O2 Telefónica Invents 'Mehrbilfunk' in a Big-Budget Push Beyond Mobile
O2 Telefónica has launched a major multi-channel campaign around the coined word 'Mehrbilfunk' to reposition itself from a mobile-only brand into a bundled provider of mobile, fixed-line, TV and streaming — the flagship output of its new Publicis/Leo lead-agency era.
A Coined Word to Stretch the Brand
The 'Mehrbilfunk' campaign — a play on the German for mobile, 'Mobilfunk' — repositions O2 around bundles of mobile plus fixed-line, TV and streaming. It runs across TV, cinema, streaming, social, out-of-home, online video and audio, podcasts and point of sale.
Coining a word is a deliberate distinctiveness play: it gives the repositioning a single ownable handle that's hard for rivals to copy and easy for audiences to remember.
The Agency and Money Behind It
The lead creative agency is Leo (Publicis Groupe), which O2 Telefónica appointed as lead in 2025, replacing Serviceplan; Havas handles media. Campaign lead is Steve Plesker, O2 Telefónica's Director of Brand & Marketing Communications.
The scale matters because O2 has been outspent. It reportedly spent about €65m gross on advertising from January to July 2026, trailing Deutsche Telekom (around €213m) and Vodafone (around €150m). A brand-stretch campaign is how a challenger tries to punch above that weight.
Why the Stretch Is Risky but Necessary
Repositioning a brand famous for one thing — here, mobile — is genuinely hard. Push too far and you confuse the core association; don't push at all and you cede the lucrative bundled-household market to Telekom and Vodafone.
A memorable, coined-word platform is a smart way to thread that needle: it signals 'more than mobile' without abandoning the mobile equity O2 already owns.
Marketing Minute's Read
When you need to stretch a brand into new territory, give the new story a single, ownable, memorable handle rather than a list of features. A coined word like 'Mehrbilfunk' does more work than any bundle table ever could.
And if you're the outspent challenger, distinctiveness is your leverage. You may not match rivals' media weight, but a sharper, more ownable idea makes every euro you do spend go further.
Quick FAQ
What is O2's 'Mehrbilfunk' campaign?
It's a major multi-channel campaign built around a coined word that repositions O2 Telefónica from a mobile-only brand to a bundled provider of mobile, fixed-line, TV and streaming, running across TV, cinema, streaming, social, OOH, online video/audio, podcasts and point of sale.
Which agencies are behind it?
Lead creative agency Leo (Publicis Groupe), appointed as O2's lead in 2025 replacing Serviceplan, with Havas handling media. The campaign lead is Steve Plesker, O2 Telefónica's Director of Brand & Marketing Communications.
How does O2's ad spend compare to rivals?
O2 reportedly spent about €65m gross on advertising from January to July 2026, trailing Deutsche Telekom (around €213m) and Vodafone (around €150m) — so a distinctive brand-stretch platform is how it tries to punch above its weight.
When you stretch a brand into new territory, give the story a single ownable handle, not a list of features — a coined word like 'Mehrbilfunk' does more work than any bundle table. And if you're the outspent challenger, distinctiveness is your leverage: a sharper idea makes every euro you spend go further. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The takeaway: to stretch a brand, give the new story one ownable, memorable handle rather than a feature list — and if you're outspent, distinctiveness is the leverage that makes every euro work harder.
Can a challenger telco really out-idea rivals spending three times as much on media — or does budget always win?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Horizont; W&V; Telefónica newsroom; Meedia.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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