EE treated commuters to the world’s first AR gig streamed simultaneously over 5G to three cities, starring multi-platinum selling British band Bastille and Kevin Bacon for its latest brand campaign. The ambitious live event features in a new brand campaign that showcases the power of 5G, even in the busiest of places like train stations. The campaign lead with a 60-second TV ad that launched 13th January during the break of Love Island.
The campaign aimed to inspire customers with the exciting new ways in which EE’s pioneering 5G network can elevate everyday experiences, even in the busiest places; in this instance, enabling commuters across the UK to immerse themselves in a 360-degree augmented performance by Bastille. Commuters could watch the mixed-reality action unfold in real time despite being hundreds of miles away from the performance taking place in Birmingham New Street station.
Unsuspecting commuters in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh are shown tuning into the AR performance using cutting edge technology from Samsung and Nreal, jaws drop as the four-piece group, led by frontman Dan Smith, perform their iconic track, Pompeii, during a busy rush hour in Birmingham.
The spectacular audio-visual performance was presented as a 360-degree experience, giving fans a front row seat at Bastille’s unique performance, complete with stunning augmented reality graphics, which featured giant yetis, city walls tumbling down and digital trains.
Dan Smith, singer songwriter from Multi-platinum selling British band, Bastille, said: “Knowing that our performance in Birmingham was being streamed over EE’s 5G network to fans across the UK, with an incredible augmented reality experience, was an incredible feeling. It’s exciting as a musician to be pushing the boundaries of live performance and experimenting with interesting new technologies to create new experiences for our fans.”
Pete Jeavons, Marketing Communications Director at BT and EE commented: “Since we launched the UK’s first 5G network last year, we’ve rolled it out to 50 cities and large towns across the UK, more places than any other network. This amazing activation with Bastille showcase some of the extraordinary possibilities of 5G with augmented reality rendered in real time, and highlights the benefits that 5G brings to customers by providing fantastic connections even in the busiest places like train stations.”
This campaign ran across TV, out of home (OOH), cinema and video on demand (VOD) – with edits and content developed specifically for a range of digital and social channels.
