Dutch telco confronts social media exclusion and empowers young bystanders to take action /

Commit to the cause / Everyone Except is the sequel to KPN’s 2024 Grand Prix-winning campaign, Piece of Me, which aimed to raise awareness around the social taboos of online sexting. Here, by highlighting a different form of cyberbullying, KPN shows a real commitment to online safety, setting an example for the category and building long-term growth.

Speaking about Piece of Me, Boris Nihom, CEO of Dentsu Creative Amsterdam, told Contagious, ‘The brief was how can we build our brand in the long term. How can we make sure that as a market leader in the functional sense of the word, can we also behave like a market leader in the emotional sense of the word?’

He added, ‘The metrics involved with that were brand preference, but also very specific brand attributes, like being a frontrunner in society, doing good for society as a whole and being an innovative company to help KPN differentiate from the back of day-to-day commoditised telco.’

By consistently tackling online bullying, KPN turns what could be seen as opportunistic advertising into something much more genuine. This ongoing commitment to social issues creates the emotional leadership Nihom talked about, helping KPN break free from being just another telecom provider to become a brand people actually trust to keep them safe online. And that's exactly the kind of differentiation that builds lasting competitive advantage.

Things are changing / As the Netherlands’ second largest mobile network operator, KPN isn’t just connecting people, it’s confronting the dark side of that connection. The numbers are stark: About 15% of adolescents (roughly one in six) have experienced cyberbullying, according to WHO/Europe. One particularly damaging form of this is online exclusion: being intentionally ignored, removed from chats, or blocked. Dentsu Creative Amsterdam found that more than half of young people have experienced this, with nearly a quarter facing it at least monthly.

When your business is putting powerful social devices into young hands, the responsibility extends beyond connectivity. KPN recognises this and is using its platform to educate users about digital citizenship.

It's a topic we’re seeing more telco brands highlight; for example, British telco EE’s recent campaign helps parents guide children over smartphone usage as they head back to school. Deutsche Telekom created a deepfake advert warning parents about the dangers of sharing their children’s images and personal data online.

This growing focus on digital responsibility signals a fundamental shift in how telco brands must operate. It’s no longer enough to simply provide connectivity; consumers expect their providers to protect the digital spaces they help create. KPN’s commitment to digital citizenship education positions them perfectly for this shift, building the kind of brand loyalty that transcends price competition and service features.