The award-winning director behind Wendy’s iconic “Where’s the beef?” advert has died at the age of 92. Joe Sedelmaier died at his home in Chicago last Friday, his son J.J. confirmed, according to The New York Times. He was featured in Esquire and 60 Minutes, pieces that delved into his talent for touching the fears of everyday life in just seconds. Among his most famous works was the FedEx advert featuring speed talker John Moschitta Jr., with the tag line, “Federal Express: When it absolutely has to be there overnight.” In an email to the Times following Sedelmaier’s death, former Advertising Age critic Bob Garfield praised how he “overstated by understatement. Human movement was reduced to near paralysis. Voices were monotone. The camera was locked at dead center. Nobody even blinked. Maximal minimal minimalism. And the effect was absurdity.” Speaking about his craft to the Chicago Tribune in 1993, Sedelmaier said, “I don’t feel there’s that much to be serious about in a commercial… You’re serious about selling the guy’s product, but comedy has a way of putting things in perspective.” He added, “What I find funny is when people play things straight. I don’t like comedy that winks at you.”
Read it at The New York Times
