EE's 'The Search Is Over' Redefines TV with Flexibility and Simplicity for Every Home

EE is simplifing the often overwhelming world of television, offering a one-stop-shop for all entertainment needs by consolidating live TV and streaming services into a single, easy-to-use interface.

The new nationwide campaign, 'The Search Is Over', showcases EE TV with bespoke social, digital, OOH and TV executions highlighting how it benefits three specific audiences: busy families, modern independents and empty nesters.

Pete Jeavons, marketing communications director at EE, said: “We know that watching TV can bring a moment of relaxation and togetherness to households across the country. However, we also understand that with so many platforms, subscriptions and log ins, sitting down to watch a show or a film can feel overwhelming. The Search Is Over demonstrates how EE TV takes the tension out of television. Built for busy households and with amazing entertainment, sport and movies all in one place, it elevates the TV experience for viewers across the UK and is another great example of how new EE does more for our customers”.

The audience-led campaign has been created by Publicis Groupe UK agencies Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas UK, Prodigious and Boomerang, in partnership with EssencemediacomX and Posterscope.

The two films, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, and going live nationwide from 16 July, will be:

Playdate

This ad reflects the chaos of modern family life as kids take over homes whilst on, or hosting, a playdate. The film opens on a series of children bundling into houses, pushing through front doors and ready to have fun and mess about at their friend’s house.

Set to If The Kids Are United by Sham 69, the film cuts between homes depicting a variety of scenes that will be familiar to families across the country; from children engaging in pillow fights and teenagers filming TikTok dances, all while parents try to navigate their way through the house.

As the chaos starts to build, a mum finds a young girl hiding from the noise and asks her, ‘is it all a bit much?’. Suddenly, another child grabs an EE TV remote and immediately, a sense of calm is restored across the households. The parents and children sit down to relax, flicking through a variety of content before making their choice and watching together in harmony.

The film showcases how with EE TV, in one search viewers can find the content they want across live TV and on demand, fast and all in one place.

Playdate goes live with a nationwide TV campaign on Tuesday 16 July with key broadcast slots including:

• Love Island (ITV 2) – Friday 19 July

• Non-Stop (5TV) – Friday 19July

• Kingsman: The Golden Circle (C4TV) – Saturday 20 July

It will also run across cinema, broadcast video on demand (BVOD) and online video (OLV).

They’re Back

The second ad explores the concept of empty nesters, when teens, students and deposit-saving young adults move back in and suddenly, the TV has to be shared again.

The story opens to a series of parents as they go about their evenings, relaxing with a cup of tea, watching TV and having dinner. Suddenly, the doorbell rings and ‘THEY’RE BACK’ is displayed on screen, as front doors swing open, moving boxes are squeezed through hallways, and children disrupt the home. The film then flicks between living rooms across the country, with crammed sofas and noisy children, as they ask their parents ‘have you got Netflix?’, ‘have you got NOW?’.

A grandad smiles as households are seen tapping a tablet to choose their streaming service, before sitting down together to watch a show. The film demonstrates how EE TV flexes with your home, with the ability to turn subscriptions on and off so members of the family can use whatever streaming services make them happy.

The spot ends with the familiar voice of Kevin Bacon announcing that ‘new EE TV is here, with subscriptions that can change as fast as your home does’.

They’re Back will run across broadcast video on demand (BVOD) and online video (OLV) from today (Tuesday 16th July).

The campaign, planned and bought by EssencemediacomX and OOH agency Posterscope, will sit across a range of channels with custom executions tailored to maximise engagement for each audience group and platform.

Ben Mooge, CCO at Publicis Groupe, says: “The TV is a character in the home; a crowd-pleaser, a sanctuary and sometimes sweet relief. EE knows the rhythms of our family lives, and EE TV is perfectly placed to fit in with yours. TV that changes as quickly as your home life does, and fast search across every platform when you need it; for example, just at the moment that school holiday playdates are spiraling out of control. With EE TV the search is over.”

The Search Is Over will also activate across a range of additional touchpoints, including:

• Digital out of home (DOOH) that will rotate based on a variety of contextual triggers. From a heatwave to a bank holiday weekend, the content will be updated to showcase a TV show available on EE TV and relevant to that moment in time.

• A Find The Remote social livestream challenge on TikTok and Instagram, to highlight EE’s universal remote. The challenge, which will feature presenter and television personality, Jamie Laing, encourages people to find EE TV remotes hidden in secret locations across the UK. Winners will need to find Jamie at the events and quote ‘The Search Is Over’ to receive £1000 cash and an EE TV bundle (24 months TV including the Full Works Plan and EE broadband). Find The Remote is led by Saatchi & Saatchi and Boomerang.

• A retail experience for the public across three key EE Experience stores; the EE Studio in Westfield London, White City, Manchester Trafford Centre and Bluewater in Kent. Showcasing that EE TV has entertainment for everyone, the stores will be designed with three unique living room settings: gothic core, anime fanatic and cat lovers. EE stores up and down the country will then be a part of the Find The Remote competition and people will be encouraged to visit the stores by talent, Jamie Laing, for a chance to win.

• To showcase the power of EE TV, Digitas UK has created a 90-second explainer video that drives traffic to the EE website and walks customers through all the enhanced functionality of EE TV, including universal search, the intuitive user interface, flexible subscriptions and breadth of content. Additionally, Digitas UK has developed a comprehensive suite of customer communications to promote EE TV to the existing EE customer base.

