Whassup with This Budweiser Campaign

It is no shock that beer brands have been utilizing "bro humor" for quite some time. However, few have been able to top Budweiser's single word catchphrase that stuck with many, and proved this form of silliness can be successful.

This particular ad campaign began in late 1999, but caught fire after being released during the Super Bowl of 2000. The ad featured a group of male friends greeting one another with "Whassup" as they are "watching the game, having a Bud."

The ad drew some rocky reactions from some older Anheuser-Busch distributors who worried the context would create too urban of a message, and stray from their traditional brand image. The criticism faded quickly as the ad began to become a hit. The Budweiser Whassup ad  has been considered one of the most iconic, pop culture ads of the twenty-first century. It obtained several awards, and even gained recognition from impressive Media personalities such as Katie Couric and Howard Stern.

"The campaign went viral before we knew what viral even meant, as people around the world began joyfully greeting each other with their newfound urban phrase," said Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide and an Ad Age judge.

In addition, digitally the ad was ahead of its time. The brand invited viewers to visit their website where they could learn how to say "Whassup" in more than 30 languages.

This particular ad campaign may have been released at the turn of the century. However, its iconic catchphrase is still well-known to this day. Check out the ad below and see if you remember this classic ad campaign that helped revamp Budweiser's brand image and tone.