EE Campaign Supports Parents Getting Their Child's First Smartphone

EE, the best network for families, has launched Safer SIMs - dedicated smartphone plans for under 18s, designed to support young people at different stages of their digital development. As the first major UK network to offer these plans, the new Safer SIMs launch with a campaign to help parents safely and confidently make the choice about smartphone usage that is right for them and their family. By giving parents peace of mind around safety, while ensuring children can stay connected on any smartphone, EE’s Safer SIMs are support the whole family - and help reinforce EE’s position as the UK’s best network for families .

The campaign, “Safer SIMs”, launches ahead of the start of the new school year, when many families are weighing up if now is the right time for a child to get a phone, and is built on the insight that only 52% of parents feel they have the right tools and guidance to manage their child’s smartphone and social media usage*.

The campaign leads with a film, First Day, by Saatchi & Saatchi. The film uses the backdrop of the first day of school to showcase the pivotal moment when a parent hands their child a smartphone for the first time. As the device changes hands, the world around them spins - a visual metaphor for the parent’s mind racing through all the ways a smartphone might shape their child’s life. We follow imagined scenarios unfolding throughout the school day, children in the playground, chatting in bathrooms, taking photos together - but also moments of sadness, isolation and uncertainty. These flashes reflect the parent’s inner hopes that their child will enjoy all the good that comes from being connected, alongside the instinct to protect them from harm. The story then returns to that same pivotal handover, this time with EE’s Safer SIM. The imagined anxieties are replaced with reassurance as we see the children happy, confident and connected, safely enjoying life with their friends.

As an extension of the campaign, earlier this summer Saatchi & Saatchi and Digitas UK launched The P.H.O.N.E. Chat, a digital activation boosted by paid media and PR to help parents have important conversations with their children about phones, a conversation which can often seem overwhelming and daunting. It builds on the LearnSmart (EE’s learning platform by Digitas) First Phone page by providing educational resources alongside details of EE’s Safer SIMs plans, making it easier for parents to connect with their children around the topic of phone safety.

The wider campaign is supported by OOH, radio and social (also by Saatchi & Saatchi), influencer content from Boomerang, digital engagement, content and customer activation by Digitas and retail by LeSHOP. All paid media has been planned and bought by the OpenConnect team at WPP Media and OOH agency, Posterscope.

Kelly Engstrom, Brand and Demand Generation Communications Director at EE commented: “As the UK’s best network for families, we understand that growing up with phones is hard, which is why we are going further to make sure parents and children feel supported when making those all-important decisions around smartphone usage. Through the launch of our Safer SIMs plans that work with any smartphone, and our new campaign, we hope to help families navigate the online world safely and confidently.”

Ben Mooge, CCO Publicis Groupe said: “With Safer SIMs, parents can feel confident their child’s phone use is safer and they are more protected. First Day captures a familiar family milestone - the mix of excitement and nerves as a child takes their first phone to school, and shows how EE Safer SIMs can offer reassurance at a time when the topic has never been more important for children and society.”

EE under 18s Safer SIMs launched earlier this month, and are available to use with any smartphone. Each SIM-only plan includes built-in content controls to block inappropriate content on websites when they’re on the UK’s best mobile network, scam protection through call labelling, and access to EE’s data gifting and Stay Connected Data – ensuring young people have enough data to keep in touch, even if their allowance has run out.  

In addition, EE announced in-store online safety appointments across the UK with expert Guides in over 400 EE retail stores across the country, open to all regardless of whether they are an existing EE customer or not. Families can book a 30-minute appointment with an EE Guide to receive personalised support and practical guidance, supported by content developed in partnership with online safety experts Internet Matters. 

To find out more, visit ee.co.uk/ee-phone-chat. 

