The AT&T 5G Helmet campaign highlights the positive influence that technology can have to literally and figuratively change the game, creating more inclusivity not just for football, but for the entire world of athletics and beyond. The combination of creative storytelling, emotional connection, social impact, and technological innovation are all things sports fans gravitate towards. The campaign’s media plan targeted sports fans, highlighted by the TV spot running during the College Football National Championship and a custom segment within ESPN’s College GameDay show.

Millions of people rely on AT&T’s wireless and home internet network every day. It's a necessity. But as a category, much of telecom advertising can be indistinguishable. Deal based. Transactional. In this context, we collectively recognized an opportunity to go far above and beyond this kind of work. We embraced AT&T’s day-one commitment to innovation that changes people’s lives. By focusing on connecting with a community, committing to an iterative and often difficult process, engaging in real partnership, and serving real people, we were able to create work that goes beyond the expected, and truly proves AT&T’s core brand belief that “Connecting Changes Everything.”

In 2021, all the wireless companies were in an arms race to market their 5G networks with narrow, uninspiring messages about speed. The question we thought was much more interesting was, “What can we create to show how AT&T connects people to greater possibilities?” What new thing can we make possible today that wasn’t possible before? Answered correctly, that question could launch work in AT&T’s pantheon of firsts (first telephone, first call to the Moon) that has earned AT&T its historical reputation as a hub of innovation. So we went seeking opportunities to differentiate 5G, and one really grabbed us. It had the benefit of being located in a cultural theater that AT&T had been a dominant force in for years: college sports and specifically, college football.

To demonstrate AT&T’s brand purpose of “Connecting Changes Everything,” we had to showcase how AT&T’s technology drives tangible impact. To do so, we needed an insight that was centered on humanity and that could spark ideas that would resonate widely, regardless of audience intricacies. Case in point: Deaf football players have historically innovated how players communicate during the game, dating back to Gallaudet University creating the huddle in 1894. However, a faster pace of the game and advancements in technology such as radio helmets had created a clear disadvantage for them. The opportunity for a faster coach-player connection became a chance for AT&T to showcase their brand purpose. The debut of the world's first 5G-connected football helmet not only empowered athletes but also transcended sports, illustrating the broader impact of innovation.

The AT&T 5G Football Helmet is a fully connected, 5G-powered football helmet, with a built-in Augmented Reality lens that lets Deaf and hard of hearing players see their coach’s play calls in real time, receiving information at the same time as hearing players. Once they can see what others can hear, they aren't unfairly penalized, and their talent and athleticism have a chance to shine. By connecting the players, this innovation changes the game – creating possibilities that did not exist before. This levels the playing field for our partners at Gallaudet University, and for countless Deaf and hard of hearing athletes beyond their walls – from the team today, to others who will adopt this in the future. The launch of the AT&T 5G Helmet shifted the 5G story from speed for speed’s sake, to human connection, embodying a perfect demonstration of AT&T’s brand purpose – “Connecting Changes Everything.”

AT&T 5G Helmet wasn’t a marketing stunt. It was a real product, enabled by real tech, with real heroes. We chose to treat it as a product launch first, to be later supported by paid advertising, allowing those for whom the product was built to introduce it: the Gallaudet players and coaching staff.

The helmet made its official premiere on Good Morning America and ESPN CollegeGameDay featuring the Gallaudet University football team, and showcasing the transformative power of the helmet. The helmet then made its debut in an actual American college football game, where Gallaudet emerged victorious.

A 60-second film captured the emotional story with a powerful cover of "The Sound of Silence'' by Amira Unplugged, a hard of hearing artist. Her inclusion would be a major creative and commercial milestone in her career, connecting her to greater possibility, further proof of AT&T's brand purpose, “Connecting Changes Everything.”

In its first week, the campaign earned 1B+ impressions, and over 3 months, the campaign generated over 4.5B earned media impressions. Sentiment across social media was overwhelmingly positive — 93.6% – rare for this category. The AT&T 5G Helmet also delivered Gallaudet their first win of the season in the first game it was worn and Gallaudet has received approval from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) to use the helmet in every game in the upcoming 2024 season. The College Football Hall of Fame is putting the helmet on permanent display. NCAA conferences have interest in making the helmet available to all players. And, AT&T is exploring the possibility of implementing the technology within firefighter helmets to support more streamlined communication.

The helmet, the first of its kind, was designed by AT&T to speed up on-field communication for Deaf and hard of hearing players. From a tablet, the coach communicates the play call from a custom app via AT&T 5G, which is displayed on a pinhole holographic AR lens embedded in the visor. The near-instantaneous transmission of data results in real-time visual information, giving players the same access to critical game data as their hearing counterparts at other schools. The challenge was integrating a battery, transmitter, visual display, and cabling into a Riddell SpeedFlex helmet, balancing the engineering requirements without compromising the safety demands required for use of the helmet in game play. The design team experimented with a combination of off-the-shelf and custom components while incorporating Gallaudet’s feedback into the prototypes over a period of over two years until we had a final product approved by the NCAA.