AT&T's 'More bars in more places' ad got old fast, I mean slow

This commercial for AT&T by BBDO New York seems to have been airing for all eternity. It features a dad who goes away on a business trip, much to the dismay of his young daughter. To show her he is thinking of her, he sends back pictures of her toy monkey, taken on his cell phone, from around the world. She is delighted to receive them. (I'm not sure why I described it, because you've seen it 7,000 times, too). In what started out as a good piece of advertising creative has ended as a bad lesson in media buying. I understand that wireless companies need to keep their brand message top of mind because there is so much churn among their customers. That's why the category far outspends most if not all others. But for the love of God, AT&T, can't you launch a new ad already? This one's been airing since last July! By the time this girl's dad gets home from his business trip, she's going to be in college, dating some high-school dropout named Jeff who plays keyboards in a retro-synth band. Hurry home!

—Posted by Kenneth Hein