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© History Oasis
1910s-1930s
AT&T built this campaign around a simple idea: customers could hear happiness through the phone. In the early 20th century, AT&T hired speech coaches to train thousands of female operators in proper diction and warm vocal tones. The Voice with a Smile launched during World War I as phone service expanded across America. It created one of the first customer service training programs in American business history.
1970s
This telecom slogan appeared during AT&T’s monopoly years. The company controlled nearly every phone line in America and employed over one million people. The System is the Solution tried to show off its massive network of switches and cables. At this time, AT&T’s tentacles were everywhere from coast to coast. But their arrogance with this campaign would soon be part of the behemoth’s downfall. Antitrust lawyers were building the case that would break upAT&T in 1984.
1979-1983
AT&T created emotional commercials showing soldiers calling home, grandparents talking to grandchildren, and old friends reconnecting. Reach Out and Touch Someone became one of the most memorable ad campaigns in American history. Long-distance calling jumped by billions of minutes after the slogan’s debut. AT&T spent $100 million on these ads right before federal regulators split the company into seven regional “Baby Bells.”
1980s-1990s
The 1984 breakup forced AT&T to compete for the first time in decades. New companies like MCI and Sprint now offered cheaper long-distance service. AT&T responded with The Right Choice campaign. The new incentive included competitive pricing and celebrity endorsements. Part of the campaign included partnering with credit card companies to sell calling cards.
1990s
AT&T used this slogan to promote its expansion into internet services and early mobile phones. The company bet $7.5 billion on NCR computers and $12.6 billion on McCaw Cellular. The “It’s All Within Your Reach slogan positioned the telecom giant for digital connectivity, but the NCR deal collapsed. AT&T sold it five years later at a massive loss. Business analysts still call it one of the worst mergers in history.
2005-2010
AT&T launched Your World. Delivered. as they became the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iPhone in 2007. The slogan promoted wireless, internet, and television services. Millions of customers signed up. Then AT&T’s network crashed repeatedly under the data load. New York and San Francisco became notorious for dropped calls. The campaign promised delivery, but customers couldn’t complete their calls.
2010-2013
AT&T spent $20 billion yearly upgrading networks during the Rethink Possible years. The campaign tried to repair the company’s reputation after the iPhone disasters. AT&T attempted to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion, which would have created America’s largest wireless carrier. Regulators blocked the deal. AT&T paid T-Mobile a $4 billion breakup fee, which T-Mobile used to become a stronger competitor.
2013-2016
This campaign focused on connected devices, smart homes, and the Internet of Things. AT&T bought DirecTV for $49 billion in 2015 under the Mobilizing Your World banner. The phone company was transforming into an entertainment conglomerate. They experimented with sponsored data plans where corporations could pay for customer usage. Net neutrality advocates called it a dangerous precedent.
2018-2019
These commercials showed people accepting terrible services in absurd situations: a surgeon who was “just OK” at surgery, rock climbing gear that was “just OK.” The campaign took direct shots at competitors while promoting AT&T’s 5G network. The Just OK is Not OK campaign went viral and won advertising awards. It came when AT&T had just completed buying Time Warner for $85 billion to acquire HBO, Warner Bros., and CNN.
2019-2020
AT&T promoted unlimited data plans and HBO Max bundles with this casual, conversational slogan. The campaign competed against Verizon and T-Mobile’s aggressive unlimited offerings. The price wars intensified among carriers. Then AT&T reversed course entirely. After spending years building an entertainment empire, they spun off WarnerMedia in 2021 and merged it with Discovery. More for your thing lasted barely a year before AT&T refocused on connectivity.
2021-present
AT&T simplified its messaging under the Network of Possibilities slogan. The company poured money into 5G and fiber internet expansion. They abandoned content creation and returned to pure connectivity. AT&T now races Verizon and T-Mobile to blanket America with 5G while building fiber networks in dozens of cities. The network handles 230 petabytes of data daily, enough to stream 115 million hours of HD video.
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