D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles introduced a trio of talking frogs for Budweiser back in 1994, a concept developed by copywriter David Swaine and art director Michael Smith. It later became one of the best-known beer campaigns ever, even though DMB&B lost the business and left GS&P to keep it going with new characters.
Now, to introduce A-B InBev’s Bud Light brand in the U.K., mcgarrybowen London is bringing them back…or one of them, at least. “Bud” makes a return in his new British pond, with his old pals replaced by new friends who croak out “Light” and “Beer.” Hey, it worked once, right?
“More than 20 years on from its original release, we still receive comments from people who remember the Frogs and ask us if we are bringing them back,” Bud Light marketing manager Andre Finamore said in a statement. “The launch of Bud Light in the U.K. is one of AB InBev’s biggest-ever brand campaigns. To celebrate this, we’re playing on the nostalgic elements of one of our most iconic and memorable ads, while also giving it a uniquely Bud Light twist.”
Below is both the original spot and an early ’80s ad for Seattle’s Rainer Beer called “Frogs” that bears what some might call an undeniable resemblance to the Bud work.
Credits:
Client: Bud Light
Campaign: “Bud Light Frogs”
Agency: mcgarrybowen
Head of Account Management: Louise Lang
Account Managers: Lucy West & Annabella Smith
Executive Creative Directors: Paul Jordan & Angus Macadam
Creative Directors: Holly Fallows & Charlotte Watmough
Producer: Alessia Small
Audio Postproduction: Wave Studios
Editor: Neil Drummond
Postproduction Company: Framestore