Three UK Showcases the Real Ways We Use Phones in 5G Network Campaign
Today sees the launch of a new multi-million-pound campaign by the UK’s Fastest 5G Network, Three UK. The campaign celebrates the small but incredibly important ways that 5G can benefit people’s lives ‘whenever they need it most.’
Rather than focusing on the technology itself and the far-flung potential uses of 5G in the future, Three UK’s new campaign focuses on what it can bring to consumers today and champions the small everyday connections that could benefit from the help of a high-speed 5G network infrastructure. Scenarios include downloading last minute runway downloads, sneakily streaming the footy when you’re meant to be paying attention at a wedding and searching for the right answers at a pub quiz.
Founded in 2003 to challenge the mobile industry, Three UK now covers 99% of the UK outdoor population with its 4G network and carries 28% of mobile data traffic (Enders Analysis). Not only that, but its customers are also benefiting from an outstanding experience on the UK’s Fastest 5G Network, as recognised by Ookla*, in 400 locations - covering more than half of the population.
The campaign was created by Wonderhood Studios and will launch with a 40-second TV advert on Friday 8th July. The film, directed by Ninian Doff of Pulse Films, features a man sat down in a restaurant with his partner and her parents. Upon looking at the menu, he appears to be flustered at the list of unrecognisable dish names in front of him. Panicking, the man manages to subtly get out his phone and searches the internet for one of the dishes, Gravlax. Thanks to the speed of his 5G Three network, the man is quickly transported to a lake in Sweden where he discovers Gravlax is just “cured salmon with sugar, salt and dill.” In an instant, he’s back in the restaurant and ordering the Gravlax with confidence, much to the pleasant surprise of his partner and her family.
The film, which is running across TV, VOD and cinema, is supported by multiple cross-channel activations, including an in-store and OOH campaign shot by Sophie Jones. Similar to AV, the OOH campaign spotlights the everyday, relatable moments in which people rely on their 5G network when they need it most.
Three UK and Wonderhood worked closely with cultural consultancy The Diversity Standards Collective (DSC) to make sure that the diverse communities featured in the campaign are represented authentically. The campaign was checked with DSC consultants from a breadth of diverse communities including Black and East Asian, giving the agency and client teams first-hand guidance and validation, from ideation through to final stages of the creative process.
Elaine Carey, chief commercial officer at Three UK, said, “As the UK’s Fastest 5G Network we are focused on delivering our goal of providing better connectivity, every day, for every customer. Network performance is the most important thing for our customers and our new campaign shows how super-fast 5G can enrich customers’ lives when they need it most.”
The campaign sits under Three UK’s brand platform ‘Life Needs a Big Network’ which launched in July 2021 and marked it’s ‘coming of age’ almost two decades after launching as one of the UK’s major mobile network providers.
Jack Croft, creative director at Wonderhood Studios, said, “Confession time… at almost every industry lunch/dinner/do I have to ask Stacey what something is on the menu. And if she isn’t there, I’m whipping my phone out and asking the internet, hoping to be saved from extreme mortification. So, when we were asked to show the real everyday uses of our devices and how they could benefit from Superfast 5G, we didn’t have to look much further than our own downfalls.”
Stacey Bird, creative director at Wonderhood Studios, added, “Honestly, working with Ninian and the team to bring this insight to life has been a dream. You know you’re working with a real pro when they demand a real Swedish man holds a real 20kg salmon aloft for multiple takes whilst shouting across a real serene Swedish lake.”
