Cyrus Langhorne
The biggest names in entertainment are encouraging friendship goals during quarantine. HBO "Insecure" star Issa Rae connects with fellow actress Gabrielle Union, her husband Dwyane Wade and more in Budweiser's latest Whassup public service announcement.
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The episode is part of Budweiser’s ongoing campaign which acts as a reminder for America to prioritize check-ins with loved ones as the country endures unprecedented social isolation to combat COVID-19. The campaign’s first episode launched last week, featuring Wade and Union checking in with Chris Bosh, Candace Parker, and DJ D-Nice.
The episode also acts as a reminder of Budweiser’s continued partnership in support of The Salvation Army who launched a nationwide hotline in April in response to rising levels of anxiety, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the pandemic.
Budweiser is also offering its community the chance to say “whassup” through a host of interactive activations on its social platforms every day at 6:00 PM EST. Wade and Union will be kicking it off tomorrow via Instgram Live (@BudweiserUSA) to answer questions submitted by fans while having a bud.
The original “whassup” ad rose to pop culture prominence in 1999, creating a widely-used catchphrase that manifested itself in different corners of culture and achieved industry-wide acclaim. Now, Budweiser was compelled to bring back the commercial for today’s times as the country comes to grips with uncertain periods of isolation. Bud has collaborated with Dwyane Wade and a collection of athletes, musicians and celebrities from his close network to bring back the commercial as a PSA for connecting with each other in order to stave off isolation and loneliness.
“Thanks to modern technology, we’re able to remain virtually connected in ways that otherwise we would not have been able to within the current distance-mandated climate,” said Monica Rustgi, Vice President of Marketing for Budweiser. “In times like these, something as simple as a hello, or in this case ‘whassup,’ means a lot. Following the unbelievable success of the original ad campaign, we found this to be a meaningful opportunity to revisit the original spot’s simplicity and focus on human connection in a time when people may be feeling hopeless, uncertain, and alone. Our hope is that by getting people to check in, we can play a small part in bringing the world closer together during these trying times.”
