2024 Bronze Utilities and Telecommunications

Agency: Digitas UK

Client: EE

Entry Title: EE - Capture the Store

Executive Summary

EE wanted to become the UK’s most personal and customer-focused brand. First, it needed to evolve its products and services outside of its core offering. The answer was gaming.

Strategy

Winning over hardcore players was key so EE adopted a classic ‘in-group’ strategy: after all, Apple became synonymous with the best of creativity, because David Bowie used a Mac.

The strategy was devised to do three things:

• Make the UK’s biggest gamers and streamers the main voices of the campaign
• Stand with gaming giants like Fortnite and Twitch to reach gamers in their worlds
• Tap into gaming trends on streaming platforms to engage gamers

And some of the UK’s best Fortnite gamers and most popular streamers got on board: Nick Eh 30, Chica, Jalen and Merl.

Creativity

The audience faces constant advertising, so they’re savvy and discerning. To get gamers to notice, the work centred around one insight: the scourge of the online gaming community - stream sniping (illegally hijacking a live streamer’s broadcast). The value exchange went beyond interacting with another brand, also giving the long-suffering streamers some payback.

The team created a gauntlet open to any player in the UK who thought they had what it took to capture the store. Beat the odds and they not only got the kudos of defeating one of the best, they’d also win real-life gaming gear. The battles played out live on Twitch to huge audiences, creating four ‘match-day moments’, in front of thousands of their fellow gamers.

Results

The reaction from gamers was exactly what EE wanted to hear:

• “W to EE”
• “That’s sick”
• “Yooooo I’m staff from zb elite your maps banging”

Gamers’ attention was captured; they spent quality time with EE. Throughout the campaign EE had 56% SOV in gaming (PlayStation 30%), 532 million impressions, 139 million video views, and gamers streamed 2.2 million minutes across Twitch.

Gamers’ perception of EE shifted: 77% see EE as a credible gaming retailer and were more likely to consider the brand. The campaign achieved a 400% in searches for the store and 70% sales uplift year on year.

The Team

Digitas UK - Matt Holt, Chief Strategy Officer - Carren O'Keefe, Chief Creative Officer - Rafe Blandford, Chief Technology & Product Officer - Bjorn Conradi, Executive Creative Director - Julian Cross, Executive Creative Director - Tim Clegg, Executive Creative Director - Baldvin Thormodsson, Copywriter - Reilly Lovett, Art Director - James Nawka, Senior Designer - Alex Mottershead, Experience Design - Stephanie Ip, Experience Design - Gemma Daly, Product Manager - Lloyd Tuckey, Head of Technology - Francis Wilkinson, Tech Director - Valeria Corna, Strategy Partner Digitas UK - Harry Bunnell, Strategy Director, Kajol Patel, Strategist - Oliver Hill, Managing Partner - Roberto Cervantes, Head of Delivery - Barney Voss, Programme Director - Chetan Jain, Project Director - Jayati Sareen, Director Account - Rachel Solomon, Executive Production Director - Max Sobol, Director

Prodigious - Damian Wilk, Content Director - Liam Doli, Director of Photography - Jessica Boyd, Production Co-Producer - Maritza Boucher, Editor - Rich Barnett, Editor - Jason Fok, Editor - Luke Shelley, Editor - Jon Murray, Edit Producer Prodigious - Lisa Cawthorne. Edit, Colour & Sound Producer - Matty Lee-redman, Colourist - Michael Powell, Sound Engineer - Rob Wilton, Director of Photography

Publicis Groupe - Ben Mooge, Chief Creative Officer

Saatchi & Saatchi - Henry Frith, Sound Engineer