Beyond Limits, Barefoot - Piccadilly Circus Takeover
BT
Issue 53 | December 2019
Agency
Saatchi & Saatchi London
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer: Guillermo Vega Creative Director: Ben Beazley Copywriter: Ben Carey Art Director: Henrik Delehag
Production Team
Film Producer: Ryan Williams Creative Producer: Melissa Arthur Head of Technology, Publicis•Poke: Andy Dobson Senior Experience Technologist, Publicis•Poke: Sam Wray Production Lead, Publicis•Poke: Sonia Figone Senior Project Manager, Publicis•Poke: Angela Hill Head of Experience Design: Aleksandra Melnikova Lead Ui/UX Designer: Anthony Oanes
Other Credits
Global President: Magnus Djaba Planning Director: Sam Wise Business Lead: Max Fabian Account Director: Nadine Abeledo Account Manager: Gabi Dwek Business Director, Publicis•Poke: Matt Roberts Senior Account Director, Publicis•Poke: Aoibheann Fitzpatrick Senior Account Manager, Publicis•Poke: Kayleigh Didcott Media Buying Agency: Posterscope Media Planning: Dan Bayford Client: BT Director Marketing Communications, BT & EE: Pete Jeavons Group Head of Brand Marketing, BT: Alice Tendler Brand Manager, BT: Jo Trimmings
Date
October 2019
Background
BT has embarked on a UK-wide digital skills movement designed to reach 10 million people by 2025. ‘Skills for Tomorrow’ was developed in collaboration with Google, iDEA, LinkedIn Learning and Internet Matters to provide free online and face-to-face learning.
Part of the programme is Barefoot computing, an initiative which has already helped more than 70,000 primary school teachers and 2 million children learn computational thinking.
Idea
In October 2019, BT launched ‘Beyond Limits’, their biggest brand campaign in 20 years. As part of the launch, an activation was created in partnership with Ocean Outdoor, owner of the iconic advertising screens at London’s Piccadilly Circus, where over a quarter of a million people pass by each day.
During the October half-term break, children were invited to come to Piccadilly Circus and, using tablets with a secure app, create and customise their very own avatars, which were displayed on the famous screens. Barefoot teachers and brand ambassadors were on hand to guide and instruct.
In learning how to change their avatars appearance, the children discovered that technology can be fun as well as of real-world impact.
Results
The campaign has only just broken.
Our Thoughts
This brand activation is part of a huge campaign, including a TV ad in which BT declare their determination to make five million children computer-literate. Well, if they want brand purpose then there’s nothing like trying to prepare our children for the future.
When the UK Government stopped funding Barefoot Computing in 2015, BT stepped in.
Sadly, it’s now almost expected that brands will provide some of the social services that governments no longer do (support of the arts, support of grass-roots sports or even of education).
BT is not a great brand. Even their marketing director has admitted it stands for nothing.
This campaign, then, may well be the start of BT’s rehabilitation. And if they stick with the programme, then good luck to them.