EE underlines the power of empathy with Safer Sims campaign

Parenting the world’s first smartphone generation is anything but easy. The back-to-school season comes with the omnipresent request for smartphones. 

At the same time, a media narrative continues to pile more pressure on parents, often without recognising that the social fabric for young people is dependent on both on and offline connectivity.

In this increasingly polarised environment, EE has successfully built its brand on genuine empathy and an understanding of the conflict and chaos of modern family life. While also introducing thoughtful products and services which genuinely empower parents and young people alike. 

The Safer SIMs campaign promotes the launch of dedicated smartphone plans for under 18s designed to support young people. Launched to coincide with the back-to-school season, the campaign underlines that for parents and young people alike, educating ourselves about digital development has never been more important. 

Back to school is now a point in the year where not only are families navigating the never-ending quest to buy bigger school uniforms, but answering big questions about smartphone usage. The campaign is built on the insight that parents are overwhelmed by this transition: only 52% of parents feel they have the right tools and guidance to manage their child’s smartphone and social media usage. 

As the first major UK network to offer these plans, EE is walking the walk on better supporting families and earning its stripes as the ‘best network for families’. The campaign has been designed to help parents safely and confidently make the choice about smartphone usage that is right for them and their family. 

The campaign leads with a beautiful and thought provoking film entitled ‘First Day’ created 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. The film brings the viewer into the many moments of the school day, the playground, chatting in bathrooms and taking photos. As well as those moments of sadness, isolation and uncertainty. A creative technique which punctures the parental heartstrings by surfacing the many anxieties that come hand in hand with the rollercoaster of the school journey. 

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.

Kelly Engstrom, Brand and Demand Generation Communications Director at EE, explained: “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, added: “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.”

In a world where attitudes to smartphones are increasingly rooted in immovable ideology rather than the genuine impact on children and parents, the insight and humanity of this campaign shines through.