The campaign reemerged in early 2002 as ‘‘Real Men of Genius.’’ The continuing success of ‘‘Real Men of Genius’’ led Anheuser-Busch to commission the campaign’s adaptation for a 2003–04 television run. With the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, however, the premise of mocking American heroes suddenly seemed questionable, and the spots were pulled from circulation. Another 17 spots followed the original 12. The radio commercials were likewise popular with Anheuser-Busch executives and distributors, and DDB was told to ‘‘keep ‘em coming,’’ according to Immesoete.
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Tape recordings of the spots showed up for sale at the online auction site eBay, and ‘‘Real American Heroes,’’ along with Budweiser’s famous ‘‘Whassup?!’’ television commercials (also created by DDB Worldwide Chicago), began to dominate the awards circuit.
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Radio personality Howard Stern lauded them on the air, and websites devoted to the jingles’ lyrics began appearing.
#Real men of genius series#
The initial series of 12 ‘‘Real American Heroes’’ spots attracted fans almost immediately. ‘‘But we ran them past the consumer,’’ Lachky told Adweek, ‘‘and they were a home run.’’ Anheuser-Busch was uncertain, in the beginning, about the extreme sarcasm of the commercials. The lyrics, sung in dramatic fashion by Bickler, worked in counterpoint to Stacker’s deadpan baritone voice-over, and a portrait of each ‘‘hero’’ emerged against the background of soaring music. After a lengthy search DDB hired announcer Pete Stacker, whose experience included traditional beer advertising, to do voice-over for the spots. For the commercials’ sound track, DDB commissioned Chicago-based Scandal Music to compose a comically overblown 1980s song similar to the Survivor hit ‘‘Eye of the Tiger,’’ and David Bickler, who had himself been Survivor’s lead singer, was hired to do a bombastic parody of his own vocal work. Though the television commercials were likewise well regarded, the campaign returned exclusively to radio the following year.Įxtending the tone of the Heston radio campaign and directly parodying Anheuser-Busch’s own ‘‘This Bud’s for You’’ concept, DDB’s creative team singled out ‘‘regular guys’’ in overlooked jobs or with comical foibles, ‘‘people who just need to be called out to take a bow for whatever reason,’’ as agency creative director John Immesoete said, and began scripting music-based mock tributes to them. ‘‘Real Men of Genius’’ made the rare leap from radio to television in 2003. Renamed ‘‘Real Men of Genius’’ after September 11, 2001, the campaign ran successfully for years, earning dozens of awards from the advertising industry while building a dedicated base of fans. The ‘‘Real American Heroes’’ campaign made a bigger splash than many believed possible for a radio effort. Anheuser-Busch spent a reported $4 million on the radio campaign in 2002. In keeping with the tone of a mid-1990s radio campaign and Bud Light’s consistently popular television campaigns, Anheuser-Busch unveiled a tongue-in-cheek series of radio spots called ‘‘Real American Heroes,’’ which parodied beer advertisements of previous decades. Although radio had become an afterthought for many advertisers by the late 1990s, Anheuser-Busch continued to explore the medium’s possibilities. Anheuser-Busch advertising, under Busch and marketing executive Bob Lachky, increasingly relied on irreverent, ironic humor to appeal to younger segments of its legal-drinking-age audience.
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#Real men of genius update#
Busch III, the company’s CEO) made it a priority to update Bud’s image for a new generation of beer drinkers. Anheuser-Busch maintained its market dominance in part by consistently setting the standard for beer advertising.Īfter assuming responsibility for advertising for the Bud family of brands in 1994, August A. The company’s flagship brew, Budweiser, remained the country’s most popular alcoholic beverage despite a decadelong decline in sales.Bud Light had meanwhile been making double-digit percentage gains in sales and was poised to overtake the ‘‘King of Beers,’’ thanks to the growing consumer preference for reduced-calorie beer. The faux-epic tributes featured great mock-serious voiceovers by Pete Stacker and over-the-top vocals by Survivor’s Dave Bickler.Īnheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., had the two best-selling beers in the United States in 2000 as well as more than double the market share of any competitor.
#Real men of genius tv#
Grocery Store Cart Wranglerīud Light’s “Real Men of Genius,” from DDB Chicago, facetiously saluting the world’s legion of unsung male heroes, is probably the best and funniest radio campaign of all time, and the TV spots were stellar, too. really really really bad dancer, Real Men of genius, TV/Film, USA | Leave a comment Mr. Bud Light’s – Real Men of Genius Posted: J| Author: fra30774 | Filed under: Cannes Lions, Case History, Legendary, TV/Film, Uncategorized, USA | Tags: Beer, Bud Lights, Cannes Lions, Case History, DDB Chicago, funniest campaign of all time, genius, Mr.