Nine months after Jordan Spieth signed an endorsement deal with AT&T, the 21-year-old Texan is starring in his first TV commercial with the Dallas-based company.
Only he won't be pitching a product.
Spieth is supporting the company's "It Can Wait" campaign against texting and driving.
"I like this more," Spieth said Monday night after his runner-up finish in the Valero Texas Open that moved him to No. 4 in the world. "This is more genuine, more natural and has a bigger impact. It's something the entire audience can do. It's not, `Hey, go buy this smartphone.' This is very simple."
AT&T began its campaign in 2010 with minimal branding, an aggressive social media campaign and more than 6 million pledges not to text and drive.
The television spot with Spieth is expected to debut during the Par 3 Tournament at the Masters on April 8, and then slide into the rotation. AT&T is among three global sponsors at the Masters, allowing it to air advertisements during limited commercial space.
The spot with Spieth is more like a 30-second documentary, much of it shot at Augusta National when he was playing a practice round earlier this month. He is hitting shots, putting and walking across the Hogan bridge. He also is seen arriving at an airport, in his hotel room and in a coffee shop, with his phone always in his hand.
"I feel so fortunate to be out on tour," Spieth says in the commercial. "The only downside is being away from my friends and family. So I don't know what I'd do without my phone. I use it to stay connected. I use it to remind me of what really matters most."
And then he gets into his car – a Masters courtesy car – and stashes the phone in the glove box.
"That's why sometimes," he concludes, "I don't use it at all."
Spieth said he had to work hard at not texting and driving when he first got his license, and he has read plenty of tragic stories about accidents from texting while driving, though not from anyone he knew personally.
What he liked about the commercial was how it captured a day in his life when he's on the road.
"It was intriguing, because it draws people into my personal life – what I'm doing, day in and day out," he said. "I don't think it makes much of a difference who you have (in the commercial). I can draw an audience in, but it's something universal. We're hearing more and more stories about teens ignoring the dangers and adults setting a bad example. It needs to change direction."