Cannes Contenders: Netherlands

YoungCapital Boost your Boomer

YoungCapital is a Dutch challenger brand in the recruitment space. The brand focuses on young people and is known for bold, highly distinctive campaigns.

In this film by Ace Amsterdam, they go all out - taking you on a fun, weird, funky, and mischievous trip - making a playful case for hiring more Gen-Z employees to… boost your boomer workforce. 

This film is highly memorable amidst a sea of others, and I sincerely hope it earns the Netherlands a place on the Film shortlist. 

In this film by Ace Amsterdam, they go all out - taking you on a fun, weird, funky, and mischievous trip.

KPN A Piece of Me

Leading Dutch telecom provider KPN was highly successful at Cannes Lions 2024 with the campaign A Piece of Me by Dentsu Creative, picking up a Grand Prix and three additional Lions across multiple categories. 

This year, I expect the campaign to be a contender in Creative Effectiveness and Sustainable Development Goals, as the results are impressive and lasting — not only achieving a platinum record and significant improvements in brand metrics, but also contributing to a change in legislation and the implementation of an accredited school program now running in hundreds of Dutch schools.

 I expect the campaign to be a contender in Creative Effectiveness and Sustainable Development Goals, as the results are impressive and lasting

Odido The Phone Book

A clear issue to address: children today read more short-form, attention-grabbing content on smartphones than they do books. 

This prompted Dutch telco Odido to respond by launching The Phone Book with TBWA Amsterdam— not just a traditional phone book, but a compelling story designed as a social media chat, printed in the shape of a smartphone. I believe this could be a very interesting project in subcategories like Small Scale Media.  

A clear issue to address: children today read more short-form, attention-grabbing content on smartphones than they do books. 

ANWB Racing Offers

Created by Fitzroy Amsterdam, this is a smart and engaging way to dive into the highly popular racing game Gran Turismo – especially when the brand is ANWB, the Dutch mobility, assistance, and leisure organisation. 

Not the sexiest brand, perhaps, and yes, using gaming influencers here is an obvious choice, but the case is at a strong international level, and the results are impressive. This could stand a chance in Entertainment for Gaming and Direct. 

This is a smart and engaging way to dive into the highly popular racing game Gran Turismo...

Nike Watch Where We’re Going

Nike’s campaign for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team by Wieden + Kennedy flips the script. Instead of focusing on the athletes’ pasts, it highlights their talent, resilience, and Olympic drive. 

By reclaiming the question “Where are you really from?”, the campaign reframes identity around shared determination — not geography. The anthem film, featuring four refugee athletes, is a powerful, quiet statement that demands recognition, not pity. 

The anthem film, featuring four refugee athletes, is a powerful, quiet statement that demands recognition, not pity. 

It’s sport told through a deeply human lens. Impactful, urgent, and impossible to ignore. A possible contender in Film for me.