AT&T turned a fake song from an ad into a full music track—after fans requested it

You never quite know what the reaction to an ad is going to be: sometimes it's quite unexpected. Back in the summer, AT&T launched an ad by BBDO Los Angeles which featured a (fake) boy band at a concert, singing part of a song called "Summertime Lover"—the point of the ad is that the band doesn't dance, which is "just OK," whereas AT&T can offer you a "better than just OK unlimited plan." Viewers may well have taken that message on board, but what they also took away from the ad is that they loved the track. It prompted tweets, YouTube comments and ultimately, two petitions on Change.org to demand a full-length version. These attracted hundreds of signatures. “We’ve seen tweets about people making 300 Likes their group Halloween costume, tweets requesting 300 Likes as the Super Bowl halftime show, tweets where people type out the full lyrics,” says BBDO L.A. creative director Cooper Olson. BBDO and music company South Music & Sound responded, releasing the song as a full length track and music video, seen here, and calling the band “300 Likes.” The agency worked with Rich + Tone, creative directors for the current Backstreet Boys tour, for authenticity and choreography. “We had plans for a full-length version from the start,” admits BBDO L.A. Art Director Kory Brocious. “But we didn’t expect a whole online movement to really release it as the song of the summer, or become the unofficial anthem of college football.” In the meantime, we suggest One Direction take note and get back together—because people are obviously crying out for a new boy band to love.

AT&T turned a fake song from an ad into a full music track—after fans requested it

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