Telecoms is a saturated market. Differentiating on network quality isn’t easy, so brands risks competing on value alone. Instead, we chose to differentiate on values.

We knew from our research that 1 in 2 Dutch consumers were concerned about online safety. For our core family audience, that meant protecting their kids in an unknown world.

To understand what online safety means to Generation Z, we created a unique TikTok talkshow: engaging young people in expertly moderated conversations on topics from cyber-bulling to mental health.

These conversations identified online shaming as one of the biggest and most urgent issues facing teens online, and one where KPN could make a meaningful difference.

The insights were disturbing, but incredibly powerful.

1 in 3 young people worldwide and more than 1 in 10 in the Netherlands engage in sexting. Sexting is part of modern sexuality for a generation raised in the world of mobile, with intimate images shared in a bond of trust.

But in the past 6 months, over 33,000 Dutch youngsters have had intimate footage shared without their consent, with consequences ranging from depression and loneliness to suicide.

Meanwhile, 12% of young people have forwarded intimate images without considering the life-changing effects on the victim.

Society often blames and shames victims, but working with expert partners as well as those affected, it became clear that the conversation needs to be opened up and responsibility shifted from those who share intimate images, to those who forward those images on. Online shaming thrives deep in internet culture. We needed to raise it to the surface, into the spotlight of popular culture. Encouraging victims, friends, parents and teachers to talk about the problem. Because the minute they started to talk, we saw the burden of shame start to shift. We often say our work sparked conversation; in this case we realised that the conversation itself could be life-saving.

Creative Idea & Execution To connect with Gen-Z about such a sensitive topic, we collaborated with the biggest artist in Dutch teenage culture: MEAU. MEAU (23), makes intimate, highly personal songs about topics such as love, personal development and loneliness. With over 200,000 followers on TikTok and almost 200m Spotify streams she is one of the most trusted and influential voices among Gen Z in the Netherlands. MEAU called on her fanbase to share their experiences of online shaming, and the response was extraordinary. An outpouring of sadness and betrayal. A profound insight into the pain and shame victims experience. In partnership with Victim Support Fund, expert counsellors and therapists, MEAU personally interviewed some of those affected. Through a sensitive, and delicately managed process of co-creation, conversation and collaboration, a heart-wrenching song emerged, every lyric informed by real stories shared by her young fans. Together, we crafted a music video which brought the horrifying consequences of forwarding intimate messages to life and made our insight crystal clear: the issue isn’t sexting. The issue is deciding to forward intimate images without consent, violating a partner’s trust and exposing them to devastating consequences.

Thinking before you forward can, quite literally, be a matter of life and death.

Following a music release, rather than conventional media plan, we launched the track on major streaming platforms and digital stores, premiering the music video on MEAU’s social channels, direct to the fans who inspired it. We further promoted through PR, radio, live performances and interviews. Branded cutdowns then appeared in cinemas, TV and online to spark a wider conversation among parents, educators and policymakers. Four days after release, KPN aired a mini-documentary featuring MEAU’s interviews with victims. Influencers with personal connection to the topic helped spread the word with authenticity and integrity, further shifting the burden of silence and shame.

From board level to shop floor, the whole company rallied around the mission, with KPN employees feeling an enormous sense of pride, deepening their connection to the company. KPN held family digital education events open to the public, as well as internal online safety webinars. People on the streets thanked them for the campaign, engaging them as humans for the first time.

Impact and Results “A Piece of Me” created a powerful cultural movement, achieving extraordinary scale in a country of only 17.7m people. ? A certified gold record, overtaking Beyoncé in the charts ? +16M streams ? No.2 trending video on YouTube ? 500+ covers ? 29M organic views ? 229M PR impressions

We changed the conversation:

Conversations on online shaming increased +183% online, with a 92% uplift in male audiences discussing thinking before you forward Hundreds of schools added our content to the curriculum Young victims used the lyrics as part of witness statements in court

We changed behaviour: ? Charity partners saw average traffic uplifts of +119%

We changed brand perceptions, increased brand value and sales: ? Brand consideration +9% ? Associations with online safety +19% ? Trust +16% ? “A brand that creates societal impact” + 16%

Among campaign recognisers, brand reputation increased by +8.3 points, among both customers and non customers, driven by improved perception of KPN as a leader and good corporate citizen Kantar’s BrandZ study named KPN the most valuable Dutch brand only operating in the Netherlands. (increasing E128m in brand value from E5.057bn-5.185bn between June 23 and June 24)

In July, KPN was for the first time named the strongest brand in the Netherlands, overtaking leading supermarket chain, Albert Heijn, and Heineken (Brand Finance). Brand Finance’s Brand Strength Index has been running for 9 years and ranks brand strength based on a combination of metrics from awareness to reputation and commercial success. KPN increased its Brand Strength Index score by 19% to an astonishing 88%.

The campaign not only built long term brand value and societal impact, it had an immediate impact on sales; KPN welcomed thousands of new broadband fibre customers over the period, with 7% directly attributed to the campaign.

And a positive impact on employees: By May 2024, an extraordinary 90% of employees said they were “proud to work at KPN” We changed the law: On March 19th the Dutch Sexual Crimes Act was passed, making it illegal to share intimate content without consent. Following its profound impact in the Netherlands, the song was re-recorded in English and set to the same powerful video, premiered on Sky News UK to spark a global conversation. It has travelled in the press and online, shared by young people and parents, activists and educators, policymakers and charities, as far afield as Ecuador, Australia and India, helping vulnerable teens, changing the narrative and behaviour around the world.