ADVERTISING AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi

PUBLICIS GROUPE CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ben Mooge

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: William John

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nick Bygraves

SENIOR CREATIVE: Rory Peyton-Jones

SENIOR CREATIVE: Elliot Lee

GROUP PLANNING PARTNER: Olivia Stubbings

PLANNING DIRECTOR: Will Moore

SENIOR PLANNER: Bridget Moyle

HEAD OF INTEGRATED PRODUCTION: Rachel Solomon

ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Rosie Nolan

SENIOR INTEGRATED PRODUCER: Brett McDonald

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Mickalah Aldridge

MANAGING PARTNER: Eilidh McGregor

BUSINESS LEADER: Emily Carr-Bennett, Katya Hanbury-Williams

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Maddie Williams

ACCOUNT MANAGER: Ciara McCarthy

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Evie Ungemuth

HEAD OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Charlotte Fisher

BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER: Dan McPhilimey

DIGITAL AGENCY: Digitas

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bjorn Conradi

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Amandine Fabian

CREATIVE TEAMS: Ivo Lazarov, Tom Charter, Dan Smith, Mimi Chan

STRATEGY PARTNER: Valeria Corna

STRATEGY DIRECTOR: David Hofmeyer

SENIOR STRATEGIST: Kajol Patel

EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR: Jason Michael

HEAD OF TECH PRODUCT: Gemma Daly

PRODUCT DESIGNER: Tom Palmer

BUSINESS PARTNER: Jessica Brennan

ACCOUNT LEADS: Emma Lycett, Sophie Baldwin, Jessica Muhl

PROJECT LEADS : Laura Lopez, Cat Penn

OOH PRODUCTION COMPANY: Prodigious London

PHOTOGRAPHER - Lewis Khan

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT - Ella Pavlides 

PRODUCER - Nicole Hathaway

FIRST AD - Mark McPadden 

HEAD OF DESIGN: James Crickmore

LEAD DESIGNER: Simon Hadassi

SENIOR DESIGNER: James-Goodwin Davies

DESIGNER: Dan Bailey

DESIGNER: Anna Hahto

LEAD MOTION DESIGNER: Marco Balducci

SENIOR MOTION DESIGNER: Aivaras Seduika

MOTION DESIGNER: Blake Hart-Wilson

MOTION DESIGNER: Sally-Amy Ngwenya

MOTION DESIGNER: Ash Hoque

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Adrian Reilly

HEAD OF RETOUCHING STUDIO - Kirsten Howe

SENIOR CREATIVE RETOUCHER - Darren Grieves

SENIOR CREATIVE RETOUCHER - Maider Oribe Marcos 

SENIOR CREATIVE RETOUCHER - Gareth Ling

SENIOR CREATIVE RETOUCHER - Jim Wooton

SENIOR CREATIVE RETOUCHER - Danny Kerley

SENIOR CREATIVE ARTWORKER - Dean Vuckovic

SENIOR CREATIVE ARTWORKER - Darren Rolfe

SENIOR CREATIVE ARTWORKER - Mark Carlile

RETAIL AGENCY: Le Shop

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Mike Tran

SENIOR CREATIVE: Kurt Strong, Joe Fletcher

STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Greg Wells

BUSINESS LEAD: Charlotte Johnston

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Lauren Dryden

PROJECT DIRECTOR: Linda Andersson

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Ali Boanas-Smith

SENIOR DESIGNER: Karl Poole, Adriano Fidalgo

DESIGNER: Damien Seddon

SOCIAL AGENCY: Boomerang

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bjorn Conradi

SENIOR CREATIVE: Benjamin Rutherford

SENIOR CREATIVE: William Boehm

PLANNING PARTNER: Mathieu Abet

BUSINESS LEAD: Emily Carr-Bennett

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joanna Saywood

PRODUCER: Crystal Matthews

AV PRODUCTION COMPANY: Lovesong

DIRECTOR: Daniel Wolfe 

2ND UNIT DIRECTOR/ DIRECTOR’S ASSISTANT: Louis McCourt 

DOP: Anna Franquesa Solano

PRODUCER: Maeve McMahon 

CASTING COMPANY: Claire Catterson

EDIT: Marsheen 

EDITOR: Dominic Leung

EDIT PRODUCER: Harriet Cawley

GRADE: Electric Theatre Company 

COLOURIST: Jason Wallis

POST PRODUCTION COMPANY: Stray

EP: Misha Stanford Harris

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Tom Luff

VFX SUPERVISER: Stephen Miller

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Clare Melia

SENIOR PRODUCER: Bethany Phillips 

PRODUCER: Chloe Kerr 

SOUND: Factory Studios

AUDIO CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Anthony Moore

SOUND DESIGN & MIX: James Utting

AUDIO PRODUCER: Becks Boswell

MUSIC SUPERVISION: Wake The Town

MUSIC SUPERVISOR: Maiken Silverup

Media Agency: Open Connect at WPP Media 

HEAD OF STRATEGY & PLANNING: Anna Martorana 

PLANNING BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Rob Corr

PLANNING DIRECTOR: Mikhail Vallance

PLANNING MANAGER: Amy Brewer

PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR: Holly Carters

PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR: Victoria Peake 

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR: James Shinfield

OOH Agency: Posterscope