My Most Immortal Ad: James Cloete on Budweiser's 'Wassup'
There are only a few days to go until this year's Immortal Awards deadline. In the build up to the Friday 10th September cut off, our jurors have been taking it in turns to select the ads and campaigns that are most immortal to them, revealing the reasons why they've stayed with them until this day.
James Cloete, executive creative partner of M&C Saatchi Abel, has somehow narrowed his selection of favourites down to DDB Chicago's ad-adaption of True, a short film by Charles Stone III, that has spawned multiple re-makes and truly permeated popular culture since it launched in 1999.
The deadline for this year's Immortal Awards is Friday 10th September. More information on how to enter can be found at the bottom of the article.
Budweiser 'Wassup' (1999)
Choosing a favourite ad from any year is tough, but to choose The Most Immortal Ad of all time is near impossible!
Even if I limit my genre choice to just film, there have been so many greats… Apple’s ‘Here’s to The Crazy Ones’, Honda ‘Grrrr’ (Can Hate Be Great?), Guinness ‘Horses’, Volkswagen ‘Snowplough’, Levi ‘Freedom To Move’, Carling ‘You Know Who Your Mates Are’, a bunch from Honda, Stella, Johnny Walker, Diesel, Old Spice, Merc, BMW, Barclays, Playstation, Dove, Miller, Pepsi, Coca-Cola – and the list goes on and on.
So in choosing just one, I looked for a piece that has genuinely stood the test of time. It’s a piece that started out as a short film, before becoming a TV ad, that ultimately went on to infiltrate popular culture – being referenced in Hollywood films, TV shows (like the Simpsons and Friends), a chart topping track, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and even other brand’s ads (as recently as last year)!
I’m talking of course about Budweiser’s truly iconic ‘Wassup’ commercial, circa 1999 from DDB Chicago.
Credits
Agency: DDB Chicago
Creative Director: Vinny Warren
Art Director: Chuck Taylor
Based on True, a short film written and directed by Charles Stone III
Entries to The Immortal Awards are now open and Little Black Book members can make their submissions here today.
Entries into The Immortal Awards will be accepted until September 10th 2021. All entries must be made for a commissioning client, and must have first aired, broadcast, displayed, launched or published between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021.
Every member of LBB is entitled to up to five entries, depending on their membership tier. This year, Bronze members receive one entry, Silver members will receive two entries and Gold members will receive five entries. The full list of rules, including eligibility dates, can be found here.
Thanks to our wonderful Immortal Awards partners
Cheat | Framestore | MullenLowe Group | Whitehouse Post
Absolute Post | Blind Pig | Chesterfield Group | Gramercy Park Studios | Okay Studio | Raygun
Cinelab London | Compass Rose | Limehouse | Oliver | UNiDAYS | Freedman International
