Cable guys have been a staple of pop culture for years, but now it's time for their next-generation replacements to get some time in the spotlight.
Two new spots for AT&T from BBDO New York show the "Network Guys," a pair of techs working to improve wireless coverage for concert attendees and office drones alike.
They somewhat graciously shut down a rock 'n' roll fan's dreams of joining their club. They also make an office worker swoon, thanks to their l33t d4t4 sk1lls (elite data skills), which let them make posting to Instagram easier for all the n00bs (noobs).
With ads like this, it's always hard to tell if they're really supporting the "nerds rule" zeitgeist or just keeping up the age-old mockery of tech geeks as socially awkward losers who only excel at their jobs. And since AT&T's main representative in the ads barely regards their customers as worthy of conversation, it seems like the brand is essentially saying, "You don't understand everything we do for you, so just go back to Instagramming, you uneducated cretins."
That said, thanks to some great delivery by the actors, these spots are still pretty charming.
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