AT & T - Kimberly Palmer

Elaboration Likelihood Model

In February 2009, AT&T began giving footage for their commercial featuring TOMS Shoes. A camera crew followed the founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie, for several weeks and across two continents in order to capture the importance and reliability of AT&T service for TOMS.

The commercial aired during the Masters Golf Tournament in early April and demonstrated TOMS need for “more bars in more places”. The intention is that the quality of service that AT&T provides will allow TOMS to reach more people and draw awareness to their cause. AT&T is the platform through which TOMS will be able to reach more of their potential customers who are want to be, if they aren’t already, doing their part to help those in need.

The theory demonstrated in this television ad is the “Elaboration Likelihood Model”. The idea behind this theory begins with people’s attentions are likely to be drawn to the commercial while they are already engaged with watching their favorite television program. It is then that they are presented with TOMS as a company and their mission cause. They are enticed with the AT&T co-branding since it is a company that they are already familiar with and trust.

This commercial is intended to run through mid-July. The repetition of seeing the commercial over and over on larger cable networks allows the viewer to be reintroduced to the issue at hand and more aware of how they can help.