CREDITS

Campaign Title: The Search Is Over

Client: EE

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi

Campaign Title: EE TV

Client: EE

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi

CCO: Ben Mooge

Executive Creative Director: William John

Copywriter: Sarah Heavens, Issie Peach

Art Director: Neil Richie, Molly Ohayon

Planning Partner: Olivia Stubbings

Senior Planner: Ciaran McManus

Managing Partner: Jonathan Tapper

Business Lead: Cameron Saville-Smith

Account Director: Faye Kimpton, Joe Dowson

Account Manager: Louisa Pudney

Agency EP: Rose Reynolds

Agency Producers: Elizabeth Cavenett, Amy Oldfield

Creative Director: Mike Tran

Creatives: Kurt Strong, Joe Fletcher, Karl Poole, Babajide Amusu, Sonya Hau, Adriano Fidalgo

Business Director: Justin Hyde

Account Director: Caroline Mogotsi

Project Management: Ameer Bacchus

Media Buying Agency: PHD

Production Company: Somesuch

Director: Caleb Femi

Prod Co Producer: Tom Gardner

Prod Co EP: Tash Tan

Editor: Amber Saunders

Edit House: Cabin

Post-Production Company: Selected Works

Post-Production Producer: Kate Ryan & Dale Heron

Sound Engineer: Mark Hills

Sound Studio: Factory

Production: Prodigious

Creative Artworker: Carl Collins

Senior Creative Artworker: Dean Vuckovic

Senior Retoucher: Darren Grives

Head of Retouching: Kirsten Howe

Senior Project Manager: Adie Reily

Head of Design: James Crickmore

Designer: Simon Hadassi

Senior Designer (Freelance): Bella Cologlu

Senior Designer: Chris Vincent

Senior Designer: Kumal Shah

Senior Designer: Lucien Bishop

Senior Designer: Natalie Alves

Senior Designer: Graham Puttock

Senior Designer: Anna Hahto

Senior Motion Designer: Aivaras Seduika

Senior Motion Designer: Marco Balducci

Motion Designer: Blake Hart-Wilson

Motion Designer: Sally-Amy Ngwenya

Motion Designer: Ash Hoque

Designer: Shona Macleon

Designer: Conor MacLeay

Digital Designer: Kat Wozniak

Senior Project Manager: James Goodwin-Davies

Head of Editing Operations: Jason Fork

Senior Editor: Ben Matthews

Art Director: Steve Azancot

Digital Designer: Matt Lee

3D Generalist & VFX Artist: Mel Garber

CGI Artist: Rich Hayes

Senior Audio Engineer: Henry Frith

Junior MCR: Louis Sharman

MCR Operator: Ryan Kalifa

Acting Head of Art: Rachel Wickham

Photographer: Sophie Jones

Stylist: Ella Lucia

Stylist: Kerry Pannagio

Props Stylist: Lizzie Gilbert

Senior Creative Editor: Rich Barnett

Senior Editor: Ben Matthews

Editor: Kat Bessant

CG Lead: Andrew Bayliss

Digital Designer: Matt Lee

CGI Artist: Rich Hayes

Motion Graphics Artist: Rowena Matthews

Head of Motion Graphics: Lizzy Rowlatt

Motion Graphic Artist: David Phelps

Head of Audio: Michael Powell

Audio Engineer: George Turner

Executive Producer: Jon Murray

Social Agency: Boomerang

Executive Creative Director: Ian Gambier

Art Director: Shaun Maclennan

Copywriter: Rebecca Cartey

Copywriter: Pete Ashworth

Producer: Lucy Beer

Account Director: Joe Dowson

Business Lead: Cameron Saville-Smith

Strategy Director: Ciaran McManus

Agency: Digitas UK

Executive Creative Director: Bjorn Conradi

Creative Director: Andy O’Carroll

Creatives: Ivo Lazarov, Tom Charter, Peter Brown, Rafael Goulart

Managing Partner: Matthew Lucas

Business Director: Jessica Brennan

Account Director: Sophie Baldwin

Senior Account Manager: Leslie Boateng

Project Management: Maud Watters & Daniella Marcus

Social Strategy Lead: Harry Bunnell

Senior Designer: James Nawka

Designer: Tom Kolodotschko

Agency: EssencemediacomX

Planning Lead: Anna Martorana

Business Director: Rob Corr

Planning Director: Paridhi Johri

Media Executive: Megan Leader

Agency: Posterscope

OOH Partner: Dan Bayford

Planning & Buying Director: Tom Murrihy

Planning & Buying Manager: Rowan Gillete Fussel

Production Company: Somesuch

Director: Caleb Femi

Founding Partner: Tim Nash & Sally Campbell

MD/EP: Chris Watling

Deputy MD/EP: Tash Tan

Producer: Tom Gardner

PM: Dominika Wosik

Main Unit

Director of Photography: Benoit Soler

1st Assistant Director: Clara Paris

2nd Assistant Director: Dan Hasson

Key Grip: Dave Mcanulty

DIT: Lilly Palmer

Sound Recordist: Don Nelson

2nd Unit

2nd Unit Director: Renee Maria Osubu

2nd Unit DoP: Korsshan Schlauer

2nd AD: Callum Toms

Location Manager: Jacques Groenewald

Production Designer: Lucie Red

Art Director: Ashley Dando

SFX: Matter SFX

Make-Up & Hair Stylist: Natasha Lawes

Costume Designer: Jodie-Simone Howe

Choreographer: Ivan Blackstock