Whassup?
Budweiser1999
Whassup? is a 1999 60-second television commercial and campaign for Budweiser, created by DDB Chicago.
The line
Whassup?!
Why it works
Proof that advertising can borrow culture honestly instead of manufacturing it. DDB Chicago's Vinny Warren saw "True," a short film by Charles Stone III in which Stone and his real childhood friends greet each other with a drawn-out "whassup," and persuaded Anheuser-Busch to license it and hire Stone to direct — keeping his actual friends as the cast. The 60-second spot debuted during Monday Night Football on December 20, 1999 and ran during Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000; the catchphrase crossed borders faster than the beer did, becoming a global greeting even in countries where Budweiser wasn't sold. It is studied for authenticity of voice and casting, for bringing Black American vernacular to the center of mainstream advertising, and as one of the first campaigns to spread virally before 'viral' had infrastructure. It won the Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix in 2000.
Techniques
- Plain folks Casts the director's real childhood friends greeting each other in their own vernacular, so the beer belongs to ordinary mates rather than polished actors.
- Humour A drawn-out, repeated greeting becomes the comic hook, a catchphrase viewers can copy and pass along.
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