WHASSUP

 By Kelsey Fording

WHASSSSSSSSUPPPPPP… Back for another blog of the week here with one of the most memorable ads in pop culture history. The "Whassup" Campaign is by far one of the most iconic and famous advertising campaigns of all time. Anheuser-Busch, along with the BBD Chicago Advertising Agency, launched Budweiser's famous ad all the back in 1999 yet still makes appearances today in 2020.  

In 1999 Anheuser-Busch already produced the top two best-selling beers in America, knowns as their original Budweiser and Bud Light. Between the two of them, they dominated over half of the market share at the time. But strangely enough, Budweiser's sales had been seeing a decade-long decline while Bud Light was predicted to take over due to the changing in trends. To address this problem, Anheuser-Busch needed to find a way to keep the younger demographics engaged and keep Budweiser relevant, which is precisely what they did.

    Charles Stone III had the genesis idea of creating a short film called "True." What made Stones' short film so unique is that it has no relation to the advertising industry, unlike others before his time. But a DDB creative came across the film showed the rest of the team, and they didn't just fall in love with the concept of the film but hired Charles Stone III himself to write and star in the campaign… along with his real best friends! This was one of my favorite things about this campaign because the group of guys' chemistry and emotions come across so authentic and genuine. After all, it was! The best friends have been using the slang of "whassup" and "true" back to 1984.

    We have all seen the original ad, and if you haven't, you have defiantly heard the reference somewhere over the past 20 years. The original 1-minute ad premiered in December of '99 showed two ordinary guys watching the game sipping a bud talking over the phone with no real purpose of the conversation other to see what they were up to until one hears another in the background. Then guys all get on the different phones, and all end up greeting each other with a long and dramatic "whassup." The ad ends just like it started with asking what the other is doing while both guys are chilling watching the game drinking a bud, ending with a "true, true."

    What seemed so simple and relatable for millions continued to make several versions of the ads, including placing a "Whassup" ad in the 2000 Super Bowl. The "Whassup True" ads' goal was all the be a sigh of relief and not to feel like an ad but to have a quick laugh while also being able to have their main target demographic of 21-27-year-old Americans feel like they could directly relate to this group of friends. By targeting these newly legal beer drinkers, Budweiser tried to gain their brand loyalty before they could favor their competitors and target a newer group of consumers. Even though skeptics assumed that Budweiser was focusing on the African American race, it was clear to see that people of all races and ethnicities could relate to the "Whassup" ads. The concept of hanging with the boys, drinking a Bud being goofy was relatable for almost all guys between their young men's target group.

    Then the parodies and extreme publicity began, and "Whassup" dominated pop culture. Featured on Forbes, appeared on SNL, made its way into movies such as Scary Movie, and was mentioned thousands of times in the media on the news and other shows.

An explosion in media coverage brought along priceless success for the company and the agency. DDB won many significant awards in the advertising industry, like the Advertiser of the Year and the Grand Prix at the International Advertising Festival. The campaign "Whassup" lasted for the entire year of 2001 and was featured in numerous pop-culture coverages in 2000.

What started as the "Whassup" campaign with Budweiser adapted into a more expensive campaign of "True" that would still pay references to the "whassup" but didn't overuse the joke… smart. Instead highlighted more relatable and relevant content to their targets.

 Now, 20 years later, it is back! Budweiser Canada featured a "Whassup" ad in the 2020 Superbowl in February with the new "actors" as a smart house technology and then again this year in April with a little bit of a more serious tone in regards to Covid-19 and quarantine. Decades later, the campaign's legacy still brings a smile to our faces and shows what true friendship is. I guess it's safe to say that some ads can truly live forever.

Advertising Agency: DDB Chicago
Creative Director: Bob Scarpelli
Copywriter: Charles Stone III
Art Director: Chuck Taylor
Production Company: C&C Storm Films
Director: Charles Stone III

Source: “Budweiser – The Story of WHASSUP?!” This Is Not ADVERTISING, 1 Sept. 2011, thisisnotadvertising.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/budweiser-the-story-of-whassup/.