NBA and WNBA stars share excitement for March Madness in AT&T’s tournament campaign

Jalen Brunson, Draymond Green, Sabrina Ionescu and more connect over both the tournament and AT&T

Published On
Mar 15, 2024
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren walk together as they talk about their AT&T connection plans

Editor's Pick

Daylight saving time, hot and cold weather, basketball … March is mad. 

This season, AT&T is kicking off college basketball’s biggest tournament, March Madness, with a star-studded campaign that touts its plan options and network connection so customers never have to miss the highlights.

“Connect to the Madness,” created by BBDO Los Angeles, launched Friday featuring several national spots starring NBA and WNBA athletes Joel Embiid, Jalen Brunson, Draymond Green, Sabrina Ionescu, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Candace Parker, Carmelo Anthony and JuJu Watkins, as they connect with one another over a shared excitement for the tournament—and AT&T’s plans.

In a 90-second spot, titled “What a Pro Wants,” real-life Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hang out together when Holmgren gets a notification from AT&T giving him a “heads up” on the best plan for him. Gilgeous-Alexander points out that the company “knows what a pro wants” when the pair, inspired by the phrase, break out into song to the tune of Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants.” 

 

Meanwhile, in “Jalen’s Jacket,” New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson shows off his “tournament jacket” embellished with dozens of phones streaming different games, much to the dismay of his wife, who makes a cameo.

The fashion trend takes off as he goes viral for having tournament games accessible at home and on the go.

 

A third spot, starring Draymond Green and titled “Draymond’s Choice,” captures the controversial NBA star as he jokes about his real-life choices, sparked by a conversation with a store clerk regarding AT&T’s choices in plans. The humorous spot nods to Green’s tumultuous history with the NBA, specifically his time with the Golden State Warriors.

Green’s most recent controversy took place in December, when he was suspended for several weeks after striking another player.

 

The campaign, which includes six commercials in total, aims to capture how the March Madness tournament “lights up group chats, reignites ‘water cooler’ talk, and taps into multi-screen viewing,” Marc Burns, VP of advertising and social media at AT&T, told Ad Age.

“March Madness is such a unique time of year because it brings so many types of people together,” he said. “From alumni, to students, to hard core fans, to casual fans— it’s all about connecting over each heart stopping moment and bracket buster. It epitomizes what AT&T is driven by every day—to connect people to greater possibility.”

The choice in casting, specifically that of Green, came as AT&T sought talent “who have credibility with the audience, whose story aligns with our core message and are willing to do unexpected things that will capture attention, charm the audience and drive conversation and memorability for the work,” Burns added.

Ad Age Young Creatives

Enter our TikTok contest to win a trip to Cannes

To pull off the star-studded campaign, the brand and creative agency teams organized a trans-continental shoot, where they worked around the athletes’ various playing schedules and locations. Spots were shot over four consecutive weeks, in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.

For “Jalen’s Jacket,” the teams also coordinated small details such as all the games that aired from the phones on his jacket.

The spots will begin airing on Selection Sunday (March 17) and run through the April 8 championship game on more than 100 women’s and men’s games on tournament broadcast networks CBS, TBS, TNT, Tru TV and ESPN. Hearts & Sciences handled the media buy. 

In addition to the TV spots, AT&T will run short-form content on digital and social platforms such as the March Madness Live app and TikTok, supported by Critical Mass.

