Rita Ora delivers AR performance live over 5G in EE’s latest campaign

EE, the UK’s number one network, reveals its latest campaign, starring critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and global superstar Rita Ora and film legend Kevin Bacon, celebrating the launch of the new Apple iPhone 12 Pro and EE’s Full Works Plan made for iPhone. 

The campaign pushes the boundaries of augmented reality, and through the power of EE 5G, introduces the most advanced, realistic, and lifelike immersive AR experience to screens nationwide.

The campaign showcases the next-gen capabilities of the latest iPhone 12 Pro when powered by EE, the UK’s number one 5G network.

The AR performance, shot live end-to-end, uses the latest iPhone 12 Pro on EE’s 5G network, along with a host of cutting-edge, real-time technologies, culminating in a lifelike, immersive AR experience, like you’ve never seen before.

Kevin Bacon returns to screens in the latest campaign as he hosts the exclusive and enviable experience for a fan, Anna, who receives a truly once-in-a-lifetime performance from Rita Ora.

The advert opens in an East London sky rise apartment block with a woman taken aback as Kevin Bacon stands in her doorway. But Kevin is not there to visit the woman standing in front of him, instead, much to her envy, he is asking for Anna. As viewers glance through the flat, we are introduced to Anna, peering out of her door with intrigue. With a smile on his face, Kevin encourages her to follow him, excitedly saying “Come on, grab your coat”.

Whisked away, the pair arrive on the apartment’s rooftop with the sun shining over London’s iconic skyline. A drone, hovering above them, carries the latest iPhone 12 Pro with 5G on EE in its shiny new box. Anna admires the unboxed handset in awe before Kevin proudly encourages her to “Scan around you, there’s someone you should meet. You’ve never seen AR like this before”.

Anna looks at the surroundings through her new iPhone 12 Pro camera and as she scans the view, we seen the skyline transformed into an AR environment, and without warning, an iridescent larger-than-life figure appears on the screen.

The viewer follows Anna’s gaze, panning upwards on her iPhone 12 Pro to reveal a towering AR avatar model of Rita Ora. Dressed to impress in a gold, two-piece bodycon outfit, Rita is ready to deliver a one-off truly immersive AR performance. AR avatar Rita peers down and we hear her for the first time, saying “Hey Anna”, much to Anna’s delight.

The viewer is then transported to a motion capture set where we see the real Rita Ora saying “This one’s for you. Live over 5G”. In the studio, Rita is seen wearing an inertial motion capture suit containing sensors that pick-up the singer’s hand and body movements, as well as a specially designed headset which tracks Rita’s facial movements using the iPhone 12 Pro’s latest capabilities. Powered by EE 5G, Rita’s movement tracking data from the studio is instantly transformed into 3D animations, forming the larger-than-life AR avatar seen on Anna’s iPhone 12 Pro in real-time.

Rita kicks-off the live performance of her hit Let You Love Me, dancing amongst the model scale of London. The advert cuts between the studio and Anna’s iPhone 12 Pro, as she watches on live, with the illusion of AR avatar Rita performing through London’s iconic skyline in front of her.

As AR avatar Rita takes a bow, Anna is left wowed by the exclusive performance. The camera pans to Kevin as he turns to the camera and says, “Get the new iPhone 12 Pro on the No.1 5G network and be the envy of everyone”.

Pete Jeavons, Marketing Communications Director at BT and EE comments: “Our latest brand campaign shows the possibilities of the next generation of mobile connectivity available through our award winning 5G network. The end-to-end AR experience, filmed live and for real, harnessed the power of the latest iPhone 12 Pro on EE 5G to create a truly captivating performance of the one-and-only Rita Ora.

“This isn’t smoke and mirrors. We’re always looking at new ways to demonstrate the enviable experiences and opportunities available to our customers now – not in five or ten years. We’ve seen AR images layered into our world before, for example Instagram filters or Snapchat lenses, but in this campaign, we showcase the next level of augmented reality which interacts with you. Accelerated through the speed and reliability of our 5G network, not only can this AR move around the things in your world, but, like we’ve shown in a real-time and real-life scenario, characters can engage with you or even hold a conversation.”

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer business adds: “Augmented reality is often thought of as a futuristic technology, but it’s already here. With the power of 5G and the latest handset innovations, we’re hitting the next level. Through 5G on EE we can deliver real-time, uninterrupted experiences like never before – faster downloads and streaming, more reliable video calls with friends and family, and even a lag-free, live AR performance from a global superstar. This is only the beginning and we know that our award-winning 5G network will continue to unlock new, immersive and, most importantly, useful experiences for customers.”