AT&T; Ads Assume That Corporate VIPs Are Knowledgeable About Art

A lot people probably haven’t heard of David Hockney.

But executives at AT&T; figure that most corporate decision makers are familiar with the British-born contemporary artist who makes his home in Los Angeles. In a bid to influence these executives, AT&T; is sponsoring Hockney’s just-opened exhibition at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art. And it will also sponsor Hockney’s exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Tate Gallery in London.

But the $1 million it will cost to sponsor the exhibition isn’t coming out of AT&T;’s charitable funds. Rather, it will be paid for out of the company’s advertising budget.

Why? Well, the company is spending big bucks to advertise the fact that it is underwriting the exhibition. “By advertising that we support the arts,” said AT&T; district manager Jeff Davis, “we are communicating our corporate values to decision makers.”