“Please don’t interrupt our movies” punctuates the new public service announcement featuring Martin Scorsese, now running in movie theaters. The 60-second ad — from AT&T and BBDO New York — features the director interrupting a mother and son during a bedtime call with his traveling father. “The plot of this phone call is just not working for me. I’ve seen it a million times,” warns the Academy Award-winning director.
In response to the ad, the press release on February 11 notes that “[i]n a recent survey of moviegoers throughout the United States, an overwhelming 93 percent reported that they either silenced their wireless phone, put it on vibrate or turned it off as a result of AT&T’s Be Sensible public service announcements.” Scott Marks of the Emulsion Compulsion blog jokingly noted, “[n]ot since his cameo in Taxi Driver has a camera lens channeled the true force of Scorsese on screen.”
The ad is featured today on the home page of Creativity Online, which hosts a larger-format embed with full list of credits. On February 20, the ad was ADWEEK’s Ad of the Day (link no longer online). It can also be seen and requested in AT&T’s own corporate multimedia gallery.
The “Be Sensible” campaign has included similar ads with other Academy Award winners: director Sydney Pollack and actor Forest Whitaker.
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