Lucifer actor Tom Ellis gets shaved by a robotic arm in EE’s latest network push.
Created by Saatchi & Saatchi London, “A close yet far shave” begins as Ellis sits on a barber’s chair, situated on Snowdon at 729 metres above sea level.
After a brief chat with EE brand ambassador Kevin Bacon, Ellis sits down to a state-of-the-art shave from his barber – who is based 250 miles away in Clapton, London – via a 4G-powered robotic arm which mirrors the gestures of the barber.
It ends as Bacon declares: "When it counts, count on the UK's best network."
The ad launches tonight (21 May) during ITV’s Coronation Street and The Masked Singer alongside digital and outdoor activity.
It was created by Alice Marani and Cristiana Candido, and directed by Henry Alex Rubin through Smuggler. Media is handled by Essence.
“As the world begins to open up again, we want customers to feel inspired about what they can do when armed with the EE network,” Kelly Engstrom, brand and demand generation communications director at EE, said.
“We shoot our campaigns live over our public network, to show what’s possible, no matter how extreme – no smoke and mirrors, this really happened.”
Engstrom continued: “Go more places and do more of what you love, knowing that, like Tom, you can count on our high-performing network in the moments that matter.”
Earlier this month, EE launched an outdoor campaign to promote its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate add-on.
Guillermo Vega, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “We’ve been working with EE to show what its network and technology can do today, in a typically EE fun and irreverent way.
“While consumers may not be in the market for a remote shave right now, knowing that the performance of EE’s network to handle such a task, is a pretty fun way to let consumers know that when it comes down to it – you can count on EE.”
Kevin Bacon last appeared in an EE ad back in February, where he encountered heartbroken consumer Doug as part of the brand’s “Network envy” series.
Ellis added: “Whether it’s to connect with my family when I’m shooting away from home, to do an audition over video call, or to run scenes remotely, I’ve got to be able to count on the network being up for the task when I need it most.
“Getting shaved by a robotic barber is a pretty extreme way of showcasing the importance of a high-performing network, but I figured someone’s got to put their neck on the line.”
EE’s “Network envy” campaign first launched last year with a poem by spoken-word artist Hussain Manawer.
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