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We are all about to get a very loud wake-up call from T-Mobile.
The telecommunications provider, one of the biggest and most colorful advertisers in the U.S., has dispatched actor Bryan Cranston in a new campaign that may surprise those who have grown familiar with its playful spots featuring celebrities such as Billy Bob Thornton, John Travolta, Zach Braff and Donald Faison. In the new spot, Cranston and a rooster named George aim to serve as an alarm clock of sorts, alerting consumers to “T-Mix,” a new wireless plan that lets consumers pick only the features they want ,and comes with perks.
“Come on sleepyheads, it’s up and at ‘em!” Cranston crows in the ad. “Because there’s been a change in plan!” Meanwhile, he sets about rousing people from hotel rooms, airplane seats and bedrooms.
In the commercial, “I represent all the people who need to hear this information,” says Cranston in a recent interview. “Because I was one of them until moments ago.”
The 60-second ad debuts during Amazon Prime Video’s “ Thursday Night Football” and will roll out across national broadcast, streaming, cinema, digital, social media platforms, as well as on radio and out-of-home, says Lucy McLellan, executive vice president and chief brand and communications officer at T-Mobile. And while T-Mobile is known for launching big campaigns, the company will also use digital to launch some bespoke creative that targets specific consumer niches.
The new work, created with a new agency of record, Highdive, will attempt “to reach new audiences who have tuned out the category completely,” says McLellan, and make an effort to “appeal to audiences beyond the millennials that T-Mobile has traditionally appeared to.”
Other telecommunications giants are also trying to reach out to bigger crowds. Verizon in June tapped actor Michael Meyers to reprise his “Austin Powers” character, and reconvene that film’s cast to tout a new “Simplicity Plan” that offered new promotions including a return on dollars spent as well as prizes and rewards.
The new “T-Mix” offer lets subscribers change elements of their plan every 90 days instead of being locked into a particular option for longer periods of time. Members can also choose to get benefits including Apple Music, Apple TV, DashPass by DoorDash, Delta miles, ESPN Unlimited, Google Gemini, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount+, SiriusXM, XBOX Game Pass and YouTube Premium, alongside options like T-Satellite, Optimized Video Calls and device promotions. A family of four, says McLellan, might save up to $7000 depending on the options they choose.
Creating the high-energy pitchman wasn’t done in seconds. Cranston says the entire shoot took two days and that “we did each of those scenes several times from several different vantage points.” Telling a story via commercial is much more difficult than doing so in a TV series or movie, the actor says. “Every second is critical, whereas in a two-hour movie, well, you could let things linger,” he adds. “But this has to be cut to a millisecond in order to make the time requirements.”
Known best for roles like Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” Hal in “Malcom in the Middle” and Tim Whatley in “Seinfeld,” Cranston says he has long done commercials, which were “my life source” when he first started his acting career. Cranston has tackled ad assignments for CoffeeMate, for example, and is heard frequently as the voice of commercials for Ford Motor Co.
The character he plays for T-Mobile is “almost a Pied Piper,” he says. “I think my character was just another person who happened to have this epiphany that, wow, this is amazing. I can create my own plan. I don’t have to adhere to what was done, you know, decade after decade. And I can do this on my own,” he explains “I think that allowed me to be able to present it in an effusive way, in an energized way, without it being silly.”
George, the rooster who accompanies the actor throughout much of the ad, also maintained his demeanor. Relationships with animals — and, often, people too, says Cranston, are often “governed by food,” and the same was true of his fowl actor. “There was a little bowl of food on a stick that I can rattle, and here’s the rattle, and he would turn close to me. I was holding it, and I would hold it close, and then as soon as he turns toward me, I drop it out of frame. So the camera wouldn’t see it, and I tried to get closer and closer and closer to him, you know, just put my face right into his beak, you know, and have a stare down. And, you know, all you need is a couple seconds of that.”
And in a commercial, every second counts.
English (US) ·