AT&T World Cup HeaderCam Banner
Issue 17 | December 2010
Agency
BBDO New York
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Bobby Pearce; Creative Directors: Jeff Greenspan, Arturo Aranda; Art Director: Dominick Baccollo; Copywriter: Todd Brown; Executive Producer: Eric Weiner; Agency Producer: Wilder Wells; Account Team: Will Townsend, Brett Barash, Joel Davis
Production Team
Production Company: Zugara; Effects Company: Zoic Studios
Date
15/6/2010
Background
As an official broadcast sponsor of the biggest athletic spectacle on the planet, AT&T wanted to use the global stage of the World Cup to build excitement for its new brand promise, “Rethink Possible.”
The challenge was to make relevant the benefits of AT&T’s brand position as the USA’s fastest 3G network amidst the passion and spectacle of the world’s largest sporting event; and to deliver a clear and compelling message about how AT&T speed allows fans to experience a faster, deeper connection to the game they love. One last thing, all this was to be accomplished in a banner.
Idea
The solution was to turn an ordinary media buy on ESPN.com into the world's first webcam-enabled soccer game in a banner. Using motion capture technology that tracks the movement of your head, they allowed users to have some serious soccer fun in a fully immersive game experience. Move your head, score a goal. Brought to you by the speed of AT&T.
Results
In the media circus of the World Cup, the launch of the AT&T HeaderCam banner garnered more than its fair share of attention. Creativity Online named the HeaderCam as a Pick of the Day, Fast Company noted that it “puts the spectator in the centre of the action.” and digitalbuzz raved that the Header-Cam “brings you right into the game… very cool concept.”
Our Thoughts
The trouble with bold statements like “Rethink Possible” is that they are mission statements the advertising rarely lives up to. You know, the old “Tomorrow brought to you today” cliché, expressed in advertising that reeks not judt of yesterday but yesteryear.
So AT&T set themselves a challenge with every communication they put out under this tagline. And you know what? At a time when it looks as if the banner is mortally wounded as a medium, they’ve given it the kiss of life.
It’s not even as if the technology is new. We’ve all seen examples of the banner linking to your webcam to put you in the picture, literally, but in this campaign when you enable your webcam you get a virtual ball crossed towards you. Dink your head and try to score. That’s it. Simple but ridiculously compulsive. And the banner rethought.