Top TV Personalities Join BT in Landmark Campaign to Teach Nation Vital Digital Skills Needed to Stay Connected while Staying at Home

• BT joins forces with some of the nation’s best-loved talent to launch three-week campaign, featuring 12 bitesize lessons delivered twice a day during ITV ad break takeovers
• Campaign launches on Thursday 16^th April with a talent line-up including Rylan Clark-Neal, Fearne Cotton, Clare Balding, amongst others covering useful topics such how to video call, tips for getting your business online and home schooling

Today, BT – the UK’s largest provider of fixed-line, broadband and mobile services – launches its Beyond Limits: Top Tips on Tech campaign, to help people stay connected during the current Covid-19 global pandemic.

Using the power of communication to help people when they need it most, the new ITV partnership has been created to help the nation with the digital skills it needs to get through this unique and challenging time.

Brought to life through a series of 12 individual ad break takeovers on ITV, the first daily slot will air on Thursday 16^th April during This Morning and repeated during ITV Evening News, continuing on air at the same times each day.

Each day, the slot will feature well-known personalities, teaching the nation a range of vital digital skills to help people connect with each other as well as access vital online services and information. The first ad features Clare Balding explaining step-by-step how to use the popular messaging service WhatsApp – everything from how to download the app, to how to set up a group chat, share voice notes and video call. To illustrate the video call feature, Clare enlists the help of fellow BT Sport presenter Robbie Savage and his two dogs CoCo and GiGi. WhatsApp was selected as the first topic thanks to findings which show an increase in the number of people searching for this information since lockdown began*.

Over the next few weeks, viewers will see TV presenter Rylan offering an introduction to podcasts, and broadcaster & Author Fearne Cotton offering tips on using online services to help with physical and mental wellbeing.

The campaign will also advise viewers on how they can access further free resources – including advice and support – from BT’s Skills for Tomorrow programme.

BT launched the Skills for Tomorrow initiative in 2019 and aims to help 10 million people, families and businesses across the UK boost their digital know-how. Since the pandemic started, BT has ramped up the service by adding a wealth of new content aimed at providing support and helping people tackle specific difficulties they’re facing during lockdown.

The TV ad campaign will be supported across print, social and digital media with ‘cut-out-and-keep’ educational guides featuring in print titles, and ‘how to’ PDFs available for free download online, for users to share via email or WhatsApp. All content can also be found at www.BT.com/tech-tips.

Pete Jeavons, Director of Marketing Communications at BT & EE, comments: “It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone is affected by the current situation and connectivity and technology is playing a role like never before; whether that’s allowing you to do your job, keeping your kids entertained and educated, keeping your business going or simply staying in touch with friends and loved ones when you can’t be together. We really wanted to give everyone in the country some simple tips and tricks that will help them with these challenges and hope that these educational films do just that.”

The campaign was developed by BT’s advertising agency, Saatchi & Saatchi London.

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*search data sourced from Google Trends on 2^nd April