“QUALITY IN A SERVICE OR PRODUCT IS NOT WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT. IT IS WHAT THE CUSTOMER GETS
WHY BUDWEISER’S ICONIC AD FEELS FRESH AGAIN
OUT OF IT.” –PETER DRUCKER
Bringing back an old marketing ad or campaign for nostalgia doesn’t always pay off — but adapting them slightly to be more culturally relevant can make a strong impression. That’s why Budweiser’s “Whassup” ads have been so successful during the pandemic. The ad was first introduced to the world in a simpler time: 1999. “Whassup” is actually based on a short film called “TRUE” by an up- and-coming director, Charles Stone III. It had no discernible joke besides guys screaming “Whassup?” at each other over the phone. Vinny Warren, a creative director for the Chicago-based ad agency DDB, watched “TRUE” on a “super grainy, degraded” VHS tape and loved it. He thought it was brilliant and had an idea: What if the guys were holding Budweisers? He managed to sell the idea effortlessly. “Funny side note: We had already sold the idea to the client before we contacted Charles to tell him,” Warren admitted to MEL Magazine. “Bear in mind, this was late 1999. Not everything was online yet. I actually had to track Charles down and tell him the news and persuade him that we wouldn’t [mess it up].”
Luckily, the 2000 Super Bowl turned out to be one of the greatest Super Bowls ever — and when Budweiser’s “Whassup” ad hit the screens, it turned into a massive hit. In the 2020 remake, the ad uses the original video for full nostalgic impact, but with new audio to reflect the current times. One of the actors answers the phone saying they’re “in quarantine, having a Bud” instead of “watching a game, having a Bud.” After each of the actors connect over the phone with the iconic “whassup” line, the ad then closes with text: “Buds support buds. Check in with yours.” With millions of people staying at home during COVID-19, this hits home for many of them. Budweiser’s vice president, Monica Rustgi, says, “In times like these, something as simple as a hello or, in this case, ‘whassup’ means a lot. Following the unbelievable success of the original ad campaign, we found this to be a meaningful opportunity to revisit the original spot’s simplicity and focus on human connection in a time when people may be feeling hopeless, uncertain, and alone.” We couldn’t agree more — thanks for bringing a smile to our faces yet again, Budweiser!
“ MAKE EVERY INTERACTION COUNT, EVEN THE SMALL ONES. THEY ARE ALL RELEVANT.” –SHEP HYKEN
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