Real Men of Genius

Bud Light's mock-heroic salutes to everyday oddballs, delivered as power ballads. An announcer, Pete Stacker, raised a toast to some unsung figure, while Dave Bickler, the lead singer of Survivor, wailed absurd backing lines over the top. It began as a radio campaign in 1998 under the title "Real American Heroes," with 12 spots, and was relaunched as "Real Men of Genius" in 2002. More than 200 installments followed, and it won the Cannes Grand Prix for Radio in both 2005 and 2006, rare proof that a comic format can thrive with no pictures at all. Funding was cut in 2008, though the series was never officially canceled.