EE is celebrating the power of connection in its first-ever fully integrated Christmas campaign created by Publicis Groupe UK’s cross-agency team.

The campaign titled ‘Hosting and Guesting’ follows a family determined to see both sides of the family on Christmas day. It celebrates the chaos of modern family Christmas and highlights how EE’s network can help it all to run more smoothly. 

The campaign was born from insight following research from EE that delves into how the nation plans to celebrate Christmas. More than half (54%) of Brits are hosting a Christmas celebration, 47% will be guests at someone else’s, and nearly one in three (27%) are ‘doing the double’. No matter hosting, guesting or both, the campaign aims to show how being connected via EE helps to keep families connected to one another.

At the heart of the campaign, a dynamic film set to the classic 1989 house hit, Ride on Time by Black Box, follows a mum with two children attempting to ‘do the double’ and see both sides of the family in one day.

Mum juggles Christmas cooking with getting the kids ready before heading to the first stop, Nana’s House. Inside relatable festive chaos rules, the doorbell signals arrival after arrival while members of the family shout for WiFi passwords to connect new presents, TVs, games and music. Amongst the chaos, Nana and the little boy can be seen practising a series of hand gestures.  
Next stop is a drive away, and the family hit the road, aided by EE’s mobile network to locate the house using maps. The young boy calls his Nana from the back seat who helps him to remember the hand gestures he was learning earlier. On arrival at the house, the door swings open and the young boy steps forward to sign ‘Merry Christmas’ to the young girl who is hard of hearing. The mum smiles as she realises what he has been practising with his Nana. 

The spot ends with the voiceover: ‘Wherever you are, keep your family connected.’

"Christmas, it’s the most stressful and joyous time of the year. You’re hosting, guesting, indulging, gifting. Moments ping-ponging off each other like an exploding cracker of joyful chaos. This film set out to celebrate it all with humour, heart and some heightened realism. Never too polished but punchy and playful with a true perspective on the day, combined with an elevated cinematic tone that’s always in service to the characters,” says Will John at Saatchi & Saatchi.

The 60-second film is supported by two 30 second spots as well as cinema, radio, OLV, OOH, DOOH and social. Digital out of home and out of home creative showcase two Christmas Days - one hosting, one guesting, in a split screen format with contextual audio tailored to different environments and travel periods, aligning with people’s festive journeys.

The digital out of home creative is set to appear during key festive moments such as journeys home and last minute Christmas shopping. Each scene introduces new settings and faces, keeping the main character centred for smooth, connected shifts. Custom festive billboards across London, Birmingham and Manchester bring the campaign to life. 

Media has been planned by EE’s bespoke WPP team, OpenConnect, and OOH specialists Posterscope, with consideration to people's festive journeys and key sales moments to ensure maximum reach.

“Christmas is a busy time with multiple phases in the lead up to the big day. Our meticulous planning was rooted in understanding and tapping into real-life behaviours to show EE's seamless connection at the heart of every festive journey, whether hosting or guesting,” said Rebecca Marshall, Client President of OpenConnect at WPP Media.

The campaign will also run across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit and Pinterest with social creative that follows the same transition between two worlds and the duties of hosting and guesting and gifting.

EE has also partnered with Samsung UK to extend the story beyond the film and will be running a Christmas competition hosted by chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver. Developed by Digitas UK, the activation rewards EE’s loyal customers with the chance to win Samsung tech for in and around the home, from Galaxy smartphones and tablets to laptops, TVs and watches.

The holistic campaign underlines the importance of connectivity at every touch point while celebrating how Christmas is better connected.