ESPN and AT&T/DirecTV team up for college football campaign

College football is in full swing, and TV ads are seizing on the fandom and fervor that comes with it.

AT&T/DirecTV and ESPN Creativeworks have partnered with creative agency Big Block to create 30-second spots that will run on ESPN during every College Gameday show this season.

AT&T/DirecTV and ESPN Creativeworks have worked together for several seasons. This year they brought in Big Block for a fresh take, featuring superfans from a range of colleges tailgating, sparking age-old rivalries, and even riding a mechanical elephant. 

The project continually evolved from its conception, since the campaign required approval from five different universities.

Big Block used a handful of 3D-printed props, and the entire piece was shot in one day in Pasadena, California.

“It’s always a pleasure to work with ESPN CreativeWorks, we continuously see eye-to-eye and make a good team," said Big Block director Shaun Collings. "The addition of AT&T/DirecTV made it even better; they were a joy to work with, which is how you can pull off an excellent project quickly-- we’d bring everyone around the monitor, collaborating the whole way and keeping the energy positive.”

“The team was thrilled to learn AT&T had partnerships with several schools, so we were able to use the universities IP, including jerseys, logos and mascots."