* Business Insider has launched a regular series where we talk to chief marketing officers about how they are confronting challenges from data-driven marketing to in-housing.
* AT&T has long been a prominent sports advertiser, but with the coronavirus canceling live sports, the carrier had to rethink its advertising approach.
* In the third installment of the series, AT&T's chief brand officer Fiona Carter discusses where the company is advertising now, why it's bringing back an old brand mascot, and why it's fine with running ads around hard news.
* Click here for more BI Prime stories.
AT&T has long been a big advertiser of live sporting events like those of the NCAA, NBA, and NFL. But with the coronavirus canceling live sports, the company has had to rethink its strategy.
In Business Insider's new CMO interview series, featuring companies like Pepsi and 1-800-Flowers, AT&T's chief brand officer Fiona Carter talks about how the company is repurposing its advertising, why it's bringing back an old brand mascot, and why it's fine with its ads appearing around hard news.
The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Tanya Dua: How has the pandemic changed your marketing?
Fiona Carter: We created eight commercials in eight weeks in a new paradigm for making commercials. We created a new partnership between the creativity of BBDO, the in-house production capabilities of Courageous Studios at our sister company CNN, and footage from our employees in the stores and the call centers helping customers.
Dua: How has your messaging changed?
Carter: We've observed a somber similarity across advertising and felt that customers wanted more optimism. John Krasinski's "Some Good News" embodied that, so we created a partnership about thanking healthcare heroes. With him, we announced three months of free service for first responders to FirstNet, our first responder network.
Dua: How do you stand out when advertising during the pandemic has a similar look and feel?
Carter: We're demonstrating the tangible ways we can help you live your life through the pandemic. Our messaging at the beginning was about how can address economic hardship. Now people are yearning to get back to some semblance of normalcy, so we've brought back Lily, an AT&T character that's an incredibly helpful, in-store employee. We're taking an age-old asset, one's that hugely memorable and well-liked, but delivering relevant messaging.
Dua: How has the pandemic impacted your advertising?
Carter: We're spending where our biggest customers are spending their time. We were big on live news at the very beginning and continue to be so because we find a lot of engaged eyeballs in news. We were also quick to spot that consumers were also seeking escapism, migrating to old-school primetime finales and dramas, so we were quick to put our money there, too. Social and digital is incredibly good value right out due to increased audience, and we've enjoyed the results of that through the auctions.
Dua: Other advertisers are shying away from hard news. Why aren't you?
Carter: Our strategy is to advertise alongside premium content. So as long as we're feeling good about the content, we're happy to be around news.
Dua: AT&T is a big live sports sponsor. What's happening to that money?
Carter: We lost about 30 to 40% of our media spend just through the absence of that inventory. To replace that, we've been looking for partners that are creating similar viewing experiences.
Dua: What are some examples?
Carter: We've been sponsoring iHeart's first responder concerts on Fridays. Turner created "The Match" this Sunday, which had famous athletes like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and, Peyton Manning playing competitive golf while commenting on each other's plays. We put a slice of our budget there, and created a customized ad featuring Lily and talking about golf that was contextually relevant.
The WNBA commissioner delivered the draft and picks from her living room and that was perfect for us. When she held up every shirt with the number on it, there was our logo. We also filmed the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones making the first calls to the picks for the team's NFL draft.
Dua: Some advertisers are demanding more flexibility from the networks. Is this a priority for you as well?
Carter: We want the flexibility for quarters three and four. No one can predict what will happen, but we will be in a depressed economy. Preserving cash is the priority for every company right now. I want to be able to invest as I need, but also with fiscal responsibility. I need the flexibility to make changes in spend but also in placements so I'm reaching my consumers as their viewing behavior changes.
Dua: The National Advertising Review Board just upheld the National Advertising Division unit of BBB National Programs' finding, asking AT&T to stop using "5G Evolution" slogans in its advertising. How would you respond?
Carter: We respectfully disagree with the reasoning of the results. Our customers will continue to benefit from dramatically superior speed and performance that the current network provides. We obviously will comply with the decisions. We're focused on readying for nationwide 5G later this year.
SEE ALSO: The CMO of 1-800-Flowers reveals how it's adapting its business and advertising as people send more flowers during the pandemic
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