AT&T's Latest 'It Can Wait' Ad Takes a Particularly Unexpected Turn

AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign, which launched back in 2010, has included lots of strong creative work—from the short film by Werner Herzog in 2013 to the well-known “Close to Home” spot in 2015, and many more. 

BBDO New York brings in Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow for the latest “It Can Wait” spot, timed to the Masters golf tournament. 

Starting out ominously, the new PSA swerves pretty radically halfway through. You’ll be pleased to know that nothing tragic or depressing happens this time, though—it’s all a misdirect. 

Movie mode does look pretty cool. 

Autonomous cars will, of course, make distracted driving a thing of the past (with help from 5G technology). Though, as with any advertising about self-driving cars, it’s still a little unnerving to see the vehicle cruising off down the curving roads on its own. 

“Until Then” is just one of a raft of spots that AT&T is airing during the Masters. 

BBDO enlisted another Academy Award winner, Michel Gondry, to direct a trio of 30-second spots targeting mid-sized businesses. The spots highlight AT&T’s “Edge-to-Edge Intelligence” offering, which gives business decision makers and owners the ability to see and react to every corner of their business.

In addition, a 60-second spot highlights the “AT&T Believes” program, a nationwide effort to support the ideas of employees that help spur positive change where they work and live. 

The initiative launched in Chicago last fall. The new ad, “Roll Up Your Sleeves,” stars real AT&T employees and shows how “AT&T Believes” can revitalize communities. 

BBDO worked with other Omnicom agencies including Hearts & Science, Critical Mass, Tribal and UNLTD on those three campaigns. 

Finally, a fourth effort, titled “When They Tell My Story,” was done by an in-house team from AT&T and Turner. The 30-second spot focuses on gender equality—chronicling the emotional connection of young girls growing into the game of golf.

In addition to running on the Masters, the work will appear on AT&T’s social media channels and on select broadcast and cable programming.

CREDITS

• Agency: BBDO 
Client: AT&T 
Title: ICW 5G Until Then

Creative Agency: BBDO 
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Group Executive Creative Director: Matt MacDonald 
Executive Creative Director: Daniela Vojta
Executive Creative Director: Susan Young
Creative Director: Robert Wakeland 
Creative Director: Stephen Winston
Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
Group Executive Producer: Julie Collins 
Executive Producer: Adam Perloff 
Senior Account Director: Kathryn Brown 
Account Director: Katie Hollenkamp
Account Manager: Katelyn Burns
Chief Strategy Officer: Crystal Rix
Head of Integrated Strategy: Thomas Han
Strategy Director: Ben Bass
Director of Project Management: Natalie Taylor

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Co-Founder: Patrick Milling-Smith            
Co-Founder: Brian Carmody
Chief Operating Officer: Andrew Colón
Executive Producer: Allison Kunzman
Line Producer:    Donald Taylor

Editorial Company: Lost Planet
Editor: Hank Corwin
Assitant Editor: Kenji Yamauchi 
Executive Producer: Krystn Wagenberg
Producer: Casey Cayko

Finishing / VFX: Mill NY
Chief Creative Officer: Angus Kneale
Creative Director: Gavin Wellsman                 

Colorist: Fergus McCAll
Executive VFX Producer: Eliana Carranza-Pitcher 
Executive VFX Producer: Heath Raymond 
Senior Producer: Nirad “Bugs” Russell
Co-ordinators: Christina Chung
2D Leads: Siro Valente
3D Lead: Agit Menon

Sound Design: Brian Emrich

Audio Post: Wave Studios, NY
Engineer/Mixer/ Additional Sound Design: Chris Afzal

• Agency: BBDO 
Client: AT&T Business 
Title: “Anthem” :30, “Gelato” :30, “Athletic Shoes” :30

