Bowen Resurfaces Again, This Time for AT&T

NEW YORK — Fresh off his recent reunion with American Express, freelance creative director Gordon Bowen has been hired by another former client, AT&T, the company confirmed.

As with AmEx, Bowen was tapped by the client to work with its roster shop to develop the next big campaign. For AT&T, sources said Bowen is creating two TV spots for its AT&T Unlimited long-distance plan with production support from Young & Rubicam in New York, which handles AT&T’s consumer account.

The work, which breaks next week, was directed by Leslie Dektor, who directed the recent “Make life rewarding” AmEx spots from Bowen.

Sources said each AT&T spot features a conversation between relatives. In one, a daughter talks on the phone, while, in a voiceover, her dad says he loves talking with her and can talk as long as he wants, since Unlimited charges a flat monthly rate. Each spot ends with a twist on the Unlimited name, such as “Dad Unlimited.”

The Basking Ridge, N.J., client approached Bowen about six weeks ago, as news surfaced of his leading role on AmEx. Bowen’s ability to capture human nature, such as in a 1997 AT&T spot called “Beaches,” sparked the reunion, said Mike Marion, advertising director, AT&T consumer.

The ad, created by Y&R when Bowen was an ecd there, depicted a mom skipping work to play with her daughters at the beach. “That would be great to infuse some of our core-brand equity into this new offer,” Marion said.

Y&R’s most recent work for Unlimited depicted twins, sorority sisters and band mates discussing how they became friends and how they keep in touch via AT&T. Those commercials are still running.