Stay Connected at Night was a winner in Ocean’s digital creative competition.

EE has launched Stay Connected at Night, a dynamic out of home campaign offering Manchester citizens real time travel information about safe routes home at night.

Created by Saatchi & Saatchi London, the work was awarded first prize in the brand category of Ocean’s annual Digital Creative Competition 2022.

The decision to bring the work to Manchester, a city which has one of Europe’s largest student populations, was inspired by the Women’s Night-time Safety Charter, a scheme launched by Manchester City Council to rally businesses to help make the city safer for those in the night-time economy.

Capitalising on large and smaller format DOOH screens in popular nightlife spots and areas densely  populated with students, the creative uses Ocean’s live data feed, pulling geo-located travel information to help passers-by plan their routes home after darkness falls.

From taxi waiting times to train, tram and bus schedules, 42 billboards including The Loop network and nine large format screens use dynamic creative and augmented reality (AR) to illustrate helpful travel options, directions and advice.

Screens in four locations will also detect approaching pedestrians and respond accordingly, sharing location-specific travel options. The screens will also brighten, making the surrounding space feel safer. By day, EE’s Stay Connected Data creative will show in pride of place on the screens.

The innovative campaign is live from 8pm to 3am every night until March 13, shortly before the clocks go forward and lighter evenings ensue.

The campaign showcases one of the many ways EE’s Stay Connected Data keeps people connected even when they reach their monthly data limit. The initiative is supported by influencers DJ Semtex, Jodie Harsh and Chelcee Grimes who will be creating and sharing bespoke content as part of the campaign.

Pete Jeavons, marketing communications director at EE, said: “This campaign is a brilliant example of how our Stay Connected Data can play an important role in our customer’s lives. We’re excited to be using cutting edge advertising technology in a new and creative way to make the streets safer.”

Franki Goodwin, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi added: “Ocean’s Outdoor Digital Creative Competition allowed us to harness the technological capabilities of DOOH to play a really meaningful role in a city’s nightlife and the journeys home for people that live there. We hope that our work is the beginning of even more integration between these amazing sites and their citizens.”

Ocean head of marketing and events Helen Haines said: “This campaign solves a real problem and demonstrates the power, reach and role of digital out of home as a responsible community channel in Manchester and the wider public realm. Which makes it a worthy winner of our annual digital creative competition.”

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