A new interactive campaign from BT in the U.K. addresses the experience of so many women in the pandemic, juggling childcare and working from home, all while grappling with home broadband.
Via Wunderman Thompson’s London office, the effort features an interactive film running on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. It puts the viewer in the shoes of a woman who is asked by her boss to lead a big presentation for the next day. At the same time, her sister calls and begs her to look after her seven-year-old daughter as she has to work (it’s hinted she’s a key worker on shift). Throughout the next few hours, the protagonist has to balance entertaining her niece with her work situation.
Wunderman Thompson worked with tech company Verse to create the interactive elements of campaign. At key points in the story, viewers are invited to make decisions for the protagonist by clicking on one of two options, such as keeping her niece busy with a baking session or dancing, or choosing between being honest with her boss or hiding her stress and playing it cool. The viewers’ choices change the storyline, but every outcome serves to highlight the benefits of being a BT broadband customer (such as good wi-fi access even in your basement, and a replacement hub when it accidentally gets broken).
We wanted to bring this to life in an innovative campaign where the medium itself becomes the message,” said Richard Morgan, creative director at Wunderman Thompson in a statement. “Working with Verse and this new technology allowed us to use technology to help tell the story rather than innovation for innovation’s sake.”