Brief:

• Budweiser Canada is bringing back the beer brand's iconic "Whassup" mantra in a Super Bowl ad that displays a special code to request a safe ride home from Uber. The campaign marks the first time that the beer brand has partnered with Uber on a nationwide campaign, per a press release.
• The 60-second ad shows an array of smart-home gadgets using the famous catchphrase before they're interrupted by a football fan who walks in on them to grab a 12-pack of Budweiser. The fan checks his phone to see that Uber has notified him that a driver is coming to pick him up, while a narrator says, "Don't be stupid about how you get around."
• Uber users can use the code before requesting a ride by tapping "Wallet" or "Payment" in the top-left menu of its app. After that, they must scroll to "Promotions" and select "Add Promo Code" to enter the code and tap "Apply," per the announcement.

Insight:

Budweiser Canada's Super Bowl campaign aims to drive a direct response to Uber by including a call-to-action and a special code for mobile users to put into the ride-hailing service's app. The tie-in with Uber helps to reinforce the message of enjoying Budweiser responsibly during the Super Bowl, when government agencies and law enforcement also urge people to avoid drunk driving. While beer sales slumped in Canada last year, the Super Bowl is still a big occasion for beer drinking.

The humorous video also puts a modern twist on a catchphrase that became a signature part of the beer brand's marketing after its introduction 20 years ago. Instead of showing a group of friends amusing themselves while saying "Whassup?" to each other on the phone, as in the first 60-second spot, the new ad features smart speakers and other connected-home gadgets using the famous catchphrase. The focus on smart-home devices could resonate with consumers who have been early adopters of Internet of Things (IoT) gadgetry.

Budweiser Canada's campaign follows ​Anheuser-Busch's rollout of a social media push in the U.S. to mark the 20th anniversary of the "Whassup?" campaign. The beermaker last month urged mobile users to post videos of themselves saying the catchphrase. The brand campaign sought to create the world's longest chain of people saying "Whassup" using Instagram Stories, per a report by Marketing Dive, a sister publication to Mobile Marketer.