VCCP and O2 celebrate the power of connection

The campaign aims to highlight the essential role O2’s network plays in everyday life

By Creative Salon

22 August 2025

O2 launches its latest campaign instalment under the ‘Essential For Living’ brand platform, sharing a powerful message about the importance of connectivity and the breadth of its network.

Created by the telco giant’s creative agency of record, VCCP, ‘Near or Far.’ sets out to highlight O2’s category-leading coverage (as awarded by Uswitch) as well as its ongoing commitment to infrastructure investment.

At the heart of the campaign is a cinematic film created by VCCP and production company Academy Films and director Frédéric Planchon brought the idea to life, in collaboration with VCCP’s global content creation studio Girl&Bear. The 40” spot sees a daughter call her father to share some heartwarming news: she got her dream job as a teacher. With the father in an extremely remote location in Wales, the film aims to show that even when distance is between you, O2’s network enables those all important moments you wouldn’t want to miss. Through realistic and relatable storytelling, the film highlights the power of human connection enabled by O2 and celebrates the moments we take for granted but are essential to living. The film features the soundtrack ‘Obvs’ by Jamie xx and shows O2’s network as the invisible force enabling special moments delivering the campaign line: ‘Near or far, our network is with you’.

Much like oxygen, O2’s omnipresent coverage is demonstrated by a nationwide out-of-home campaign, including rural and unexpected locations with strong O2 network coverage.

The campaign is live from today and will run nationwide. Production on the integrated campaign was managed by VCCP’s content creation studio Girl&Bear and digital experience agency Bernadette, with media planning and buying led by MG OMD. The campaign will run across a wide range of channels, including TV, video on demand, out-of-home, social media, radio and PR.

Simon Valcarcel, Marketing Director at Virgin Media O2, added: “Connection is fundamental to everyday life and enabling connection sits at the heart of O2. Whether it’s sharing exciting news with loved ones, downloading tickets to a gig or exploring new places, our network enables it all and ‘Near or Far.’ puts our network back at the forefront of the brand, acting as a reminder that O2 is there for you, in the big moments and the everyday ones.”

David Masterman, Executive Creative Director at VCCP, said: “Twenty-three years ago, we launched O2 with a powerful idea – that O2 is digital oxygen. Essential, invisible, always there. This campaign brings that founding thought into a new era, reminding the nation that near or far, O2 is with you.”

‘Near or Far.’ Follows O2’s announcement earlier this year that it would be investing £2m a day into its mobile network, equivalent to approximately £700m this year, as part of its Mobile Transformation Plan, designed to enhance reliability, speed and coverage.

CAMPAIGN TITLE: Near or Far.

CLIENT: O2

DIRECTOR OF BRAND & MARKETING: Rachel Swift

MARKETING DIRECTOR: Simon Valcarcel

HEAD OF CAMPAIGNS: Johnny Winn

SENIOR CAMPAIGN MANAGERS: Ben Jobson & Ella Hassall

ADVERTISING AGENCY: VCCP

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICERS: Jonathan Parker & Chris Birch

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Masterman

ART DIRECTOR & COPYWRITER: Tom Dyson & Lance Boreham

AGENCY TV PRODUCER: Maddy Holmes

MANAGING PARTNER: Olivia Packshaw