Mobile network, EE, has launched Stay Connected at Night, an out of home (OOH)-led campaign harnessing the power of its Stay Connected Data offering to display dynamic, technology-enabled routes home.

Stay Connected Data enables EE users to continue to use essential apps such as WhatsApp, City Mapper and Google Maps, to help get home safely, even if they run out of data.

The campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi London, won first prize in the brand category of Ocean Outdoor’s Digital Creative Competition 2022. It uses Ocean’s OOH technology in Manchester City Centre as a utility to bring to life the security that Stay Connected Data offers by keeping people connected even when they reach their monthly data limit.

Capitalising on the locations of large and small digital out of home (DOOH) screens in popular nightlife spots and areas densely populated with students, the creative uses Ocean’s live data feed to pull geo-located travel information to help passers’ by plan their routes home as soon as darkness falls. The campaign will be live from 8pm to 3am every night until 13 March, shortly before the clocks go forward and lighter evenings ensue.

42 billboards use dynamic creative and augmented reality to illustrate travel options and overlaid directions relevant to each location. 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 on the screens.

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 late last year to rally businesses to help make the city safer for those in the night-time economy. EE was also able to work with local bodies to integrate the work into Manchester’s transport network. 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.

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