Michael B. Jordan Blows Up Cable and Goes Pants-Free in Quirky Ads for DirecTV Now

BBDO is back with another celebrity-fueled campaign for AT&T, this time promoting the DirecTV Now service. And while the "Terms and Conditions" campaign put Mark Wahlberg front and center, this time the spotlight is on actor Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Friday Night Lights, upcoming Marvel release Black Panther, and, of course, The Wire). That seems an appropriate choice, given that the Jordan's younger age is better representative of the average cord cutter. (This doesn't mean Walhberg is out of the picture. A representative for AT&T stressed that the brand works "with a lot of different spokespeople at any given time" and its "relationship with Mark remains strong." While the Wahlberg ads were fast-moving and packed with copy, the DirecTV Now spots are a bit more in the vein of Old Spice. In "Free," Jordan tosses his cable contract into the fire (along with a cable box and even a wedding ring) to illustrate the desire for TV that is "annual contract free, hardware free and commitment free." He throws the couch in there too, since you can watch DirecTV Now just about anywhere. After freeing himself from a few more things, Jordan sums up the service as "just completely free to be free, free." [kickout id="1"] Things gets a bit more explosive in the pun-titled "Cable B. Ware," which manages to throw in some oddball humor with its detonation. [kickout id="2"] The 15-second "Can You B.Lieve It?" takes a meta approach, offering up the streaming equivalent of the Droste effect. "Contracts B.Gone" (are you sensing a pattern with these titles yet?), meanwhile, keeps things a bit simpler with a take on the classic contract-shredding approach. [kickout id="3"] [kickout id="4"] CREDITS Agency: BBDO Client: AT&T Title: “Free”, “Cable B. Ware”, “Can You B. Lieve It”, “Contracts B. Gone” Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn EVP, Executive Creative Director, AT&T: Matt MacDonald EVP, Executive Creative Director, Entertainment Group: Steven Fogel, Doug Fallon Creative Director, Art Director: Matt Tarulli Creative Director, Copywriter: Mike Rovner Managing Director: Doug Walker Account Supervisor: Shelby Remer Assistant Account Executive: Audrey Thorn Head of Production: Dave Rolfe Group Executive Producer: Julie Collins Executive Producer: Diane Mccann Producer: Katie Greene Chief Strategy Officer: Crystal Rix Planning Director: Steve Panawek Behavior Planning Director: Deyvis Rodriguez Production Company: Hungry Man Director: Wayne McClammy Executive Producer: Mino Jarjoura Producer: Dave Bernstein Editorial: Mackenzie Cutler Editor: Ryan Steele Executive Producer: Gina Pagano Post/Visual Effects: The Mill NY Senior Producer: Nirad “Bugs” Russell

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Michael B. Jordan Blows Up Cable and Goes Pants-Free in Quirky Ads for DirecTV Now

BBDO taps another celebrity to tout streaming options

Erik Oster

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Erik Oster