KPN
#BetterInternet
Strategy
As the market matures it’s more difficult to differentiate on network speed and quality. Meanwhile a host of new entrants were starting to feel fresher and more progressive. Many rival networks compete on price and value. Instead KPN chose to differentiate on values.
In 2023, KPN developed the #BetterInternet platform: #BetterInternet was a platform that would not only support quality perceptions, it was a long- standing commitment to making the internet a better place for all.
A commitment to make the internet safer, more sustainable and more socially inclusive. We wanted to engage consumers with the idea of a #BetterInternet in a unique, modern way.
Starting safety first
1 in 2 Dutch consumers are concerned about online safety, and for family audiences, that means protecting their kids in an increasingly alarming world. Online shaming is rapidly growing, with devastating consequences from depression and loneliness to suicide.
Focusing on the insight that it’s not victims, but those who forward that are responsible, we created content we knew Gen-Z would care about and share. We knew that 33% of teens engage in sexting. 1/100 have had images shared without consent. Society often blames the victim, but how could Dutch telco KPN trigger a movement that shows how it believes in a #BetterInternet.
The goal was to build brand value by improving key brand metrics and emotional associations. To do this, KPN aimed to launch a campaign that would initiate a crucial societal debate on online shaming, making the mission of #BetterInternet both relevant and impactful for the public.
Approach
A campaign as entertainment
The problem lives deep in internet culture. The solution lay in pop culture. Sexting is a normal, private way of flirting for teens, shared in a bond of trust. But it also makes them vulnerable to online shaming, with potentially serious consequences ranging from depression and loneliness to suicide.
Society often blames victims, but working with experts and those affected, it is clear the conversation needs to be opened up and responsibility shifted to those who forward. To raise awareness of online shaming and its consequences among Gen Z, we delivered our campaign as entertainment.
Solution
A Powerful song
We worked with pop star MEAU, who called on her young fans, inviting them to share their experiences of online shaming. Through a sensitive, and delicately managed process of co-creation, conversation and collaboration, a groundbreaking and heart-wrenching piece of music emerged, every lyric informed by those real stories. The song ‘A Piece of Me’, and music video brought the horrifying consequences of forwarding intimate messages to life; our message clear: think twice before you forward, because forwarding without consent can ruin someone's life.
Rather than a conventional media plan, we followed a music release, releasing the track on streaming platforms and digital stores, premiering the video on MEAU’s social channels, and promoting through PR and live performances before branded cutdowns appeared on TV, cinema, and online. Influencers spread the word further. We provided concrete support with educational resources on owned channels and flooded TikTok with helpful content.
And because Gen Z uses TikTok as a search engine to find information and answers, but where real help on online shaming is hard to find, we flooded TikTok and hacked the algorithm with the right content. Influencers reshared this with their followers. Through SEO optimization and carefully chosen hashtags, we have ensured that proper guidance is now accessible to everyone.
“A Piece of Me” turned a taboo into a hit record, lifesaving conversation, and powerful cultural movement.
