Remember When “Whassup?” Became Budweiser’s Ode to a Generation?

Why We Love Whassup?

A. It's simple

The ad doesn’t focus on using a bunch of adjectives to describe why their beer is superior to other beers, the friends simply state that they are enjoying this brand before the third friend comes along and starts the chorus of Whassup. True.

B. It's infectious

The more you hear it, the more likely you are to join in and do it yourself. Even grandma will be saying “Whassup” by the end of the commercial.

C. It's hilarious

It’s impossible not to smile and laugh at some of these commercials. In another ad from this campaign, an alien disguises himself as a dog and goes to Earth. When the alien returns and the alien king asks him what he learned, he sticks his tongue out and says “Whassup.”

What We Can Learn From Whassup?

1. Anything can go viral

What started with a couple friends turned into millions of people. Even countries who didn’t sell Budweiser weren’t immune from the influence of Whassup. After the campaign aired, traffic to the Budweiser website tripled to over a million viewers per month.

2. Repetition is the key

If they only said ‘Whassup’ once in the ad, we wouldn’t be writing about it. But because they kept saying it and kept looping new people in, it just worked.

3. Make it memorable

The ad became an instant classic. To this day, if you say Whassup to someone who has seen this ad and gets the reference, they are likely to repeat it back to you.

Key Moments

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