May 15, 2026
"What I find funny is when people play things straight. I don’t like comedy that winks at you."
Said Joe Sedelmaier, quoted in "Joe Sedelmaier Dies at 92; Ad Auteur Behind ‘Where’s the Beef?’/He directed nearly 1,000 comedic commercials, including a much-quoted spot for Wendy’s and one for FedEx featuring a manic speed talker" (NYT).
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26 comments:
I don't know how well these comedic ads sell the product, but that FEDEX ad is very well done, great script and execution.
Sedelmaier's ads and Scott Adams' Dilbert cartoons used entirely different media to humorously depicted life in the modern organization. RIP to them both.
I loved those commercials and now that I know who was behind them I expect he did many of the memorable commercials of that era. One of my favorites was the Wendy’s Soviet Fashion Show which in business school became an economic symbol of lack of choice…
…timeless and timely that commie ad is…
There's a compendium of Sedelmaier's work at his website.
Not sure how THIS ONE got the advertiser's approval.
Those from Milwaukee and old enough to remember, the catchphrase "where's the meat" was first used at Suburpia, a Milwaukee chain of sandwich shops. The brothers that owned Suburpia later sued Wendy's for infringement
Back when the powers that be appreciated actual humor.
Sedelmaier Had to retire when the advertisers went woke and started tearing the country apart.
His work was something we studied in business school. What an era.
FedEx would have to update today's tag line to ‘it gets there when it gets there’…
Wince link at 12:26 def worth following. Check the "work". Funny stuff.
Bagoh, it worked wonders for MicroMachines. I was working for Mattel at the time and the suits were amazed at Galoob's success based on those commercials. And who can forget "When it absolutely positively has to get there overnight?"
Classic stuff.
Sad but true re fedex
Great ads.
I presume that Ben Shapiro wasn't available for the Fedex gig.
As an actor, I know firsthand that comedy usually works best when played straight. Your comic character might be really dumb or misguided; but to play them right, the character has to firmly believe that they are not dumb or misguided.
Great ads. We all remember them. Well...those of us who were around then.
Remember when we all got along?
Songs that made the hit parade?
Those were the days.
Did you know Errol Morris (of The Thin Blue Line fame) directed these great Miller High Life ads?
Great ads. Humor and jingles put the product in people's minds and gives the company a good image.
Where's the beef became so famous some D politican used it against another D Politican in the Democrat primary. That's how powerful commericals were back then.
Great ads. We all remember them. Well...those of us who were around then.
Svimvare!
"Tina Trent said...
Remember when we all got along?"
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
That we could sit simply in that room again
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat
I’d give it all gladly if our lives could be like that
Bob D
"Tina Trent said...
Remember when we all got along?"
Rodney King during riots: "Can we all get along? "
Ai sez: Yes, Rodney King was heavily mocked, criticized, and confronted by parts of the public, the media, and his own community after delivering that speech.
We had three riots in miami they didnt solve anything
Ah here where it was used:
"Where's the beef?" was a famous political attack used by Walter Mondale against Gary Hart during the 1984 Democratic presidential primary debates. Mondale used the phrase to mock Hart's campaign slogan of "new ideas," arguing that Hart's policy proposals lacked actual substance and specifics.
Back when you could run for high office with the name, Walter
"rehajm said...
FedEx would have to update today's tag line to ‘it gets there when it gets there’…"
Lol that's what I say about their tracking app. They should just say "let us know so we can update our records."
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