The phrase comes from a 2013 French road safety campaign built around Sam, the designated driver character who does not drink so friends get home safely. Its slogan played on the idea that without a Sam for the night out, you would be left with le seum, the slang feeling of regret and frustration. The short official clip was shared online beyond the campaign, and the question line survived as a standalone reaction because the slang term remained widely used by French speakers on social media.