EE’s First Christmas Campaign Captures the Chaos of the Christmas Juggle

EE has launched its first Christmas campaign, Hosting & Guesting. Created by Publicis Groupe UK’s cross agency team, the fully integrated campaign explores being a host and a guest at Christmas.

Reflecting the reality of families juggling multiple Christmases in one day, new research from EE reveals how the nation plans to celebrate this year with more than half (54%) of Brits hosting a Christmas celebration, 47% guesting at someone else’s, and nearly one in three (27%) ‘doing the double’. The campaign shows how EE, the UK’s best network, helps it all run a little smoother - keeping customers seamlessly connected wherever they are this Christmas.

Staying true to the canon of Publicis Groupe UK’s creative work with EE, the campaign uses a classic soundtrack - the 1989 house hit, Ride on Time by Black Box - a timestamped opening to the film and celebrates real life scenarios grounded in authenticity.

In the 105 second film, The Christmas Double, we follow a mum with two children, attempting the impossible - visiting both sides of the family in one day. Juggling dessert and kids, she heads to their first stop, nana’s house. Inside, festive chaos reigns. EE’s WiFi powers games, tv and music while the doorbell signals more arrivals. Amid it all, the little boy follows nana, practicing a series of secret hand gestures.

Before they know it, the family are back on the motorway. As they brave the roads, the mum uses EE’s mobile network to locate the house using maps on her Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, while the young boy video calls his Nana in the back seat. On their arrival, the door swings open to a warm welcome and we watch the little boy step forward and sign ‘Merry Christmas’ to the young girl who is hard of hearing - a story crafted with care in collaboration with a deaf BSL consultant and advisor to ensure authentic representation. The mum smiles as she suddenly realises what her son has been secretly planning with his nan.

The film will launch with a 30-second spot followed by a 60-second during Coronation Street and the Big Brother Final. The 60-second film is supported by two 30” spots as well as cinema, radio, OLV, OOH, DOOH and social.

DOOH and OOH creative showcase two Christmas Days - one hosting, one guesting, in a split screen format with contextual audio tailored to different environments and travel periods, aligning with people’s festive journeys.

The imagery captures the moments two worlds meet at a doorway, while full motion DOOH appearing during key festive moments such as final journeys home or last minute shopping, follows characters seamlessly moving between hosting and guesting. Each scene introduces new settings, and faces, keeping the main character centred for smooth connected shifts. Custom festive billboards across London, Birmingham and Manchester bring the campaign to life. All media has been strategically planned by EE’s bespoke WPP team, OpenConnect, and OOH specialists Posterscope with consideration to people's festive journeys and key sales moments in the run up to Christmas.

Extending the story beyond the film, EE has partnered with Samsung UK to celebrate its customers this Christmas through a competition hosted by chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver. Developed by Digitas UK, the activation rewards EE’s loyal customer base with the chance to win Samsung tech for in and around the home, from Galaxy smartphones and tablets to laptops, TVs and watches, ensuring every celebration whether hosting or guesting, stays connected. The initiative reinforces EE’s commitment to giving more back to existing customers at the time of year when connection matters most.

Sitting across Meta, Tiktok, YouTube, Reddit and Pinterest, the social will follow the same transition between two worlds and the duties of hosting and guesting and gifting using 30-second spots, capturing the duality of consumers’ lives and connectivity needs at Christmas.

​Kelly Engstrom, brand and marketing communications director at EE commented, “We’re really proud to share our first Christmas campaign. As the UK’s best network, we pride ourselves on offering the best mobile and broadband connection for our customers, something we know is particularly important during the busy festive season.

Our new campaign shows how EE does more to keep everyone connected across the Christmas period; whether hosting friends and family, or travelling the country to visit loved ones, the speed, reliability and power of EE’s mobile network and broadband technology mean our customers can make the most of the magical festive chaos”.

​Ben Mooge, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe UK, said, “At Christmas, connection matters more than ever, and EE is the network families can rely on. Reflecting the reality of families juggling multiple Christmases in one day, we wanted the brand recognition we’ve built through our work this year to come through clearly in our first Christmas spot – making sure it feels unmistakably EE. It’s a fully integrated campaign built around the idea of hosting and guesting, and a major moment in our journey with the brand.”

The fully integrated campaign runs through the Black Friday and Christmas sales period, spanning AV, OOH, DOOH, Audio, Social, Online Video, VOD, Cinema, Customer Activation and Retail, and has been creatively crafted by a cross-agency team from Publicis Groupe, with paid media strategically planned and bought by OpenConnect at WPP Media and OOH agency, Posterscope.

​Rebecca Marshall, client president of OpenConnect at WPP Media, commented, “Christmas is a busy time with multiple phases in the lead up to the big day. Our meticulous planning was rooted in understanding and tapping into real-life behaviours to show EE's seamless connection at the heart of every festive journey, whether hosting or guesting.”

EE is the UK’s best network, offering superfast mobile and broadband connection to millions across the UK. This means that whether hosting friends and family this Christmas, or guesting and travelling the length of the country to visit loved ones, EE will keep you connected.

To find out more, visit: www.ee.co.uk/eedoesmore.