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

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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.
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Enter our TikTok contest to win a trip to CannesTo 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
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