur photos for transferring to chip bags.

“Lay’s has the power to reach millions of Americans every day,” Lay’s Marketing Vice President Sadira Furlow said. “Turning the Lay’s bag into a canvas to multiply that happiness factor is what makes the Smiles program so special.”

Another reason to smile is the return of three favorite chip flavors — Fried Pickles with Ranch, Hot Sauce (in partnership with Frank’s RedHot) and Kettle-Cooked Beer Cheese.

For more information, visit Lays.com.