Creative Agency: BBDO 
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
EVP, Group Executive Creative Director:    Matt MacDonald
EVP, Executive Creative Director: Daniela Vojta
EVP, Executive Creative Director: Susan Young
SVP, Senior Creative Director: Kara Goodrich
VP, Creative Director: Pebble Goh 
EVP, Group Account Director: Kathryn Brown
SVP, Senior Account Director: Sarah Morrison 
Account Director: Jesse Barnett  
EVP, Group Executive Producer:    Julie Collins
VP, Executive Producer: George Sholley
Executive Music Producer: Melissa Chester
Business Manager: Adele Solomon
Integrated Talent Supervisor: Dawn McCormick

Production Company: Partizan
Director: Michel Gondry
Managing Director / Executive Producer: Lisa Tauscher
Executive Producer / Head of Production: Molly Griffin
Line Producer: Raffi Adlan
Director of Photography: Shawn Kim

Editing Company: Cosmo Street Editorial
NY Executive Producer: Maura Woodward
LA Executive Producer: Yvette Cobarrubias
NY Producer: Anne Lai, Luiza Naritomi
LA Producers: Kacie Gomez
Editors:    Tessa Davis
Assistant Editors: Josh Berger, Taylor Morano, Habib Semaan, George Irizarry    

Visual Effects & Finishing: The Mill
Senior Producer    : Erin Hicke
VFX Coordinator: Mary Mondrus
Creative Director / 2D Lead: Glyn Tebbutt
2D Team: Tim Rudgard / Franz Kol / Katerina Aroyyo / Jeannie Huynh (Remedy) / Daniel Lang / Matthew Dobrez / Lisa Kim / Tim Robbins

Design Lead / 3D Lead: Fredrick Ross    
3D Team: Katie Yancey
Design Team: Patrick Kipper / Greg Rubner / Anastasia Skrebneva

Audio Finishing: Sonic Union
Producer: Patrick Sullivan
Sound Engineer: Steve Rosen

Music Company: Beacon Street Studios
Composers: Beacon Street Studios
Executive Producer: Leslie DiLullo
    
Telecine Color: The Mill
Telecine Artist: Adam Scott
Senior Color Producer: Liza Kerlin
Color Assists: Nate Seymour / Gemma Parr / Logan Highlen

• Agency: BBDO 
Client: AT&T 
Title: Believe – “Roll Up Your Sleeves” + “We The Believers”

Creative Agency: BBDO 
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Chief Creative Officer, Chicago: Andres Ordonez
Group Executive Creative Director: Matt MacDonald 
Executive Creative Director: Vince Cook
Creative Director: Dan McCormack
Creative Director: Jon Leachman 
Creative Director: Cinzia Crociani
Creative Director: Fernando Passos
Associate Creative Director: Brynna Aylward
Associate Creative Director: Dane Canada
Junior Copywriter: Angela Williams
Junior Art Director: Allie Salzman
Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
Group Executive Producer: Julie Collins 
Executive Producer: Melissa Tifrere 
Junior Producer: Michael Ritchie 
Senior Account Director: Kathryn Brown 
Account Director: Katie Hollenkamp
Account Manager: Katelyn Burns
Account Manager: Caroline Main
Chief Strategy Officer: Crystal Rix
Head of Integrated Strategy:Thomas Han
Strategy Director: Ben Bass
Senior Project Manager: Currey Dorris

Production Company: Little Minx
Director: Malik Sayeed
Line Producer: Mark Hwang
Executive Producer: Helen Hollien
Founder: Rhea Scott

Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors NY
Editor: Carlos Arias
Assitant Editor: Ashley Tantillo
Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum
Producer: Julianne Cort
Post Producer: Barbara Kontarovich

Finishing / VFX: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole
Producer: Alexandra Lubrano
Assistant: Jenny Montgomery

Music: “Nobody Knows” by TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir
            
Audio Post: Post Human
Post Producer: Justine Cortale and Patrick Sullivan
Engineer RUYS: Mike Marinelli

BTS Shooting and B Unit Camera:     
B Unit Cinematographer: Kirby Griffin
BTS Camera: Tom Ciciura