Jonthan+Denis3

media type="youtube" key="tauYnVE6ykU&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" Budweiser is known for producing funny and successful commercials. One of their most successful spots was //Wazzup//, which first aired on December 20th 1999 (1). //Wazzup// was incredibly successful and designed perfectly for which it was intended. The spot succeeded in coercing a large number of people into subconsciously thinking about the Bud brand. It was designed to get people to interact with and redistribute the advertisement. This method of marketing is called viral advertising. //Wassup// became one of the best examples in viral advertising history by creating an advertisement people wanted to share. The catch phrase “Wazzup”, which is an alteration of the phrase “What’s up?” became widely popular all over America and turned into a pop culture phenomenon. Budweiser commandeered the popular vernacular phrase “What’s up?” and stamped the Bud brand on it. This essay will describe and analyze why //Wazzup// was a successful and well designed commercial.
 * //__ Wazzzzzup? __//**

//Wazzup// was directed by Charles Stone III, a Brooklyn based film maker (1). The spot was a derivative of Stone’s short film //True//, which featured Stone and three childhood friends saying the phrases “Wazzup” and “True” to each other in a comical manner. The film was recognized by the Chicago based ad agency DDB who presented the film to Anheuser-Busch (1). DDB convinced Anheuser-Busch the premise had “viral” potential in the young adult scene. In 1999, Anheuser-Bush signed Stone to direct Budweiser TV commercials based on //True (1)//. Stone auditioned numerous actors for the initial commercial, but later decided to hire his original //True// cast to create a more natural motif. The spot first aired in December of the same year on Monday Night Football. It subsequently became a staple spot on sports television for years to come.

The spot starts out slow and easy with a shot of a young man, Character A, relaxing on a couch with a bottle of Budweiser in his hand. The light sound of a football game can be heard in the background. The phone rings. A friend, Character B, is on the other line. They exchange questions about what they are doing. Both respond with “Nothin’, watchin’ the game… havin’ a Bud. True, true”. The relaxed tone of the spot is interrupted by Character A’s roommate who just came home. He picks up the phone and exclaims “Wazzzzup?”. This sets off a hilarious exchange of //Wazzups// between the three friends. The roommate asks Character B “Yo. Where’s Dookie”. Character B tells Dookie to pick up the phone. More //Wazzups// ensue. This time the //Wassups// degenerate from the standard “Wazzup” pronunciation to simple “aaaaaahhh”, “wwwazzzzz”, and “eeeeeehhhhh” exclamations. The camera view quickly shifts back and forth between each character as they scream their renditions of //Wuzzup// while making ridiculous facial expressions. The “Wazzup” chorus is abruptly ended by Dookie and the roommate hanging up the phone. The mood becomes relaxed again as the focus is suddenly shifted back to the original Character A and Character B setting. Character A asks “So What’s up B?”. Character B responds “Nothin’, watchin’ the game… havin’ a Bud. True, true.”. The Budweiser logo is displayed, ending the spot.

People liked the //Wazzup// spot because it changed a commonly used phrase into something hilarious. It enabled its audience to be funny when greeting their friends with out necessarily having to be original. The comedy of //Wazzup// was easy to use and replicate. The ease of use and hilariousness of //Wazzup// are what made the spot so successful.

The //Wazzup// spot worked perfectly on young adults. A young male might be hanging out at a friend’s house watching the spot and thinking “Hey you know what? That’s pretty hilarious”. For the next few weeks, he and his friends will greet each other by saying “Wazzzzzzup?”. It is fun, so why not indulge in the easy comedy? The spot worked in the same manner on many groups of friends. It was common place to hear young adults saying the phrase in 1999 through 2000. The name of Budweiser was subconsciously spread with each utterance of “Wazzup”. It became a virus, spreading itself from person to person, giving free advertisement to Budweiser and //Wazzup// with each new host.

The reach of the spot went beyond young adults. Teenagers, kids, and even full blown adults were susceptible to the virus. Like with young adults, teenagers loved indulging in the easy comedy of //Wazzup//. It was still fun saying the phrase even though they were not of legal age to consume Budweiser’s products. It planted the seed of the Bud brand, so when they do become of legal age to drink they might choose Budweiser. They could also still be effective hosts for the viral spreading of the advertisement. Adults weren’t immune to the virus either. //Wassup// may have been too immature for full adults to indulge in, but there was no hiding from the phrase. The massive popularity of //Wazzup// ensured adults would eventually come in contact with it and be forced to subconsciously think about the Bud brand.

The viral side effects of //Wazzup// are what made the spot so effective. Most TV commercials need a great volume of viewers to make an impact on sales. This is very expensive and can become a huge waste of money if the spot does not succeed. //Wazzup// was successful both inside and outside of the spot. Gregg Spiridellis co-founded the animation and design studio JibJab and is considered an expert on viral advertising. In and interview with USA Today he states, “All viral means ... is that you've created a message that people want to share. It's proof that your message is resonating. If people want to pass it along, that's what brand marketing is all about” (2). He is explaining that the ultimate goal of a viral advertisement is to create something so interesting; people will want to share it with each other. The key is to get the consumers to talk amongst themselves.

In the early 2000s, //Wazzup// took the theory of getting people to talk amongst themselves to an extreme level. It became an Internet phenomenon when people began creating their own versions of //Wazzup// by superimposing the spot’s audio and text over clips of their favorite animations, movies, and TV shows. Some were considered funny, some were not, but the simple fact that people were using the ad to create something new shows how effective //Wazzup// was at getting the Bud brand out to the masses. TV shows such as Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Sportscenter, and South Park created spoofs on //Wazzup// which expanded the message of the advertisement even further. //Wazzup// evolved from a simple TV spot to a staple comedy bit in American media.

By 2000, the incredible impact Wazzup had on American pop culture was undeniable. Charles Stone III won the Grand Prix Award (best overall) in June 2000 at the Cannes Film Festival (3). In the same year he also won the advertising industry’s highest accolade, the Grand Clio Award. //Wazzup// was inducted into the Clio Hall of Fame in 2006 (1). The spot became one of the most highly awarded and effective advertisements of all time.

//Wassup// was a very successful advertisement because the Bud brand message was received by a great number of people. It was designed to make its audience become so intrigued with the ad that they would share it with others. Its strategy was perfectly executed. Young adults and teenagers frequently used the phrase “Wazzup” when greeting their friends. People were rabidly infecting each other with the //Wazzup// virus. The spot and phrase became so popular that TV shows and the mass media copied it for their own cheap jokes. //Wazzup// became a pop culture phenomenon. Budweiser was getting free advertisement by simply getting the ball rolling on a new way to say “What’s up”. //Wazzup// will go down in history as one of the most successful and well designed commercials ever.