KPN - A Piece of Me
KPN wanted Dentsu Creative Amsterdam to create a campaign addressing the critical issue of online shaming among Gen Z. The brand needed to raise awareness about the devastating impact of non-consensual sharing of intimate content. The challenge was to educate young people about digital empathy and encourage them to "Think Twice before you forward," ultimately sparking conversations and influencing safer online behavior.
Creative Idea
KPN transformed a victim's story into a song and video, revealing the true human cost of online shaming.
KPN, a telecommunications company, created a powerful music video campaign with singer MEAU to raise awareness about online shaming by transforming a real victim's story into a song that illustrates the devastating consequences of non-consensual sharing of intimate content. The campaign aimed to educate Gen Z about digital empathy by turning a serious social issue into an emotionally impactful musical narrative that sparks conversations about online behavior.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
As the Netherlands' leading telco, KPN provides the digital infrastructure where online shaming occurs. They leveraged their role as a connector to advocate for 'human' connectivity and digital safety beyond just providing bandwidth.
Category
Typical digital safety campaigns rely on technical settings or fear-based warnings that feel like lectures. They often fail to bridge the gap between abstract digital actions and their devastating real-world human consequences.
Customer
Gen Z lives in a digital-first world where the line between 'content' and 'people' is blurred. Victims feel silenced by stigma, while peers often lack the empathy to see how one click can destroy a life.
Culture
The campaign tapped into the urgent legislative push for digital consent in the Netherlands. By using a popular artist like MEAU, the brand met Gen Z where they already consume culture: on music charts.
Company
As the Netherlands' leading telco, KPN provides the digital infrastructure where online shaming occurs. They leveraged their role as a connector to advocate for 'human' connectivity and digital safety beyond just providing bandwidth.
Category
Typical digital safety campaigns rely on technical settings or fear-based warnings that feel like lectures. They often fail to bridge the gap between abstract digital actions and their devastating real-world human consequences.
Strategy:
Humanize digital data through emotional storytelling to transform a mindless click into a conscious act of empathy.
Customer
Gen Z lives in a digital-first world where the line between 'content' and 'people' is blurred. Victims feel silenced by stigma, while peers often lack the empathy to see how one click can destroy a life.
Culture
The campaign tapped into the urgent legislative push for digital consent in the Netherlands. By using a popular artist like MEAU, the brand met Gen Z where they already consume culture: on music charts.
Strategy:
Humanize digital data through emotional storytelling to transform a mindless click into a conscious act of empathy.
Results
The campaign achieved 28M organic views, 202M PR impressions, and 10.4M Spotify streams. The song reached #2 Trending for Music on YouTube and #3 in the Charts on Spotify, even surpassing Beyoncé. It generated +183% conversations around shaming and sparked the largest ever national debate about online shaming in the Netherlands. A month after its release, a law was passed that makes online shaming part of the Sexual Crimes Act. Hundreds of schools now use the music video "A Piece of Me" in class as educational material.
202M
PR impressions
28M
Organic views
+183%
conversations around shaming
Strategy Technique
Find the Missing Conversation
The campaign addresses the critical, often avoided topic of online shaming and non-consensual sharing among Gen Z. KPN aims to spark crucial conversations about digital empathy and safer online behavior, filling a vital void.
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Creative Technique
Story-Driven Campaign
The campaign transforms a real victim's experience into an emotionally impactful song, making the narrative central. It uses a powerful personal story to illustrate online shaming's devastating consequences, engaging Gen Z through empathy.
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Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its use of Music and Storytelling to tackle a complex and sensitive social issue. By embedding a powerful message within a highly resonant music video and leveraging a popular artist, it effectively transformed entertainment into impactful social change and education.
The original song "A Piece of Me" by Meau is central to the campaign's success, emotionally connecting with the audience and serving as the primary vehicle for the message, achieving significant chart success and viral reach.
The campaign masterfully tells a compelling and tragic story through the music video, creating deep empathy for the victim and clearly illustrating the devastating consequences of online shaming, driving home the call to action.
The integration of digital media elements—social media interfaces, trending charts, news overlays, and user-generated content—effectively visualizes the campaign's reach and impact within the digital landscape it addresses.
The strategic collaboration with a prominent Gen Z artist and the innovative approach of transforming a music video into an educational tool and catalyst for legislative change demonstrates exceptional foresight and execution.
The true magic of this campaign lies in the powerful synergy between Meau's emotionally resonant music, the raw, authentic storytelling of the music video, and the strategic integration of digital engagement and advocacy, together creating a movement that transcended traditional advertising to effect real-world legal and educational change.
