Investigated Gen Z through secondary research, surveys, social listening, focus groups, interviews, and mouse-tracking research. 400+ secondary sources, 1,047 survey respondents, 176 days of social listening, 9 focus groups, and 49 interviews, among other research.

“Craving True Connection”

We found that communication and connection aren’t the same. While Gen Z is more connected than ever, they crave something deeper: to feel seen, understood, and valued.

We called them Redefiners—a generation that challenges expectations, embraces individuality, and isn't afraid to forge its own path.

AT&T has become “invisible” because connectivity is so constant that its impact can easily go unnoticed. To address this, we proposed making AT&T’s visible through the five senses and meeting the Redefiners where they are at in three Redefiner power modes—Low Battery, Charging, and Full Battery.

We introduced Bell, a golden retriever who personifies AT&T’s loyalty and helps make an otherwise invisible service tangible. Bell became the heart of the campaign, bringing AT&T’s promise of connection to life through the five senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

The aesthetic brought this idea to life through Bell’s personality, bold colors, photography, sound, and a vibrant visual direction designed to feel human, energetic, and distinctly Gen Z.

We met Redefiners where they already spend their time and connect with others—across CTV, paid social, gaming, OOH, partnerships, experiential activations, MMS, and the Super Bowl. Each channel was designed to bring the campaign to life in a different way, extending AT&T’s presence beyond traditional advertising and into the spaces where connection naturally happens.

To test whether our strategy resonated with Redefiners, Team 825 evaluated key brand metrics through campaign testing. The results showed positive movement across NPS, positive sentiment, and brand recall, indicating that the strategy strengthened the connection between AT&T and its audience.