AT&T needed a way to differentiate itself from Verizon and T-Mobile and does so with this promotion
AT&T attached itself to this summer's biggest movie.
AT&T partners with Disney and Pixar | Image by AT&T
Steve Jobs is once again having some influence in the smartphone market, more than 17 years after his demise. Pixar, the computer animation studio he bought from George Lucas in 1986, and became the CEO of before selling to Disney for $7.6 billion in 2006, is teaming up with AT&T to help promote the carrier.
AT&T is hoping Toy Story 5 can drive traffic to its stores
You see, Disney and Pixar are about to release Toy Story 5 on June 19. When Disney stopped funding the original Toy Story because of script issues, Jobs stepped in and funded the production and Pixar. Once the script was rewritten, Disney once again paid for the studio to stay open, and to complete the project.
Which Big 3 CEO will be first to get fired?
As you know, Toy Story became a massive hit and years later, after Disney bought the studio for Disney stock, Jobs became the largest stockholder in the Burbank-based entertainment firm.
AT&T teams with Disney and Pixar to create a special ad
Toy Story 5 could be the summer movie of the year and AT&T and Pixar created an animated commercial starring some of the most popular Toy Story characters. There are Woody and Buzz (voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, respectively) and Jessie (Joan Cusack). You'll notice that a nondescript smartphone is also in the ad and that makes sense since for most adults, their smartphone is the most used toy they own.
Starting June 8 and running through July 19, AT&T stores in markets like Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York will become family-oriented locations where the whole family can check out the AT&T kid-friendly device family. This includes the AT&T amiGO Jr. phone, amiGO Jr. smartwatch, and amiGO Jr. tablet.
AT&T is promoting its line of devices for children
Considering that AT&T is working with Pixar around the opening of Toy Story 5, it makes sense for the wireless provider to promote the AT&T amiGO Jr. devices for kids.
AT&T amiGO Jr. Phone: The parent uses the free AT&T amiGO app installed on the parent’s own iOS or Android phone. Parents are in control and can access real-time location sharing. Parents can also set Safe Zones, approved contacts, and screen time schedules to know who their kids are talking to, where they are, and where they are allowed to go.
AT&T amiGO Jr. Watch 2: The second-generation smartwatch is more durable and features location monitoring, secure messaging, an emergency SOS button, and a school mode.
AT&T amiGO Jr. Tab: A kid-friendly slate equipped with safe browsing, playtime limits, parent-approved contacts, and secure video calling.
On June 5, Toy Story accessories will be available from AT&T retail stores
Starting June 5, AT&T retail stores will have on sale officially licensed Toy Story accessories, including cases, portable batteries, and Toy Story Hugger characters. The carrier will also host screenings of Toy Story 5 for families from its Connected Learning Centers. These are community hubs that provide free high-speed internet and computers to "under-resourced neighborhoods" and AT&T hopes to have 100 of them open by 2027.
Among the "Big 3" carriers in the U.S., AT&T has the CEO with the longest tenure, which will be six years on July 1, 2026. That CEO is John Stankey, who is also the Chairman of the Board at AT&T. Verizon and T-Mobile both replaced their CEOs in October and November, respectively.
Ironically, both T-Mobile and Verizon are battling for the top spot in the U.S. Verizon has a leading 146 million subscribers compared to 140 million for T-Mobile. AT&T is third with 119 million subscribers. However, AT&T is considered at the top for overall reliability. AT&T also has a fiercely loyal customer base which keeps its churn rate low.
For example, AT&T's Q1 postpaid phone churn was a low 0.89%, slightly ahead of the 0.90% generated by Verizon, and the 1.00% rate belonging to T-Mobile. Churn is the percentage of customers that leave a carrier. In this case, we are looking at the churn rate for the most premium tier of service offered by the "Big 3."
What we are seeing here is T-Mobile subscribers beginning to make their way to the exit as the transition to digital gets closer, while AT&T subscribers appear to be happy with the service.
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