KPN, the Netherlands’ leading telecom brand, is committed to a #betterinternet: safe,

sustainable, socially inclusive. 

Through a unique insight platform- our TikTok talk show- we explored what online safety

means to Generation Z.

Online shaming emerged as a fast-growing problem, and an opportunity to change the

narrative. Sexting isn’t shameful. Forwarding without consent is.

Working with Dutch musician MEAU, we co-created a song and music video showing

the devastating impact of online shaming, inspired by victims’ true stories.

We delivered a Gold record, 28M views, 202M PR impressions, and helped change

the law, making it illegal to share intimate images without consent.

KPN is the Netherland’s leading telecoms brand; creator of the country’s first public telephone

network over 100 years ago.

In 2023 we created the #betterinternet platform. A commitment to make the internet safer, more

sustainable and more socially inclusive for all. 

Safer: Protecting both businesses and individuals online.  

More Sustainable: Striving for a greener future through energy efficiency and circularity. 

More Socially Inclusive: Reducing the digital divide by promoting social and digital inclusion.  

We wanted to engage Dutch consumers with the idea of a #betterinternet in a unique and modern

way. 

Our objectives were to raise awareness and build brand equity in a crowded and commoditised

market, where new entrants were beginning to look fresher and more progressive. 

As well as making a meaningful difference to how our millions of customers lived their lives online.

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 online shaming is growing rapidly in the Netherlands, with devastating consequences. 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 including Victim

Support Fund (Fonds Slachtofferhulp), Dutch Sexuality Expertise Center (STICHTING

RUTGERS), SoaAids Netherlands (Soa Aids Nederland), 113 suicide prevention (113

Zelfmoordpreventie) and Francien Regelink, 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 to others.

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 and loneliness. With over 200k followers on TikTok and almost 200m Spotify

streams she is one of the most trusted and influential voices among Gen Z in the Netherlands.

Telecoms is a saturated, often commoditised market.

As the market matures, differentiating on network speed and quality isn’t easy, so the

category risks differentiating on price and value alone.

Instead, KPN 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 alarming and unknown

world.

We needed to understand what online safety, and a #betterinternet meant to Generation Z.

We created a unique platform for understanding: our TikTok talkshow. A platform designed

to generate authentic customer insight, 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 TikTok talkshow lifted the lid on a world of private pain.

Online shaming left victims devastated, depressed, suicidal. 

“It was as if my world had collapsed”.

Society blames the victims, so they fall silent.

Silence and shame are powerful weapons.

We saw an opportunity to turn them on their head.

There’s nothing shameful about sexting.

What’s shameful is sharing intimate content without consent.

Rather than blame the victim, we would put blame where it belongs:

on those who forward without thinking.

Online shaming is a problem that thrives deep in internet culture.

We needed to raise it to the surface. Encouraging victims, friends, parents and teachers to

talk about the problem.

Because the minute they started to talk, we saw the burden of silence and shame start to

shift.

We often say our work sparked a conversation; in this case we realised that the conversation

itself could be life-saving.

We partnered with MEAU, one of the biggest singers in the Netherlands to spark this vitally

important conversation and create a powerful cultural moment. MEAU called on her fanbase,

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. Raising online

shaming into the spotlight of popular culture.

MEAU created a song, every lyric informed by real stories shared by her young fanbase.

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.

“A Piece of Me” created a powerful cultural movement, achieving extraordinary scale in a

country of only 17.7m people.

● A gold record

● +10M streams

● No.2 trending video on YouTube

● 500+ covers

● 28M organic views

● 202M PR impressions

We changed the conversation:

● +183% uplift in conversations on online shaming, focused on thinking before

you forward

● Hundreds of schools added our content to the curriculum

We changed behaviour:

● Charity partners saw average traffic uplifts of +119%

We changed brand perceptions:

● Brand consideration +9%

● Associations with online safety +19%

● Trust +16%

● “A brand that creates societal impact” + 16%

We changed the law:

● On March 19th the Dutch Sexual Crimes Act was passed, making it illegal to

share intimate content without consent.

But we’re just getting started. The video has travelled as far afield as Ecuador, Australia and

India.

KPN is committed to building a #betterinternet: an internet that is safer, more sustainable and

more socially inclusive.

We identified online safety as the number one priority facing Dutch families when it came to a

#betterinternet; an issue becoming more important every day as their kids navigate an

unknown world.

To understand what online safety means to Gen Z, we created a unique insight platform. An

expertly moderated TikTok talkshow unearthing a world of pain, fear and silence; the world of

online shaming.

But it also gave us the insights we needed to tackle the issues.

We used the best of the internet to combat the very worst of the internet; building our solution

culture, creator and community first.

Building a better internet not only in what we said, but in what we did, and how we did it.