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

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 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.

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

Featured Stories