Friday, September 25, 2009

Great Commercial: AT&T's "Lost Dog"

Blogging has certainly taken a back seat to the new projects we've been working on at Perceptivity Studio, but I wanted to take a quick second to point out one of the best commercials I've seen in a while: AT&T's "Lost Dog" spot, which is currently running.

I think I've mentioned before that I watch most of my television on DVR and zap through the commercials (I know, I know, I should be more loyal to my industry!) to save time. But as we were fast forwarding the other night, my husband actually told me to stop and watch a commercial, a very rare occurrence. It was the AT&T "Lost Dog" spot, which features a little girl putting up posters looking for her lost puppy with UNC basketball star Tyler Hansbrough saving the day with his AT&T phone and the power of social networking. Entertainment Weekly also took notice of this tearjerker in their PopWatch blog today.



The spot is great because it really does strike a chord with its target market. This sort of "viral" everyday information swap has become a daily occurrence for most of us these days. Need some information? Jump on Facebook or Twitter and you're likely to find someone who can get you what you're looking for...whether it's your lost dog, a book recommendation, a business resource or pretty much anything else your heart desires, and it comes personalized just for you by someone you know in some context.

Now with mobile devices like the ones AT&T is touting, these social networking tools are becoming more and more accessible...and some would say ubiquitous. While I've resisted the mobile web for a few years now (because really, I check my email too frequently already!), I know the day is coming when I won't be able to resist the call of a shiny new Blackberry and its ability to instantly gratify my every wish and whimsy. And this commercial is doing its job to encourage me to hurry that process along.