AT&T, nation's 2nd largest advertiser, launches IoT-themed 'Your Network' ad campaign

AT&T (NYSE: T) will kick off an aggressive new ad campaign with a 60-second spot during tonight's College Football Championship broadcast, according to Advertising Age.

The campaign, known as "Your Network," was created by BBDO, a New York-based agency that has produced multiple campaigns for AT&T during the past several years. The initial commercial opens with a depiction of Alexander Graham Bell speaking into an early telephone and summoning Charles Watson, his partner in inventing the phone.

The ad then quickly segues to the growth of the fixed-line telecom network, expanding to include mobile phones and then other connected devices. And it focuses on personalized services in a world of nearly ubiquitous connectivity.

"And so AT&T built a network just for you," the voiceover intones. "One that connects your family and friends, your businesses, devices, mobile entertainment, connected cars and connected homes. It grows as you grow."

The ad then displays an image of a fingerprint -- referring once again to personalization -- that morphs into AT&T's familiar blue logo.

The campaign launches just days after a CES event that saw AT&T make multiple announcements related to the Internet of Things. During its 2016 AT&T Developer Summit in Las Vegas last week, the carrier discussed smart cities, streaming video, connected cars and other IoT applications, stressing that its network is the foundation upon which all such services are built.

"When we talk about improving the network, what we mean is addressing more than the wires and towers and devices," said John Donovan, AT&T's senior executive vice president of Technology and Operations. While those objects are necessary, "our vision for the network is also much more than that."

AT&T is considered a pioneering carrier in the IoT market -- indeed, the carrier recently boasted that it inked more than 300 IoT deals in 2015 and that it is now powering some 25 million connected devices. Moreover, AT&T is a massive advertiser: It spent $3.27 billion on U.S. advertising and marketing, according to Ad Age's Data Center, second only to Procter & Gamble.

For more:
- see this Ad Age report

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