Most famous ads get the remix treatment – it’s part of what keeps the story alive, particularly for younger generations. Sometimes it comes from the brand itself, such as Beyoncé’s recent reinterpretation of classic Levi’s campaigns, or from other brands, as with Ikea’s spoof of Apple product demos.

Another is Budweiser’s oddball classic Whassup? (which itself was a spin off of a short film, True, by director Charles Stone III, who also directed and starred in the Bud ad). Budweiser had already reworked the ad during the pandemic and it’s now indirectly back on our screens courtesy of Walkers – another signal of the 1990s nostalgia reverberating through advertising these days.

Created by PepsiCo’s in-house agency Sips and Bites, the ad follows the same formula as the original, but switches Bud-drinking buddies in the US for a group of mates in the UK with a taste for cheese and onion (or as they put it, Jheeeze and Onion) crisps.

The ad, directed by Jack Howard, probably won’t eclipse the Budweiser version, but it’s unlikely that’s what it was intended to do. Instead, it’s a lighthearted throwback (when was the last time you saw a landline phone in an ad?) that reflects the creative industries’ sampling culture. Plus, it’s always interesting to see two brands, each with its own distinctive heritage, interact with one another. As Walkers put it, it’s “an homage to an OG, with our OG”.

Credits:
Agency: Sips and Bites
Director/Editor: Jack Howard
Production Company: 42 Branded
Post-Production Company: Wash