Credits

Date
Mar 15, 2024
Client :
AT&T
Agency :
BBDO Los Angeles
SVP Creative Content & Advertising :
Valerie Vargas
VP Advertising & Social Media :
Marc Burns
AVP Advertising & Social Media :
Lianne Sinclair
Director Advertising :
Carolyn Phillips
Lead Manager Advertising :
Kristen Levy
VP Media :
Mark Wright
AVP Media :
Scott Klatskin
Director Media :
Kallan Bubb
Lead Manager Media :
Katie Salins
Chief Creative Officer :
Matt Miller
SVP Executive Creative Director :
Ash Tavassoli
Creative Director :
Ben Lay
Creative Director :
Miriam Malta
Creative Director :
Banks Noel
Creative Director :
Rich Fiset
Creative Director :
Barry Katz
Creative Director :
Alex Kaplan
Creative Director :
Fabiano de Queiroz Tatu
Senior Art Director :
Scott Frandsen
Senior Copywriter :
Charlotte Duerden
Art Director :
Kate Fitzgerald
Senior Copywriter :
Jeff Grace
Design Director :
Henry Hsu
Design Director :
Pedro Zuccolini
Senior Studio Designer :
Carlos Segundo
EVP Group Executive Producer :
Andrew Tucci
Executive Producer :
Holly Otto
Producer :
Mike Peters
Producer :
Anna Farmer
President Global Client Lead :
Rachel Nairn
Managing Director :
Julien Lemoine
EVP Senior Director :
Laura Perrizo
VP Account Director :
Jamie Elliott
Account Supervisor :
Rachel Feigelman
Account Executive :
Simel Koussa
Chief Strategy Officer :
Tim Millar
Head of Strategy :
Kaleen Ogden
Strategy Director :
Sarah Bieber
Associate Director Strategy :
Larry Hill
Associate Director Project Management :
Kaitlyn Ha
Senior Project Manager :
Katrina Luu
Proofreader :
Jo Szeto
Proofreader :
Brad Davis
Agency :
BBDO-New York
Head of Art Production :
Erin Breen
Art Director :
Carlos Freire
Associate Art Producer :
Cleo Montagnana
Copywriter :
Aaron Marshall
Agency :
BBDO-Atlanta
Business Affairs :
Michele Tonogan
Associate Director Music & Licensing :
Kameela Godboldt
Associate Director Talent Content Production Management :
Dawn McCormick
Agency :
EG+
Project Producer :
Bob McCann
Social/Display :
Critical Mass
Executive Creative Director :
Juliette Geraghty
Group Creative Director :
Minor LeBlond
Group Creative Director :
James Leal-Valias
Creative Director :
Lauren Barrett
Creative Director :
Lowell Ong
Creative Director :
Dana Angelo
Creative Director :
Carl Lukasewich
Creative Director :
Fernando Brevilieri
Senior Art Director :
Mica Dieterich
Art Director :
Felix Lundqvist
Art Director :
Olivia Lake
Associate Creative Director :
Elizabeth Ching
Associate Creative Director :
Chantal Miyagishima
Associate Creative Director :
Tim Rocklage
Associate Creative Director :
Meghan O'Neill
Associate Creative Director :
Cat Samarista
Associate Creative Director :
Matt Goldberg
Associate Creative Director :
Javier Olivares
Associate Art Director :
Jimmy Marcheso
Senior Copywriter :
Harley Kane Villena
Copy Lead :
Emily Dendinger
Copywriter :
Michelle Alig
Senior Designer :
Julia Meade
Senior Designer :
Jackson Reed
Associate Creative Engineering Director :
Miguel Molina
Producer :
Michael Wiegand
Senior Production Designer :
Steve Goon
Production Design Lead :
Samantha Spykerman
Visual Design Lead :
Daniela Gonzalez
Associate Production Designer :
Janelle Momotani
Production Coordinator :
Mary Hrytsenko
Proofreader :
Rebecca Lafond
Display Dev :
Jesse Horricks
Executive Producer :
Hannah Thompson
Senior Producer :
Sylvia Brach
Associate Producer :
Sahar El-Kadri
EVP Client Partner :
Laurel Lapidus
VP Client Partner :
Austin Tatum
Account Manager :
Rachael Hankins
Account Manager :
Faith Tyrell
Program Director :
Alexis Smith
Associate Program Director :
Lexi Scott
Senior Project Manager :
Lisa Del Castillo
Project Manager :
Kareem Taylor
Project Manager :
Louise Weiss
Vice President Strategy :
Jen Goldberg
Strategy Director :
Morgan Hendy
Strategy Director :
Shana Fields
Marketing Science Lead :
Rebecca Daniels
Marketing Science Senior Analyst :
