The German telecommunications market isn't just saturated, it's "stuffed to the gills." That's how Michael Falkensteiner, Senior Vice President Marketing Communications & Devices at Deutsche Telekom, describes the environment in which the market leader has to compete. Success in this environment demands three things: distinctiveness, significance, and mental presence. For Telekom, this means consistently combining AI-supported brand management with innovative media approaches – to clearly differentiate products, anchor the brand in the relevant set, and charge it with emotion.
A prime example is the Unlimited campaign in June 2025: "The most beautiful things should never end." Telekom also wanted to bring this guiding principle to life on YouTube. "We wanted to translate this feeling of boundless abundance from the product into other lifestyles," explains Falkensteiner. However, since everyone has their own "land of milk and honey," the key lay in consistent personalisation.
Veo as a creative turbo
To further develop the central idea for video, Telekom relied on Veo, Google's AI-based video generator. The tool independently creates new clips from text, image, or video prompts – with authentic cinematography, natural movement, and atmospheric depth.
This is how individualized creatives were produced for various affinities – directly in landscape and portrait formats, without additional days of shooting. Food lovers got an endlessly long pizza from grandmother's oven, and music lovers a seemingly endless record shop. Scenes that make imagination tangible – and connect with target groups on a personal level.
"You know the comparison between King Charles and Ozzy Osbourne," says Falkensteiner. "Both grew up in Great Britain, castle residents, white, male, born in 1948, married twice, wealthy, and famous – and yet worlds apart in their preferences. That's exactly what Veo made tangible for us: We were able to address significantly more segments and assign relevant, tailor-made assets to each one – with a noticeably greater impact."
Creative process: Ping-pong between human and machine
For the creative implementation, the team deliberately abandoned classic structures. No fixed shooting schedules, no linear storyboard – instead, an iterative ping-pong between human and machine, supported by close coordination between Google, Telekom, and several agencies.
AI was never an end in itself, but a strategic catalyst. "For me, AI is a vehicle that potentiates our creativity – 'Creativity on Steroids,' as I call it," says Falkensteiner. That AI can also overdo it became clear with the prompt "Unlimited vacation": Suddenly, seven suns rose simultaneously over a tropical island. An impressive reminder that human curation remains indispensable.
In the end, there were 150 Veo-generated variants. Not all went live; the predicted impact was the decisive factor. Creativity alone is not enough; they have to perform.
Data, efficiency, and effectiveness: AI in media planning
AI also played a key role in media planning. Telekom relied on AI-supported Video View campaigns on YouTube, which are significantly more precise than classic methods. They connected assets with the most relevant target groups based on data – and served them as skippable ads or YouTube Shorts.
To prove the impact, Telekom A/B tested Veo assets versus classic TV commercials (TVCs). The video creatives produced with Veo were convincing in almost all key figures. The view rate was over 56 percent, significantly above the industry average of 37 percent. Ad recall rose by 3.8 percentage points in absolute terms – a top value. The conclusion: AI-generated, personalised creatives beat classic one-size-fits-all advertising – measurably, scalably, and efficiently.
More than technology: Veo as a driver of cultural change
For Telekom, the Veo campaign was far more than a tech experiment. It became a catalyst for cultural change. "AI doesn't give you courage; courage is a conscious human decision," emphasizes Falkensteiner. Exactly this courage – borne by an interdisciplinary core team that held steadfastly to the idea – made the difference.
Partnerships were crucial in this. "Without Google, this would not have been possible. It was a joint effort – carried by trust, openness, and the willingness to try something new." The central insight: Technological transformation requires cultural transformation.
Key takeaways for marketers
- AI enhances, but does not replace: Generative tools like Veo increase creativity and efficiency – provided they are used in a targeted manner. They enable personalized appeal at scale – more quickly, cheaply, and effectively than classic formats.
- Personalization as a performance driver: AI-supported target group appeal measurably beats classic formats – with higher view rates and ad recall values than TVCs.
- Cultural change as a success factor: Innovation arises from courage, interdisciplinary teams, and the willingness to use mistakes as a learning opportunity.
