Situation: With the UK in various forms of lockdown throughout much of 2020, demonstrating 5G speed and coverage of a new smartphone became all the more challenging.

Brief (for new idea): Demonstrate that 5G enables consumers to download films in seconds from anywhere, during lockdown.

Objectives:

- Maintain brand unaided awareness at 12% in the absence of paid media.

- Deliver 400m+ editorial press impressions (benchmark based on prior campaign).

Creative idea: [Brand] helped the nation re-discover the magic of British cinema and access nostalgic moments at the speed of 5G during lockdown, with a selection of the 50 most rewatchable films available to discover and download from Google Maps for free.

Why: At a time when our target audience were bored and looking for nostalgic entertainment, we offered them a fun and gamified way to re-discover with classic British films, while dramatising the speed of 5G across multiple first party products.

Insight: While spending an unprecedented amount of time at home during lockdown, UK searches for “what to watch” doubled. With cinema releases delayed and with heightened emotions of uncertainty, Brits were displaying an increased preference for nostalgia in their film choices.

Key message: [Brand] is helping the nation re-discover the magic of British cinema and access nostalgic moments at the speed of 5G during lockdown, with a selection of 50 top rewatchable films hidden in Google Maps.

Target audience: Switchables (consumers open to switching smartphones).

Creation and distribution of assets: Multiple press assets were created to sustain coverage over time:

- Announce campaign

- Reveal list of top 50 films

- Reveal #1 film

- Interviews with [brand] product manager, psychologist & BFI

- Interviews with talent from #1 film

- Launch interactive experience

- Reveal locations of films in Google Maps

10-22 Nov: Campaign announcement, including the reveal of the Top 50 most rewatchable British films as voted for by the British Film Institute (landing broadcast pieces on BBC Breakfast & Sky News), the distribution of influencer ‘Mobile Cinema’ kits, plus interviews with a [brand] product manager discussing the tech behind 5G phones, and psychologist Dr Wing Yee Cheung discussing the psychology behind searching for nostalgia during lockdown.

23-24 Nov: Reveal of the no.1 most nostalgic British film as voted by the British public as “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, with interviews placed with director Richard Curtis and actors Simon Callow & John Hannah.

25 Nov - 10 Dec: Launch of digital experience, where consumers were able to search for the Top 50 most rewatchable British films in Google Maps, with new films released every 3 days.

Coverage landed across 179 editorial pieces of online, broadcast, print & podcast coverage.

Media Outputs:

- 871 million editorial reach

- 179 pieces of coverage

- 97% of coverage included CTA

- 91% of coverage included multiple products

- 2.2m social reach

- 460k organic video views

Target Audience Outcomes:

- Maintained target audience unaided awareness at 12% during launch quarter in absence of paid media

- 98% positive sentiment in press coverage

- 119k website visits

- 5k clicks to product page

Business Outcomes:

- Contributed to 112% of sales goal