Ad of the Day: AT&T Packs Loads of Classic TV and Film References Into Giddy DirecTV Ad

Until now, we could only imagine the awesomeness that would ensue if KITT and Michael of Knight Rider, Cliff and Norm from Cheers and Sesame Street's Big Bird starred in the same commercial. But behold—a TV fanatic's crossover dream come true. BBDO brings this fantasy landscape to life in "Everywhere," an immensely fun minute-long spot touting AT&T's service that lets users stream live and recorded DirecTV content across their mobile devices without it counting against their data caps. Staged in grand style by director Tom Kuntz, who's worked on DirecTV campaigns before—included the famous "Cable Effects" ads—the new spot fairly crackles with TV and film references, cool cameos and familiar music cues. After a quick homage to Rocky, the ad tosses in nods to Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, SportsCenter, Sex and the City and Seinfeld, among others. You'll want to watch the clip multiple times to take in everything that's going on: "Our hope is that viewers will really begin to look at AT&T from a whole new perspective," Dave Brown, AT&T Entertainment Group director of advertising, tells Adweek. "The past few years have been really exciting when you think about where we are going and what we are now bringing to our customers. You can watch a blockbuster movie on your commute to work and we help make that possible. We want to bring a little bit of that wow we feel to our customers in a way that reflects this new reality." David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, Cheers stars John Ratzenberger and George Wendt and costumed Big Bird actor Matt Vogel filmed new scenes for the ad. Alas, they don't actually appear on screen together, but it's fitting that each gets a few frames in the spotlight as the story unfolds. "We wanted to use shows and movies across the entertainment spectrum, from modern to classic, to really give the viewer the sense that everything is at your fingertips," says BBDO New York executive creative director Steven Fogel. "At the same time, it was important that the music be very recognizable and iconic, and that each piece work well as a part of the music track." The spot smartly channels a basic giddy truth of media/pop-culture fandom. For many of us, elements of classic series and films—beloved scenes, infectious theme songs, snatches of dialogue and catchphrases—are constantly running through our minds. So, it's only right that we should be able to watch our favorites whenever and wherever we choose. "David Hasselhoff literally flew in from Brussels on his day, turned into Michael Knight, shot, handed out 'Don't hassle the Hoff' T-shirts to the crew, and then immediately flew back," recalls Doug Fallon, also an ecd at BBDO New York. Hoff … take us with you! (And let us do the driving for a while.) CREDITS Client: AT&T Title: "Everywhere" Agency: BBDO Atlanta, BBDO New York Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn Executive Creative Director, AT&T: Matt MacDonald Executive Creative Director, AT&T Entertainment Group: Steven Fogel Executive Creative Director, AT&T Entertainment Group: Doug Fallon Senior Creative Director: Rob Munk Senior Creative Director: Mark Voehringer Art Director: Kristin Clark Copywriter: Matt Low Group Executive Producer: Julie Collins Executive Producer: Matt Nowak Executive Music Producer: Melissa Chester Junior Producer: Victoria Wills Managing Director: Doug Walker Group Account Director: Lesley Brown Account Director: Khari Mpagazehe Account Executive: Noelle Bough Production Company: MJZ Director: Tom Kuntz Director of Photography: Matthew Libatique President: David Zander Senior Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins Producer: Emily Skinner Production Designer: Jahmin Assa Editorial: Mackcut Editor: Gavin Cutler Assistant Editor: Pamela Petruski Executive Producer: Gina Pagano Mix: Mackcut Sound Designer & Mixer: Sam Shaffer Post Production: The Beauty Shop Executive Producer: Stuart Robinson Senior Colorist: Company 3 // Tim Masick Senior Color Producer: Company 3 // Rochelle Brown Visual Effects: The Beauty Shop // Method Studios Creative Director/VFX Supervisor: Method Studios // Doug Luka Creative Director: Method Studios // Eduardo 'Alvin' Cruz CG Supervisor: Method Studios // Ivan Guerrero Senior Producer: Method Studios // Bennett Lieber Lead Flame Artist: Method Studios // Mario Caserta Music: Beta Petrol Music by Beta Petrol Composer: Rafter Roberts Creative Director: Bryan Ray Turcotte Executive Producer(s): Dayna Turcotte and Brent Asbury Producer/Engineer: Andy Brohard Media: Hearts & Science President, AT&T: Ralph Pardo Executive Director: Melissa Kimble The Marketing Arm/Platinum Rye Entertainment Managing Director: Matt Delzell Senior Director: Kristen Hellwig Director: Amanda Levine Cast and shot list in order of appearance: Rocky Cheers (John Ratzenberger and George Wendt as Cliff and Norm) Breaking Bad Game of Thrones SportsCenter Sex and the City Sesame Street (Matt Vogel as Big Bird) Seinfeld Psycho Knight Rider (David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight and KITT as himself) Back to the Future Ghostbusters Lead actor: Joel Kelley Dauten, star of the upcoming Showtime series I'm Dying Up Here

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Ad of the Day: AT&T Packs Loads of Classic TV and Film References Into Giddy DirecTV Ad

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