AT&T Analysis

In this AT&T commercial, we are given two young children, a brother and a sister, who seem lost in time. They arrive from the depths of the city's subway system to find themselves in a forest of urbanization. Being as primitive as they are, for they are depicted to be from the early 1800s if one bases that inference on the time period the original "Hansel and Gretel" was written by the brothers Grimm, they use bread crumbs as a means of retracing their steps. However, just as in the original fairytale, the bread crumbs serve to be a terrible idea. The pieces of bread are eaten by city pigeons and trampled on by hurried business people. Finding themselves in this unfortunate predicament, the children momentarily panic before Gretel suddenly remembers her AT&T cell phone which ultimately saves them from being forever lost in the big city.

AT&T serves as the parental figure that Hansel and Gretel lack. The children were facing abandonment in an unknown place, just as in the original version of the story, without any adult figure to help them. Panic and anxiety rising, eyes opening wide in fear at the realization of their situation, they search for a way home. AT&T acts as their guardian, showing them the way back to their homely "cottage". By using the authority position of a guardian/parent, AT&T set out to prove that they will take care of their customers with the best intentions, just as a parent would look after their children. This is meant to bring up a level of comfort and security within a possible customer, as they would feel that AT&T would protect them from unfair charges and care for them in case there was an accident or emergency. This commercial, therefore, uses the psychological fear of abandonment to lure the viewer in.