Kimberly McDonough
Marketing Science Analyst :
Aaron Powdermaker
Marketing Science Associate Analyst :
Jazmine Liu
Media Agency :
Hearts & Science
Media Agency :
Optimum Sports
Managing Executive Director :
MaryAnne Geiger
Chief Investment Officer :
Jeremy Carey
Executive Director Sports :
Nick Youngman
Executive Director Strategy :
Brian Diamond
Senior Director Sports Strategy :
Melissa McDevitt Gladden
Senior Director Sports Investment :
Stacy Grossi
Senior Director Strategy :
Kelly Young
Director Strategy :
Hannah Wagner
Director Sports Investment :
Lindsay Muri
Associate Director Sports Strategy :
Sabrina Schnapp
Supervisor Sports Investment :
Matt Romansky
Supervisor Sports Investment :
Maggy Powers
Senior Associate Sports Investment :
Tim Post
Associate Sports Strategy :
Jack Tierney
Production Company :
Imperial Woodpecker
Director :
Stacy Wall
Managing Director :
Doug Halbert
Senior Executive Producer :
Charlie Cocuzza
Head of Production :
Shelly Dowdy Walter
Head of Development :
Stephanie Hodge
Line Producer :
Candace Tomarken
Production Supervisor :
Minning Yu
Editorial :
CARTEL
Managing Director :
Lauren Bleiweiss
Executive Producer :
Viet-An Nguyen
Head of Production :
Sarah Schachte
Producer :
Chrissy Bruzek
Producer :
Amanda Ornelas
Editor :
Andy Mcgraw
Assistant Editor :
Marisa DeMarini
Editor :
Matt Berardi
Assistant Editor :
Zoe Kraft
Assistant Editor :
Erin Offenhauser
Assistant Editor :
Ersin Dogruer
Assistant Editor :
Ryan Andrus
Editor :
Adam Robinson
Editor :
Andrea Norby
Editor :
Nick Deliberto
Assistant Editor :
Erik Vogt-Nilsen
Editor :
Matt Laroche
Assistant Editor :
Mystikal Scalzi
Editor :
Colleen McKay
Editor :
Gary Burns
VFX :
Artjail
Managing Director/EP/Partner :
John Skeffington
Head of Production :
Elizabeth Thuvanuti Keating
Creative Director :
JD Yepes
Producer :
Keilah Ahmann
Production Coordinator :
Andreina Villabon
2D Artist :
Clarke Rives
2D Artist :
Scott Johnson
2D Artist :
Alex Osvaldsson
2D Artist :
Michael Kreisel
2D Artist :
Alejandro Villabon
2D Artist :
Wesley Cronk
2D Artist :
Pency Kinnard
2D Artist :
Brian Sales
Motion Designer :
Matt Greenwood
3D Artist :
Todd Herman
On-Set Supervisor :
Douglas Bloom
On-Set Supervisor :
John Ashby
VFX :
Jane VFX
Executive Producer :
Rich Rama
Head of Production :
Ben Sposato
VFX Producer :
Jackson Rogers
Lead Flame Artist :
Westley Sarokin
Lead Flame Artist :
David Parker
Shoot Supervisor :
Cole Schreiber
Shoot Supervisor :
David Parker
Flame Artist :
Jameson Desantis
Flame Artist :
Fabien Coupez
Creative Director :
Daniel Piwowarczyk
Motion Graphics Artist :
Chico Jofilsan
Motion Graphics Artist :
Simon Chen
Music Company :
Duotone
Founder/Creative Director :
Peter Nashel
Executive Producer/Head of Commercial Music :
Ross Hopman
Senior Music Producer :
Giovonni Lobato
Arranger :
Brad Fischer
Music Company :
Songs for Film & TV
Music Supervisor :
David Fisher
Music Coordinator :
Amelia Einhorn
Music Company :
Squeak E. Clean Studios
Managing Director :
Michael Gross
Producer :
Blade Thornton
Audio :
Lime Studios
Audio Mixer :
Zac Fisher
Audio Assistant :
Klaudia Bennett
Executive Producer :
Susie Boyajan
Audio Mixer :
HaBen Tomastik
Audio Mixer :
Zac Fisher
Graphics :
LVLY
Executive Producer :
Bryce Edwards
Producer :
Emily Vecchi
Creative Director :
Frank Glinski
Design & Animation :
Billy Pence
Color Grading :
Royal Muster
Colorist :
Gregory Reese
Color Assist :
Esli Israel
Color Assist :
Zack Wilpon
Executive Producer :
Thatcher Peterson
Head of Production :
Diane Valera
Colorist :
Roslyn Di Sisto
Stills Photography :
AD-LA
Photographer :
Mathieu Young
Producer :
Giselle Keller
Retouching :
Gretchen Hilmers
Photography Production :
Camp Productions
Producer :
Patrick Mapel
AD :
Ramone Hulet
Production :
Nick Brown

Need a credit fix? Contact the Creativity Editors

Industry
Project Type