AT&T Taps Kurtis And Phelps For Spokesperson Credibility
I’ve enjoyed the series of AT&T 3G Laptop Connect Card commercials featuring broadcast journalist Bill Kurtis. The intended message is very clear – use AT&T’s products and services and you’ll be productive with the Internet anywhere. The delivery of this message in various Kurtis commercials is clever and witty which, for me at least, has aided message retention.
The latest thirty-second spot has Kurtis challenging Olympic swimmer and mutltiple gold medal winner Michael Phelps to a race, not in the pool but on the Internet. Kurtis uses the 3G Connect Card poolside to access information with ease while Phelps, without the aid of 3G, snails along. As the commercial closes Kurtis has Phelps’ swim cap on and most recent eight gold medals around his neck. Phelps gives him a puzzled look. Fade to black.
That’s all it takes, and the message hits home with credibility, relevance, and timeliness considering it’s just a month after closing ceremonies in Beijing and Phelp’s Olympic afterglow is still warm.
As spokesperson value goes, Kurtis and Phelps provide genuine credibility. Kurtis is an accomplished newsman stretching back to his formative years in the late 60’s. His documentary work in recent years is cementing his legend – the formal narration voice, that serious look in his eye, in-depth journalism without the aid of many fabricated extras, and even his lighthearted demeanor in the AT&T spots all serve him well.
For his part, Phelps is a real American sports hero, even if his sport is boring. It’s worth appreciating all the dedication and effort that helped him accomplish his records (and his famous eat-sleep-swim regimen is impressive too). While he doesn’t have the allure that an NBA star may bring to a commercial, he’s also not an overpaid baby with tattoos all over his body who whines on and off the court. Similarly, if I have to choose between Phelps or a millionaire second-string NFL quarterback for my commercial, I’m taking Phelps.
The use of truly respected spokespeople – perhaps with lesser amounts of fame and fortune -to deliver corporate messages to the masses makes a lot of sense to me. It conveys more sincerity and has a better likelihood of attaching the spokesperson’s inherent qualities to a product, and getting that product the consumer mindshare it needs to compete.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2q9Znp8U0U]
Just saw this commercial on TV…very strange, they have Mac OSX on a PC laptop. Nothing major, just something I noticed.
Reading my own post and watching the TV spot again I realize that Phelps, although very much serving a spokesperson role, has no dialog in the commercial. Just his presence and body language was enough for this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30DewN99MIQ -one more Phelps appearance, all star cast, no dialog for our swimmer this time either
The “I’m faster than Michael Phelps” laptop ad, although I understand the
advertiser’s intent, just GRABS ME THE WRONG WAY. If I were Michael Phelps
doing this ad, I’d have my pay for doing it in my Speedo in Advance; then,
when Bill Kurtis made his “ending claim” and with me attired with 10 Gold
Medals, I’d have given him a solid belt with my right arm and his _ _ _
would have been IN the pool. What an INSULTING LINE to lay upon Michael
Phelps!!!!! ( no one is faster than Michael Phelps)!!!
A technical correction … 8 Gold Medals!
Thanks for commenting Ronald. This spot probably depends on how different people perceive it. Could be that AT&T and Kurtis willingly concede that no one is faster than Phelps (8 golds seem to confirm it for me too), and their over-the-top comparison of the product to his accomplishments serves to humorously make their point. The wireless modem is fast, at least so they assert.