Be more dog was the campaign that symbolised the transformation of O2, no longer just a mobile network, but a digital telco offering much more than just phones.

The campaign immediately captured the nation’s imagination, generating a level of instant fame and engagement that eclipsed the efforts of competitors with far bigger budgets and more established equity.

However, this wasn’t just an eye-catching piece of advertising. The true power of Be more dog was in its transformative impact on O2’s commercial activity. Be more dog has proved to be an idea of exceptional creative versatility, executed into an impressively broad range of channels, from brand-building to driving direct response. It has given O2 the means not only to outperform its competitors, but also O2’s own previous commercial achievements on an extraordinary number of levels.

It achieved the highest market share for iPhone 6 sales, despite the disadvantage of being neither the most price competitive, nor the fastest for 4G. It reinvigorated O2’s valuable loyalty programme Priority, driving a record number of downloads of O2’s Priority app. And shook up dry parts of the market that simply talked minutes, texts and data.

It leaves O2 in excellent commercial health, and offers clear proof that an idea some had viewed as a “flash in the pan” has the legs to outlast the competition. O2 now sit proudly on top of the customer tally podium – gaining 613k total customer contract additions in 2014, the standout performance in the category