Amsterdam, renowned as the gay capital of the world, has witnessed significant transformations since becoming the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. Despite this milestone, the city has witnessed an alarming surge in homophobic hatred and violence, with other parts of Europe also enacting anti-gay laws.

In the face of these challenges, it was crucial to take a firm stand. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of Amsterdam Pride, the primary platform for advocating LGBTQ+ rights. Undeterred, activists turned to the internet as a means to make their voices heard, employing innovative strategies and leveraging internet law to send a powerful message to the Dutch government. Thus began a digital movement that would leave a lasting impact.

One ingenious tactic adopted by the activists involved repurposing the universally despised cookie pop-up, transforming it into a powerful protest sign. By cleverly incorporating the concept of consent, the activists urged internet users to accept the fundamental human rights of the LGBTQ+ community and demanded the explicit constitutional prohibition of discrimination and violence against them. Remarkably, these essential rights had not yet been legally established in the Netherlands.

To facilitate the implementation of this strategy, a plugin ‘Accept to Enter’ was developed, allowing brands to integrate the “Accept to Enter” pop-up into their websites. Within a matter of days, this initiative gained remarkable traction, blossoming into a national movement that garnered support from over 65 high-profile brands. These companies recognized the urgency of standing up against discrimination and violence, lending their influential voices to the cause.

The virtual protest transcended physical boundaries, providing a platform for individuals and organizations alike to express solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and demand legal protection for their rights. By harnessing the power of the internet, the movement amplified its reach and generated a groundswell of support, creating an environment where change became not only desirable but imperative.

In a society increasingly shaped by digital interconnectedness, leveraging online platforms for activism has become an effective tool for social change. Amsterdam’s digital movement serves as a testament to the power of collective action, inspiring others to utilize innovative approaches and technological resources to challenge oppressive norms and fight for equality.

The battle for LGBTQ+ rights is far from over, but the digital movement sparked by Amsterdam’s LGBTQ+ activists has ignited a beacon of hope. By adapting to the changing landscape and embracing the possibilities offered by the internet, they have proven that even in the face of adversity, the collective voices of a community can resonate and push the boundaries of progress. As the fight for equality continues, Amsterdam’s digital movement stands as a powerful reminder that change can be sparked from anywhere and by anyone willing to make a difference.

Background:
Between 2014 and 2015, tens of thousands of refugees came to the Netherlands, mainly fleeing war in Syria and Eritrea. Even though many of them were given residency permits, today they are still struggling to find work. Hack Your Future, helps them become web-developers through a 7-month program — empowering them by unlocking a career within big names of the tech industry. But even with a shortage of developers in the Netherlands, stereotypes and stigmas are still blinding many recruiters, preventing them from looking outside of their usual pool of talent. The ambition of ‘Behind the Source’ is to address this very issue and to open recruiters’ eyes, one code line at a time.

Being a refugee wasn’t their choice.
Becoming a developer was.

Idea:
‘Behind the Source’ is an awareness campaign launched by Hack Your Future (a coding school for refugees) that aims to reframe the conversation around refugees and tackles the many misconceptions, stigmas and prejudices that shadow their potential when it comes to applying for a job. It consists of seven portraits that have been hidden in the source code of the online homepages of companies, such as eBay and Accenture, where Hack Your Future graduates now work. All people have to do is go on these websites — such as Ebay and Accenture — click ‘View Source’ in their browser to discover the portraits, hidden in the code, and read the exceptional journeys of those who went from refugees to employees.

Results:
In the end, a potential of +24000 visitors went behind the source, reframing the conversation around refugees in the Netherlands, and beyond — even getting the initiative referenced by the UN Agency as best in class. Thirteen new companies contacted Hack Your Future to hire graduates and sponsor the program, which eventually raised the number of graduates who successfully found a job to 120: 120 individuals who refused to let a label define their future.

Credits
Agency: 72andSunny, Amsterdam
Client: Hack Your Future
Product: Coding School for Refugees
Campaign: Behind the Source
Category: Experiential marketing

Dutch music agency Sizzer and German animation studio Sehsucht didn’t give in to the cancellation of Cannes Lions but interviewed 60 (!) people via Zoom, created an awesome music video and organized the virtual release party last week instead. The theme: that what binds us all, love. ‘It was so great to catch up with everyone!’

