Budweiser - Frogs

Throughout the years, one of the more prominent Super Bowl advertisers has been Budweiser.  They can usually be counted on for at least one clever ad each year.

One of their most memorable ads came in 1995.  The commercial featured three frogs who said "Bud," "Weis," and "Er."

Naturally, the frogs became a big hit.  It was a simple but brilliant commercial.  It featured animals (which are always popular in commercials) and a catchphrase that everyone in America would be repeating for months.

The frogs went on to appear in more commercials over the next few years.  But Bud knew that as great as those frogs were, they wouldn't remain popular forever.  Even the cutest of animal mascots can grow tiresome (anyone seen Spuds McKenzie lately?) and people can only watch frogs say three syllables so many times before the appeal is lost.

So in 1998, they gave the frogs a nemesis: Louie the Lizard. 

Unlike the frogs, Louie - who hung around with his pragmatic friend Frank - had a lot to say.  Most of it was regarding his jealousy over the frogs being chosen for the original ad instead of him.

This was a definite game changer, as we're no longer supposed to think that we're watching a commercial.  Instead, we're supposed to be watching a behind the scenes look at the original series of frog commercials.  It's very meta.

As the commercials progressed, Louie's bitterness grew to the point where he sought to violently eliminate the frogs.  During the 1998 Super Bowl, he hired a ferret hitman to electrocute them.

Louie's plan seemed to fail as the frogs somehow survived the ordeal. 

But as it turned out, he was actually successful.  After the attempted hit, the "Weis" frog began to suffer post traumatic stress and couldn't fulfill his role in the commercial anymore.

Much to Louie's delight, he was chosen to be the replacement:

Like all good things, eventually these ads had to end.  In the commercial world, (remember that according to the logic of the commercial, these aren't actual commercials, but a behind the scenes look) Budweiser grew tired of the frogs - mostly due to Louie's unscripted improv attempts - and fired them.

The frogs were not happy.  Finally, after years of only saying one syllable, they revealed that they could indeed speak, and got some revenge on Louie. 

This probably prompted a bunch of kids to whip each other with towels and scream, "Squirt some tears, punk!"

If the frogs were truly actors, you've got to give them a lot of credit.  Even when they're about to be electrocuted, they don't deviate from the script.  No, they continue to say only "Bud," "Weis," and "Er" even though their lives are in danger.

I believe Louie and Frank might have continued to appear in some commercials after this one, but I'm pretty sure that the saga of the frogs was complete.

Rating - 4.5 TVs - These were some of the best ads that Bud has ever done.  They managed to turn a simple concept - Frogs reading the Budweiser sign - and turn it into a multi-year epic. 

In addition to successfully advertising their product, Bud got the added bonus of being able to merchandise the characters.  They sold hats, shirts, and posters featuring the frogs and Louie.  I believe there were also stuffed animals made of all the characters.

There is probably a whole generation of Americans who feel loyalty to Budweiser because they had a ferret doll.  Now that's marketing!