AT&T

National Student Advertising Team Client 2025

The Ask

How can we leverage ‘connecting changes everything’ to build brand love and increase the relevancy of a 150-year old brand amongst Gen Z? Make Gen Z crave AT&T. Develop an integrated, holistic marketing campaign with creative executional outputs and a high-level media campaign.

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Research

Extensive primary and secondary research uncovered Gen Z's values, financial independence, and perceptions of AT&T. Key insights revealed their preference for reliability, affordability, and a digital-first lifestyle, with high social media engagement and a need for simplicity in phone plans.

Personas

Three distinct personas were developed based on varying levels of financial independence; Not Ready Noah: A young adult, financially dependent, transitioning into adulthood with uncertainty about phone plans, Growing Grace: A soon-to-be financially independent individual, facing financial constraints while preparing for self-sufficiency, and Adjusted Andre: Financially independent, seeking better options beyond his current provider.

Insights

Gen Z values connection, authenticity, and humor, preferring brands that embrace imperfection. They are resilient yet feel overwhelmed by change. The campaign taps into this by offering humor and authenticity to simplify their complex lives and position AT&T as a reliable brand during times of uncertainty.

Big Idea

“Connect the Dots" positions AT&T as the brand that simplifies life for Gen Z, offering clarity and reliability in times of change, while using playful, authentic messaging to build deeper emotional connections.

Creative Strategy

The campaign uses humor and relatable moments, adding an unexpected twist to everyday situations to highlight AT&T’s reliability. Scenarios like misdirecting viewers into thinking they’re watching a dating profile, only to reveal an AT&T phone plan, drive the message home.

Creative Concepts

The campaign includes ads like "The Talk," where a serious family moment is revealed to be about getting a phone plan instead of a relationship discussion, and "The Connection," focusing on AT&T’s internet reliability through comedic misdirection.

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Media Strategy

The strategy prioritizes digital and social media channels, with a mix of OTT platforms, Spotify podcasts, Instagram, and experiential events to engage Gen Z. Social listening helps optimize ad placements and avoid ad fatigue, ensuring effective targeting.

Media Flowchart

The media budget is allocated across various platforms, including social media, experiential events, and linear TV, to maximize reach, engagement, and emotional connection with Gen Z

Behind the Scenes..

Consumer Journey

The journey focuses on driving brand engagement through relatable, humorous content, fostering brand love via social media interactions, and strengthening the relationship with experiential events and targeted advertising.

Measurement & Optimization

Metrics like impressions, click-through rates, and social sentiment will be tracked using tools like Sprinklr. Continuous optimization will adjust targeting and creative messaging based on real-time data and user feedback to improve campaign performance.