Inside EE's biggest brand refresh in over a decade

The ‘New EE’ campaign spans TV, cinema, out-of-home, print, radio, social, and experiential. The marketing is anchored on work, home, gaming and learning, with a series of hero ads dropping on Friday, October 20.

One TV spot features board Brits stuck at home in the rain but then turn to EE’s gaming platform, which injects excitement and fun into their living rooms.

EE has a suite of new products, initiatives and changes to roll out; its biggest challenge was how to communicate so much new news. The marketing department opted for a phased approach, with its first stage landing the message about its key reasons for connectivity: home, learn, work and gaming.

Pete Jeavons, marketing communications director for EE is behind the campaign. He admits to The Drum: “We can’t land it all both from a sort of comprehension point of view, but also just our ability to buy the media to be able to land it is difficult to do.”

Given the scale of the marketing effort, EE called on a number of agencies, including Publicis Groupe UK, Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas, Boomerang, Publicis Poke, Zag and Prodigious. EssenceMediacomX was behind the media plan, alongside Havas Play, while PR has been handled by M&C Saatchi Talk and The Academy.

For the first phase of the campaign, EE wanted to tap into potential customers not already in their databases.

“This means the media choices to find them is very different to what we’ve done before,” Jeavons says, explaining EE has flipped to an addressable first media strategy.

The second way EE will target non-customers has been through a content and resource strategy that will be distributed through their partners. For example, EE has created tools for children to be internet-safe, alongside gaming tips and tools.

“Once we’ve drawn people into that, and they understand the brand more and have more affinity towards the brands, that opens up the conversation to be able to say: 'do you what do you want to have more of a financial commitment with us',” Jeavons continues.

For the brand refresh EE has also doubled down on social platforms and is working with creators, especially on the gaming side, to amplify its messaging.

This is the first time EE has ever spread its marketing this wide. “This again is something that is very new and different for us that we’re not just relying upon TV and a broadcast message," the marketer adds.

Part of the strategy is for BT Broadband to be phased out and replaced by EE. This messaging will be introduced in the second phase of the strategy. Despite the end goal, Jeavons says that won’t be a reality for consumers for at least another 12-18 months.

“At the moment, what we’re doing running a dual brand portfolio. So we’ve got essentially equal weighting for BT and EE. But what you will start to see that weighing towards EE and away from BT,” Jeavons explains.