LeBron James and Lily Team Up in Tuneful Holiday Ad From AT&T

Behold, LeBron James and brand spokescharacter Lily, together for the first time, belting out a tune for AT&T!

Actually, they don’t share any scenes in BBDO L.A.’s latest spot for the telecom giant. They do, however, join a chorus of diverse folks singing Jackie DeShannon’s 1969 feel-good hit “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.”

Lily rocks an AT&T logo scarf as she walks home around the halfway mark. LeBron’s the dude with the beard and bling—d’uh. The Corner Shop’s Peter Thwaites directs in appropriately perky, uplifting style.

It’s amazing that so many people know the words to an obscure Nixon-era song. They must’ve learned it from watching Subaru ads.

“The lyrics felt so perfect for what we wanted to say—to look out for, and care for one another, and help make the world a better place for everybody,” AT&T vice president of advertising and social media Marc Burns tells Muse. “Even though it was written over 50 years ago, it’s more relevant than ever.”

“The start of new year is a chance for us all to look forward and start afresh. So, we thought now was the perfect time to share a simple message of hope and positivity,” he says.

Now running online, the :60 will break on national TV before month’s end.

Milana Vayntrub returned as Lily a while back after three years away from the role, shooting spots at home at the height of the pandemic.

NBA icon James inked a multi-year marketing deal with AT&T in March. His work for the brand so far includes a star-studded launch campaign for streaming service AT&T TV, in which he “mouths off” with Missy Elliott, Tracy Morgan and Cookie Monster.

CREDITS

AT&T “A Little Love”

CLIENT: AT&T
SVP, Advertising and Marketing Communication: Valarie Vargas                                              
VP, Advertising and Social Media: Marc Burns
Director, Advertising: Dave Brown
Sr. Manager, Advertising: Stephanie Mejia
AVP, Digital Strategy and Performance: Melissa Smith
Director, Performance Advertising: Jillian Ramirez
Sr. Performance Marketing Manager: Kaeleigh Morrison
Director, Diversity Advertising: Mariel Llenza
AVP, Media Strategy, Global Marketing Organization: Sabina Ahmed
Director, Media Strategy, Global Marketing Organization: Scott Klatskin
Sr. Manager, Media Strategy, Global Marketing Organization: Esther Rim

AGENCY: BBDO
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, Omnicom for AT&T: Matt MacDonald
Executive Creative Director: David Povill
Executive Creative Director: David Cuccinello
Group Executive Producer: Julie Collins
Executive Producer: Whitney Husnik

President BBDO LA & Global Client Lead: Rachel Nairn
Managing Director: Julien Lemoine
AT&T Account Lead: Stacia Parseghian
Senior Director: Laura Perrizo
Account Director: Guilherme Pimentel
Account Supervisor: Claire Sommer
Account Executive: Troy Hudson
Assistant Account Executive: Bobby Walker

Chief Strategy Officer: Crystal Rix
Head of Strategy: Tim Millar
Communications Planning Director: Mac Russell
Planning Director: Reza Rostampisheh
Brand Planner: Madeleine Reeves

Project Manager: Cornelia Berg

AGENCY: CRITICAL MASS
Executive Creative Director: Frank Dattalo
Creative Director: Cori Donohoe
Associate Creative Director: Heather Rosen
Associate Creative Director: Trey Tyler

Executive Producer: Sydney Woodman
Producer: Cale McArthur
Editor: Ryan Bouman

Client Partner: Heather Livengood
Account Director: Austin Tatum

Program Director: Laurie Ma
Senior Producer: Amy Damus
Project Manager: Melissa Cavaliere

AGENCY: HEARTS & SCIENCE
Managing Executive Director: Mike Venables
Executive Director, AT&T Consumer Media: Shanae Johnson
Executive Director, Digital Strategy: Theresa Fromm
Senior Director, Strategy: Christiana Messina
Senior Director, Strategy: Brian Diamond
Director, Strategy: Alex Ornstein
Associate Director, Strategy: Brook Hauge

PRODUCTION:
Production Company: The Corner Shop
Director: Peter Thwaites
Executive Producer: Anna Hashmi
Executive Producer: Jay Shapiro
Producer: Suzie Greene-Tedesco

Editorial: WORK Editorial
EP: Marlo Baird
Post Producer: Brian Scharwath and Paloma Wodehouse
Editor: Neil Smith and Leah Turner
AE: Oliver Hecks and Will Nguyen

VFX: Preymaker | Creative + Technology
Makers:
Angus Kneale
Melanie Wickham
Verity Grantham
Greg Cutler
Matt Tremaglio
Simon Holden
Randy Krueger
John Haley
Ben Weaver
Devan Maura Saber

Arrangement by Walker Music
Executive Producer: Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott
Producer: Danielle Soury