Credits
Advertising Agency: Sizzer & Sehsucht, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Germany
Music House: Sizzer
Music Supervisor: Nitzan Hoffmann
Business Designer: Ivan Flugelman
Office Manager – Jack Of All Trades: Dion Holla

Tags:
Zoom Video Call, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Agency Self-Promo, Music, Sizzer & Sehsucht, Technology, Innovation, Digital

Credits
Campaign: #FacetheTruth
Advertising Agency: Iris, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Art Director: Gustavo Figueiredo
Copywriter: Gabriel Abrucio
Creative Director: Rachna Dhall
Executive Creative Director: Grant Hunter
Managing Director: Chris Friend
Producer: Grace Francis

Tags:
Face The Truth, Donald Trump, Climate Change is real, Climate Change, Global Climate Strike, Global Warming, Awareness Campaign, Outdoor, OOH, Best OOH Advertising

During the Marathon Eindhoven 2019, three runners wore a special designed interactive LED shirt which displayed the distance to the nearest AED (Automated External Defibrillator) in real time. Attention was drawn to the importance of having a 6-minute zone in a city such as Eindhoven.

Credits
Brand: Philips
Campaign: Team Heart Safety
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy Social.Lab, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Creative Director: Gijs Sluijters
Creative Director: Joris Tol
Strategy Director: Rogier Van Der Werf
Account Director: Pauline Landa
Account Manager: Myrte De Jonge
Production Company: Bandit Amsterdam
Technical Director: Mario Piepenbrink

Tags:
Marathon Eindhoven 2019, Philips, Innovation, Technology, LED, Outdoor, Marketing, Team Heart Safety, Ogilvy Social.Lab, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Together with artist and designer David Kroupa, discarded canal bikes were collected to re-use them as bar tools. From different parts of the bikes, Kroupa designed a series of varying bottle openers. Each opener originates from a different part of a drowned bike. Finished off with V2C’s trademark red seal, the result is a unique handcrafted set of tools for bartenders and gin lovers. Jorgo Costellenos, co-founder of V2C Dutch Dry Gin: “When you work and live in Amsterdam you use your bike every day. That inspired us to unite cycling in the city with our love for the Amsterdam canals. With the help of David, we could turn old bikes into a beautiful bottle openers that will last for a long time. Plus, how special is it to open your bottle with a piece of a drowned bike?” Creative agency SuperHeroes developed the idea for this exclusive on-trade premium (bars & restaurants). The campaign is rolled out to activate bartenders and create brand preference amongst a target audience of gin enthusiasts.

Django Weisz Blanchetta, managing director of SuperHeroes Amsterdam: “V2C is a young independent gin label and we’re proud to help them gain attention in a crowded gin market. This campaign is one of the activities we are rolling out with V2C. It perfectly fits with their ‘Make it Memorable’ positioning and connects well with our post-advertising approach, in which we look at a mix of activities on different customer touchpoints to gain attention for Brands.”

About V2C
V2C is a gin brand created by four friends who shared passions for excellent hospitality, good food and drinks, for love of life and living. They created the perfect drink to go with it and make those moments memorable. V2C gin is made from the purest ingredients harvested from all around the world. Make it memorable with V2C Dutch Dry Gin.

About David Kroupa
David Kroupa is an Amsterdam based product and interior designer. David was born in the Czech Republic as a son of a carpenter, in which he learned the secrets about craft and inherited the love for collecting. Since he moved to the Netherlands in 2009, he evolved from being a craftsman in construction into a creator and coordinator of A to Z projects, fully transforming places, atmospheres, and entities.

About SuperHeroes Amsterdam
SuperHeroes is the ‘post-advertising ad agency.’ The international boutique agency is on an ambitious mission: to save the world from “boring advertising”. With 50 heroes and 16 nationalities, SuperHeroes is located in Amsterdam, New York, and Singapore. Clients include MTV, Netflix, ING, Swapfiets, Lenovo, Nouryon, Quinny and Vans, amongst many others.

The problem is this. Unfortunately, most languages are infused with words that create a sense of inequality. In other languages too like French, certain words as nouns only have a male connotation. This looks small but affects the way we picturize big time. Like what comes to our mind when we read policeman, a man of course. ElaN languages also challenge and encourages Google to Translate and iTranslate to follow suit.

It seems that ElaN languages want to turn this gender-biased world into a gender-neutral world by ending the unconscious and subconscious influence of such biased words on a person’s mindset, attitude, and behaviour. We feel that this is very factual because words do influence us and if there’s a technology that helps us to choose words that direct our intellect and our emotional state in the right direction then it will bring a positive and much-needed change the world needs. Equality will prevail

Breaking Gender Biased Language – The Unbias Button | #BalanceforBetter

Credits:
Campaign: The Unbias Button
Client: ElaN Languages
CEO: Robrecht Belien
Business Development Director:
Communications Officer: Stijn Phlix

