Situation - 2020 has been a tough year for everybody, but especially for Black Americans. 2021 is the year of hope and provides the opportunity to build from the Dream In Black Future Maker program to celebrate Black Future Makers and Black culture.

Brief - Celebrate our Black Future Makers with an unexpected and modern take on a classic concept. Elevate them by allowing them to tell their own story using a cinematic, high art approach. Honor our Black Future Makers by canonizing them and giving them their flowers now.

Objectives - Create conversation that acknowledges and celebrates the Black community, by cutting through the clutter and being authentic.

To honor the work of Black people who are shaping the future, we asked, “How do we revere the doers and the dreamers, thank the makers, shapers and creators of not just today, but tomorrow?”

With a deep cultural insight, we answered, and our idea sprung to life. Recognize the pursuit of dreams and celebrate people while they are here, before they are gone. The zeitgeist tells us, “Give me my flowers now, while I can still smell them.” The insight broke through with the help of cultural icon, LeBron James, musical artist Chief Wakil and visual artist, Temi Coker, paying tribute to all Black Future Makers that are defining their success by putting them in High Art while they are here. The campaign launched with a beautiful celebration of frontline workers and everyday heroes in our living portrait anthem, profoundly voiced by LeBron James.

Dream In Black embodies a mindset where success can look like anything that we can dream. During Black History Month our nation pauses to commemorate and celebrate Black contributions. Black Future Month is the AT&T 21st century approach to the moment. It’s our way into an authentic celebration of the dreams and the future made possible by more than 400 years of Black history, culture and contributions. In this campaign, we fueled a national conversation around Black excellence and celebrated those with the courage to Dream in Black for the now, new and next by using #DreamInBlack.

To drive awareness, artist Temi Coker created living portraits that celebrated 28 Black Future Makers – Influencers and shapers of culture and community. Recipients included LeBron James, Abby Phillip, and D-Nice. We also activated the public with a Black Future Maker monthly contest, where Future Makers could win $10,000 to pursue their dreams. The importance of celebrating each other and culture is undeniable, so we brought our message to the consumer and took over AT&T Retail spaces. Each featured a portrait generator, providing people the opportunity to engage by creating living portraits to share via #Dreaminblack. In addition, consumers could engage via mobile and a web interactive experience. To further the reach of our message, we stirred the viral fire by engaging consumers with social influencers and live events, including a kickoff event with famed DJ, D-Nice, social activations on Twitter and a fire-side chat with Future Makers.

PR - 632M impressions, 799K estimated coverage views

Social - 411M+ impressions, 92% positive brand sentiment, 68.1M+ reach, 2.1M+ engagements