Observed Signal · Sep 3, 2026 · Marketing Campaign · Source: Horizont · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Advertising & Brand Marketing Market: O2 launches 'Mehrbilfunk' ad campaign to reposition beyond mobile
Telefónica's German brand O2 is launching a major advertising campaign to reposition itself beyond mobile communications. The new 'Mehrbilfunk' positioning, developed with lead agency Leo from Publicis Groupe, aims to promote 'Plus Bundles' that combine mobile tariffs with fixed-line, TV, streaming, additional SIM cards and smartphones. The campaign features TV spots and posters using a plus sign as a central design element. The move follows a difficult period: O2's Q2 revenue fell 11% to around €1.8 billion after losing major customer 1&1 to Vodafone, and EBITDA declined 7.2%. Telefónica is also cutting more than 1,000 jobs and closing 60 of 800 O2 shops in Germany. Steve Plesker, Director Brand & Marketing Communications, said the campaign aims to close the knowledge gap that O2 is only a mobile provider.
A major German telecom brand is launching a large multi-channel brand repositioning campaign, indicating significant marketing investment and a notable agency-client mandate, but no fundamental AdTech or MarTech platform shift.
Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- O2 Telefónica launches a 'Mehrbilfunk' brand repositioning campaign developed with lead agency Leo from Publicis Groupe.
- The campaign promotes 'Plus Bundles' combining mobile tariffs with fixed-line, TV, streaming, additional SIM cards and smartphones.
- O2's Q2 revenue fell 11% year-on-year to around €1.8 billion after losing major customer 1&1 to Vodafone.
- O2's EBITDA declined 7.2% to around €0.6 billion.
- Telefónica plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs and close 60 of 800 O2 shops in Germany.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mappedVodafone
Telecom operator serving consumers and enterprises with connectivity services.
“Nach dem Verlust des Großkunden 1&1 an Vodafone war der Umsatz im zweiten Quartal im Vergleich zum Vorjahreszeitraum um 11 Prozent auf rund ...”
Publicis Groupe
Global advertising, media, consulting and data services group.
“die O2 gemeinsam mit der Leadagentur Leo aus der Publicis Groupe entwickelt hat....”
1&1
German mobile and broadband telecom operator building Open RAN infrastructure.
“Nach dem Verlust des Großkunden 1&1 an Vodafone war der Umsatz im zweiten Quartal im Vergleich zum Vorjahreszeitraum um 11 Prozent auf rund ...”
Telefónica
Global telecom operator with consumer and enterprise digital services.
“Bei Telefónica ist derzeit Sparen angesagt....”
Nielsen
Media measurement, ad intelligence, and content data provider.
“Der Blick auf die Nielsen-Zahlen legt nahe, dass der Rotstift auch im Marketing angesetzt wurde....”
Leo Burnett Worldwide
Global creative agency network for enterprise brand campaigns.
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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