Agency: J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam
Creative Partner: Bas Korsten
Creative Director: Friso Ludenhoff
Creative Director: Maarten Vrouwes
Director / Sr. Art Director: Tunchan Kalkan
Creatives: Marius Gottlieb, Jasper Korpershoek
Director / DOP: Robert Harrison
Digital Strategy Director: Wybe Sallows
Concept producer: Charlotte Lilly
PR Director: Jessica Hartley

Production:
Editing, Motion Graphics & Sound Design: Tim Arnold
Voice-over: Hannah Whitely

Tags:
Public interest, JWT, Amsterdam, ElaN Languages, ElaN languages The Unbias Button, J. Walter Thompson, Translation organisation in Belgium, unbiased translations, gender-neutral, International Women’s Day 2019, Happy Women’s Day, Women’s Day Ads, Women’s Day campaigns, International Women’s Day campaign, Motion Graphics, best online translation tools, Digital Marketing Campaign, google translate, iTranslate, Technology

Reverse voice technology

Over the past six months, ING together with advertising agency J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam and a team of experts has worked on recreating Rembrandt’s voice and producing The Rembrandt Tutorials.

Rembrandt’s painting technique and personality were first analysed by experts of the Rijksmuseum. Next, the Dutch Language Institute translated the tutorials into Nieuwnederlands, a version of Dutch spoken in Rembrandt’s time. Because the written and spoken word are quite different from one another, the University of Leiden helped reproduce the original 17th century pronunciation. And by combining all the data, Rembrandt’s voice was finally recreated with the help of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA.

Painting lessons by Rembrandt
With The Rembrandt Tutorials, anyone can learn to paint like Rembrandt. The series, consisting of six different tutorials, highlights various topics, including sketching and portrait painting, painting techniques and materials, use of light and underpainting, and colour composition.

Credits:
Brand: ING Bank
Campaign: The Rembrandt Tutorials
Advertising Agency: JWT Amsterdam, Netherlands
Creative Partner: Bas Korsten
Founding Partner: Ralph Wisbrun
Creative Directors: Maarten Vrouwes, Friso Ludenhoff
Senior Art Director: Tunchan Kalkan
Copywriter: Nils van der Assen
Creatives: Marius Gottlieb, Jasper Korpershoek
Senior Creatives: Saskia Meijer, Rene Verhagen
Technology Producer: Michiel van der Schalk
TV Producer: Michiel van der Schalk
Digital Producer: Reinier Slothouber
Senior Producer: Eline Paardekooper
Producer: Julie van Lanschot
Digital Strategy Director: Wybe Sallows
Designer: Ronald Mica
PR Director: Jessica Hartley
Production Company: DPPLR
Director: Maarten Groen
Executive Producer: Aemilia van Lent
Producer: Jolien Snyers
DOP: Gabor Deak
Sound: Richard Wilder
Sound (US): Chris Bell
Editors: Laura Brouwer, Johannes de Jong

Tags:
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Technology, J. Walter Thompson, JWT, Amsterdam, ING bank, Visual artist, Painter, Reverse voice technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, Innovation, Latest Tech News, Future Technology, Voice Technology

DDB Unlimited is the agency behind the ideation of this campaign. Instead of using banners or other traditional marketing methods, DDB Unlimited created an autonomous drive-through installation to help people sell their cars. Every participant of the campaign simply entered the drive-through, selected a scenery from a couple of available options, and walked home with a customized commercial for his/her car. All the commercials that were created in the drive-through installation consisted of dynamic visuals along with catchy voice-overs. The only catch here was that at the end of every customized commercial, the seller also hosted a promotional prompt for Centraal Beheer. All in all, Car Commercial to Go helped Centraal Beheer launch a string of advertisements by being a customer-centric service provider.

We feel that this campaign makes judicious use of tactfulness to kill two birds with a single stone. It worked in the desired manner because it caught the attention of its targeted customers by giving them something they already wanted.

Credits
Brand: Centraal Beheer
Advertising Agency: DDB & Tribal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Production Company: Circus Family
Music/Sound: Earforce
Media: Mindshare
Performance Marketing: DisXT

The campaign involves a song curated about how plants enrich a person’s life. The ideation, as well as the execution of Thanks Plants, is accredited to 180 Kingsday. The 80-second video resembles the storytelling style of a musical. The visuals involve carefully drafted shots of greenery coalesced with some creative imagery. The intentional over-the-top vibe of the campaign highlights the core message of the campaign in a playful manner.

We feel that ‘Thanks Plants’ is something that humans have owed the plants around themselves for centuries. The campaign’s unique narrative is what makes it so effective.

