EE is targeting parents at the moment their child receives their first phone with a campaign built around “safer SIMs”, parental guidance tools and in-store appointments.
The initiative is designed to strengthen the brand’s connection with families, says Kelly Engstrom, brand and demand generation communications director at BT Group.
The campaign launches alongside the start of the school year and features a short film showcasing two very different experiences children have of using a smartphone – one version with EE’s protection measures and one without.
EE is targeting parents at the moment their child receives their first phone with a campaign built around “safer SIMs”, parental guidance tools and in-store appointments.
The initiative is designed to strengthen the brand’s connection with families, says Kelly Engstrom, brand and demand generation communications director at BT Group.
The campaign launches alongside the start of the school year and features a short film showcasing two very different experiences children have of using a smartphone – one version with EE’s protection measures and one without.
“Fundamentally, it’s about a better connection with our customers, specifically with our family audience,” Engstrom tells Marketing Week. “Research shows parents don’t feel they have the right knowledge, skills and confidence to have these conversations. We want to be that trusted partner.”
EE has been careful not to present smartphones as a threat, rather as something that needs proper guardrails when being used by children, and crucially as something that can be a positive in a child’s life when used correctly.
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“This campaign is not at all meant to put people off using a smartphone,” Engstrom says. “We know it’s a rite of passage. Parents often wait until secondary school, and we want to embrace that.”
To help parents foster open discussions with their children, the brand has created the “PHONE chat” – which stands for prepare, highlight, own, negotiate, and establish – as its research shows many feel ill-equipped to have talks like this.
“We’re encouraging both parents and children to have the conversation,” says Engstrom, in much the same way they prepare to have the “sex talk” or “money talk”.
“The PHONE chat is about making sure both feel confident, that it’s not hidden behind barriers.”
The campaign follows an update to the Online Safety Act, with the protection of children codes of practice laid in Parliament in April and Ofcom issuing new guidance. As of 25 July, platforms have a legal duty to protect children online.
On the new legislation, Engstrom says: “It’s clearly a massive cultural issue, and an issue that we can see the whole country is facing, so one that many people are leaning into. But we feel like we’ve been in this space for some time,” Engstrom says.
“Last year, we issued guidance on when to use a phone. Now we’re going further, providing plans tailored for children with controls already built in.”
This campaign is not at all meant to put people off using a smartphone.
Kelly Engstrom, EE
The company is also encouraging families to use its in-store offer, highlighting it as an additional resource to online research and existing tools such as PhoneSmart.
“Anyone can book 30 minutes with us to help with hand-me-downs or setting up new phones. It’s a company-wide commitment, not just about safer SIMs but the tools and services that go alongside them.”
“We’ve always seen this as our responsibility,” Engstrom adds. “It goes hand in hand with what we do as a business.”
“It’s not just about the safety in plans that we’re introducing, but the tools and services are just as important,” she explains.
While education is central, EE has clear KPIs, including “brand consideration, first-choice purchase intent, but also engagement with the tools we’ve built and with the 30-minute in-store sessions”, Engstrom explains. “We can measure it day to day as well as at a macro level.”
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Partnerships and sponsorship
The campaign connects with EE’s wider sponsorship activity, from Hope United – its football-led campaign tackling racism and misogyny – to its work with the FA and women’s football.
“We’ve always felt that using our brand presence and marketing investments to stand with our customers on the issues that matter is really important,” Engstrom says.
When girls spend time playing football, for example, they develop a raft of personal skills that translate online, she explains.
“Those softer personal skills, alongside the digital safety skills that we’re doing, it’s all part of our commitment to really lean into families and the issues that they’re facing today.”
Engstrom says the ambition is to establish EE as a leading force in children’s digital wellbeing.
“We want to be one of the leading voices in this, but it’s an ecosystem. Device manufacturers and social platforms all have a role to play, and we want to make sure we’re playing a big role.”
Fundamentally, it’s about a better connection with our customers
Kelly Engstrom, EE
To keep pace with new risks, EE has launched a youth council to hear directly from children as another way to be ahead of the curve.
“There are constant new issues,” Engstrom explains. “The youth council allows us to hear from them directly, and at the same time, we’re speaking to parents to understand their issues too.”
This broad approach has been applied to the rollout of the campaign itself. Safer SIMs have been designed to work across all devices, including hand-me-downs, while messaging is tailored by channel: apps like PhoneSmart and LearnSmart for children, linear TV for parents.
“We’ve always felt that we’ve been there for families in this way [and] this is the next step. We hope customers feel we’re the best network to put their children on, and the best place to start that journey.”
