Budweiser’s “Wassup” commercial is one of the most iconic and influential ad campaigns of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but its impact extended far beyond selling beer. The simple, yet unforgettable catchphrase "Wassup?" quickly transcended its commercial roots to become a viral meme, spreading across pop culture and the internet in a way that foreshadowed the meme culture we know today.
The Origin of “Wassup?”
The original "Wassup" commercial debuted on December 20, 1999, during Monday Night Football. Created by the DDB Worldwide agency, the ad was based on a short film called True by Charles Stone III, which had been making the rounds in film festivals. Stone’s film featured a group of friends casually greeting each other with the exaggerated phrase "Wassup?" over the phone.
In the Budweiser commercial, the setup was similar. A group of friends, all sitting in different locations, answer the phone with the enthusiastic "Wassup?" greeting. The ad brilliantly captured a slice of life—friends just hanging out, watching TV, and drinking Budweiser. The humor lay in the repetition and exaggeration of the "Wassup?" catchphrase, which quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
Viral Spread and Cultural Impact
Almost immediately, "Wassup?" entered the lexicon of everyday speech. The phrase was imitated, parodied, and referenced across a wide range of media, from TV shows and movies to late-night comedy sketches. It was a catchphrase that seemed to perfectly capture the laid-back, informal vibe of the turn of the millennium.
But the real magic of "Wassup?" was how it spread online. This was a time when the internet was still relatively young, and the ways in which content went viral were much less formalized than today. Yet, the "Wassup?" commercial was perfectly suited for the early internet culture. It was short, memorable, and easy to mimic—a recipe for viral success.
People began creating their own versions of the "Wassup?" commercial and sharing them online. These user-generated parodies ranged from the simple (friends mimicking the ad in their own lives) to the highly creative (animations, remixes, and even political parodies). The phrase "Wassup?" became a meme before the concept of memes was widely understood, a piece of culture that people could remix and adapt to their own contexts.
The Evolution of “Wassup?”
As with many viral trends, "Wassup?" eventually faded from the forefront of popular culture, but it never really disappeared. The phrase remained a touchstone of early 2000s nostalgia, occasionally referenced in new contexts or revived for humorous effect.
One of the most notable revivals occurred during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Charles Stone III and the original cast reunited to create a political parody of the ad in support of Barack Obama. In this version, the friends' enthusiastic "Wassup?" exchanges are contrasted with the grim realities of the time—foreclosures, the Iraq War, and the financial crisis. It was a clever update that showed how the phrase, once a symbol of carefree camaraderie, could be recontextualized to reflect the seriousness of the moment.
This revival underscored the lasting impact of the original campaign and its flexibility as a cultural symbol. It also highlighted how the internet and viral content had become integral to political and social discourse—a development that the original "Wassup?" ad had unknowingly anticipated.