Credits:
Advertising Agency: 180 Kingsday, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Production: The BoardRoom
Director: Alan Masferrer
Music: Sizzer

This article is about:
Bloemenbureau, 180 Kingsday, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thanks Plants, Flower Council of Holland, Digital campaign

This campaign is Facebook’s first major campaign in India targeting and speaking directly to get users on board. The campaign blankets all mediums including print, outdoor, digital, cinema and TV. One of the major reasons behind launching such a vast, planned out initiative is speculated to be the reports that Facebook is losing its young users to the likes of social networking mediums like Snapchat and is already struggling with issues like safety concerns and fake news.

The “Live What You Love” campaign is a breath of fresh air amidst these speculations. The video ads display the story of two youngsters named “Neha” and “Sunny” and how their likes and passions are given a voice, thanks to Facebook. Both the ads are youthful, vibrant and have very relatable characters which add to the storyline. The films are shot with a unique perspective and builds up to the end which tells how Facebook is the one place where your job, likes, dislikes, life choices and even business promotions merge to give you the perfect social media platform.

The campaigns have Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam as their creative agency but in India, Facebook’s media mandate is managed by GroupM’s Mindshare. “Live What You Love” has also released a series of digital posters targeting the Facebook Groups feature which highlights how the platform brings together like-minded people. The whole campaign surely lifts up to the expectations and we hope it helps Facebook achieve what it is aiming for.

Credits:
Brand: Facebook
Campaign: Live what you love

VP, CMO Gary Briggs
Director, Regional Marketing James Chadwick
Head of Regional Consumer
Marketing Kate Johnson
Regional Marketing Manager-India Vyom Prashant
WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM
Executive Creative Directors Mark Bernath, Eric Quennoy
Creative Directors Szymon Rose, Daniel Schaefer
Art Director Anyaa Dev
Copywriter Ankita Tobit
Head of Integrated Production Joe Togneri
Executive Producer Tony Stearns
HEAD OF STRATEGY Martin Weigel
Planner Alex Janneau
Communications Planner Jocelyn Reist
Group Account Director Kathryn Addo, Alyssa Ramsey
Account Director Eleanor Thodey, Aimee Betancourt
Account Manager Louise Rahman
Account Executive Abderrahim El Khouani
Art Buyer Chiara Donati
Studio Artist Noa Redero
Project Manager Lauren Cardoe
Business Affairs Kacey Kelly

FILM PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION COMPANY RATTLING STICK
Director Sara Dunlop
Director of Photography Antonio Paladino
Producer Tess Mitchell

EDITING COMPANY WORK EDITORIAL
Editor Bill Smedley
Assistant Editor Ellie McNaughtan
AUDIO POST WAVE (LONDON)
Sound Designer/Mixer Parv Thind

MUSIC
Artist / Title VARIOUS
POST PRODUCTION MPC (LONDON)
Flame Jack Stone
Assistant Flame Alex Snookes
Colorist Jean Clement Soret
Production Coordinator Tamara Mennell

PRINT PRODUCTION
Photographer Bharat Sikka
Photography Agency Industry Art
Production Company India Ransom film productions

This Article is related to:
Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam, Facebook, Digital Campaign, Inspiring Campaign, Live what you love, Creative Ads, Print Advert, Print Ads, GroupM

Credits:
Advertising Agency: W+K, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Bernath, Eric Quennoy
Creative Directors: David Smith, Alvaro Sotomayor, Craig Williams
Art Director: Ignasi Tudela
Copywriter: Zoe Hawkins
Head of Content: Joe Togneri
Planners: Danny Feeney, Michelle Arrazcaeta
Communications Planner: Josh Chang
Group Account Director: Kirk Johnsen
Account Director: Kathryn Addo
Senior Account Manager: Jorge Fesser
Broadcast production / Head of Art Buying: Maud Klarenbeek
Art buying / broadcast production: Javier Perroud
Head of Studio: Jackie Barbour
Retoucher: Dario Fusnecher
Project Manager: Janna Harrington
Business Affairs: Michael Graves
Production company: Terrie Tanaka Management
Director/Photographer: Carlos Serrao
Director of Photography: Monica May
Producer: Amy Lynne
Executive Producer: Terrie Tanaka
Vogue Shoot Make-up: Mark Williamson at artist-management using Mac
Vogue Shoot hair: Hanjee at Jed Root for Hanjee Hair Gallery
Editor: Sam Gunn / Whitehouse Post
Sound Designer/Mixer: Alex Nicholls-Lee / Wave Amsterdam
Music: Katya Izotova, Olga Markes, Adelina Sotnikova, Diana Vishneva, Darya Klishina, Glintshake / Massivemusic
Post Production: Glassworks
Flame: Morten Vinther
Telecine: Scott Harris
Producer: Jane Bakx