Petition for AT&T and BBDO New York to release all 300 ‘Brackets by Six-Year-Olds’ videos.
As you may or may not recall, “Brackets by Six-Year-Olds” was an ad campaign from AT&T that ran during March Madness 2012, which inspired the cellular network’s subsequent year-round “It’s Not Complicated” campaign that also featured now-SNL cast member Beck Bennett and a bunch of six-year-olds. It was, objectively, the greatest March Madness campaign of all time.
For reasons that boggle the mind, AT&T has not preserved the clips from this digital campaign, which honestly should be in the Library of Congress as an important cultural artifact. They are scrubbed from the company’s YouTube page. It’s a crime.
Fortunately, “Brackets by Six-Year-Olds” was an ad campaign, created by advertising professionals, and advertising professionals have online portfolios. Which means, a select number of what was apparently over 300 (!) videos do exist for a walk down memory lane.
Some highlights are notably missing — the kid who thinks a basketball court is “mmmm 8 feet” and Jacob’s Ohio State song — but it’s certainly better than nothing.
Around the one-minute mark of the below reel, you’ll find the greatest analysis of Duke basketball you will ever hear:
"I think the Duke Blue Devils might do good because they could make a bet with the other team because some people make deals with the devil, like, they’ll win, but they might lose their soul or something. The devil can tempt people with what they really want…But at a terrible cost, that you won’t notice until it’s gone."
AT&T Brackets by Six-Year-Olds from impossibility on Vimeo.
Among the videos on copywriter Carl Jannerfeldt’s portfolio and on creative directors Jason and Alex’s portfolio, you’ll find this unimpeachable analysis:
- Missouri Tigers: Coach looks like our landlord
- Florida Gators: Alligators like to live in Florida
- Vanderbilt: They’ve been running underwater in the offseason
- Michigan: [noises] [noises] Michigan Wolverines
- Murray State Racers: Vrrm vrrm vrrm
- Missouri Tigers (again): For defense, they can bite the person and he could die, but the bad thing they’ll bite the ball and it will run out of air
- Kentucky Wildcats: Rawr
- Marquette: Shorts are very comfortable
Elsewhere on the internet, you can find a breakdown of Notre Dame’s chances.
“Maybe they drop your gold off, destroy your house and then go to the basketball area?”
“And that’s going to translate into the court?”
“Yes.”
Next: 5 teams even 6-year-olds can see are overrated
“Brackets by Six-Year-Olds” is better than anything Capital One has ever put out with Charles Barkley, Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson. Release the tapes, AT&T. They belong in the Library of Congress.