AT&T Split Could Trigger Reviews

The day AT&T made known plans to split into four units, Young & Rubicam was given the task to create a print ad announcing the move. Within hours, the New York shop had a concept—birth announcements—and two days later, “Meet the family” ran in national newspapers.

While Y&R was in production, rival agencies were dialing marketing executives at AT&T. Yes, the restructuring could lead to changes in the agency roster, an AT&T representative acknowledged. But as of Friday, no reviews had been launched.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we [ended up with] four different separate companies going separate ways,” the representative said.