What struck me most about this ad, was not the weird (and a bit creepy) looking costumes of the characters. It was the way AT&T tried to integrate the concept of family ritual with their "staying connected" concept.
The first time i watched this ad, i remember thinking: "That's not how it goes, its nice of the dad and all, but thats kind of cheating...Its not really the same over the phone." Why is that? I mean, he can tell a story over the phone just as well as in person right? Why does it feel different?
It feels different because its a ritual.
It is never really about the kids hearing the story, its more about the moment of bonding between parents and kids.
Further, it is a social convention: parents tell kids stories to help them fall asleep. It is even used as a social cue and narrative element in movies/TV: when they are trying to depict a character that is focusing too much in work at the cost of his/her family life, they usually use one of two things: the first is commonly not going to/forgetting recitals (or baseball games). The second one is getting home so late from work that the kids are already asleep, having missed "story time". In a way, the concept of story-time has evolved in its meaning to signify something more and used as a measure of "good parental care" of sorts.
The same way, the character in the At&T ad tries to strike an emotional chord with the working parent; because even though he is busy and traveling/working, he is a "good dad" and stays "connected" to his family back home.
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