Herb Caen, the late great San Francisco Chronicle columnist, wrote of a beggar he saw on the street. The enterprising vagabond was carrying a placard, which read, "I live on trickle."
The sign was in reference to President Reagan’s so-called "trickle-down economics," and cited by Caen as a tongue-in-cheek knock on the administration’s economic policy. But the power of "trickle" cannot be denied in this spot for Budweiser China, out of DDB Chicago. Tied into soccer’s World Cup, the ad opens on a Budweiser bottle planted upside down in the turf.
The camera then takes us below terra firma to see an elaborate pipeline leading from the Bud bottle deep down in the soil. The drips of Budweiser brew are enough to supply the beer casks of an elaborate sports bar for ants. Budweiser is on tap continuously, satiating the thirst of the ant community, thanks to the trickle from the bottle. Beer steins full to the brim are in abundance—as are other fine touches in which human junk serves as a functional piece of equipment or a wall prop. For example, coins are used as serving trays by ant waitresses, and straws become pouring spouts.
These raucous ants clearly love their Bud—and their sports, as a World Cup soccer match plays larger than life on a massive big-screen TV. Indeed, this sports bar is rocking as an enormous number of ants—enough to fill a multitude of ant farms—are figuratively picnicking on a World Cup feast.
But all good things must come to an end, as the camera returns us above ground, where a soccer-shoed foot inadvertently kicks the bottle, ending the flow of Bud to the subterranean sports bar. As the ants’ party has come to an abrupt halt, a pair of soccer players look curiously at the Bud bottle they’ve pulled out of the turf. The spot is tagged with the Budweiser logo as an official World Cup sponsor.
Entitled "Underground," the live-action/computer animation combo spot was directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams of Complete Pandemonium, San Francisco. Clint Goldman was executive producer/producer for Pandemonium, with Chris Farmer serving as production designer. Live-action DP was Tommy Tang. Serving as miniatures DP was Jason Kwan.
For the job, Williams—a former chief animator at Industrial Light+Magic, San Rafael, Calif.—teamed with Hong Kong animation studio Centro Digital Pictures, which deployed an ensemble that included creative director Frankie Chung, animation director Ken Law and producer Tommy Tom. Production services were provided by Shanghai shop, Gung-Ho Films.
DDB Chicago’s creative ensemble consisted of executive creative director John Immesoete, creative director/ copywriter/producer Dave Kasey and art director Bruce Cascia.
Director Williams described the concept of the spot as being "based on ‘what the hell do ants do when they’re not carrying 600 times their own body weight for a woman named Queen?’ Naturally, they drink beer at a sports bar."
Tony Yip and Cheuk Kei Wong of Centro Digital Pictures served as offline- and online editor, respectively. Centro Digital’s Manfred Yip was the colorist. Audio mixer was Eddie Mak, also of Centro Digital.
