After years of tooting my horn for the creative industry here in the Netherlands, the Dutch government has finally caught on, writes creative sector insider Kerrie Finch.

This industry, which encompasses branding consultancies, advertising agencies, digital hotshops and design in all its guises, is being toted as a new thriving force behind the economic development of the nation and an essential tool for strengthening Holland’s reputation abroad.
As more traditional, subsidy-sucking industries like the highly-regarded culture and museum sector face cutbacks and a lingering demise, the blooming and self-sufficient creative industries find support and encouragement to lead the Netherlands out onto the international playing field.

Amsterdam hub
The Dutch government’s new darling, if you will, has been rapidly gaining international acclaim over the past few years for its progressive nature, innovation and creativity. Its old news to many involved in this industry though, that Amsterdam has undoubtedly been the European hub of creative industries, specifically advertising agencies, for quite some time.
The government is finally taking serious steps to harness and utilise the undeniable strength of this flourishing and dynamic industry with the official introduction in June this year of a dedicated Topteam.
For the uninitiated, Topteam is a significant new government initiative that aims to rein in the Netherlands’ most successful and progressive business sectors. The goal is to strategically organise them with a guiding team in order to strengthen a specific industry, the nation’s economy and its global position.
Nine of the strongest and most progressive industries, including logistics, technology, and creativity, were chosen to have Topteams. These Topteams are made up of expert representatives from the golden triangle of business, education and governments to advise, strategise and utilise the power of their industry, grow the Dutch knowledge economy and strengthen the global position of the Netherlands for the future.
Complex issues
The highly ambitious Dutch aim to be the most creative economy in Europe by 2020. The Topteam initiative aims to push the Dutch creative industry further on an international scale but also it aims to work in conjunction with other leading industries in Holland to be a true contributor in solving the nation’s complex social issues such as liveability and sustainability.
Utilising the vast thought-pool the creative industry has to offer, and thinking outside-the-box to collaborate with other industries, is just another reason why the Netherlands is considered such a progressive and forward-thinking society. Not bad for a country that can fit into the United Kingdom almost 6 times, hey?
The output of ad agencies, product designers, branding bureaus, interactive studios and the like is a true reflection of the Netherlands’ international reputation to be bold, innovative and push boundaries. These and locally-based businesses like them continue to be an essential vehicle for disseminating the “Dutch way” to the rest of the world. The work coming out of the Amsterdam-based creative industries, locally born or not, has become a vehicle of sorts for portraying a Dutch style or brand of work.

Prize winners
Take, for example, international digital agency AKQA and their gold-winning entry at the Cannes Lions this year. The Heineken StarPlayer app was revolutionary in real-time gaming and cyber brand experience. Not only is the client based in Amsterdam, but the idea came from and was developed by AKQA’s Amsterdam office. The dual-screen experience allows participants, fans and consumers to watch UEFA Champions League matches with their computer, iPhone or iPod Touch and anticipate and make real-time bets on events that are occurring in the game.
Another innovative campaign is Amsterdam Worldwide’s Tansu Shoe interactive online experience for Ontisuka Tiger. A hand-crafted Tansu-style shoe was transformed for a digital environment to enable audience interaction. Consumers were able to explore different cabinets of the shoe and, as a result, explore different elements of the brand. Again, an idea that originated in Amsterdam spread like wildfire all over the web and increased visits to the Ontisuka Tiger website by 460 per cent.
It is truly interactive and immersive brand experiences such as these which stimulate and tap into consumers’ already strong connection with social media, gaming and interactive online activity. These campaigns harness the spirit of creativity within businesses in the Netherlands. They progress with technology and experience, try the un-tested and create the unexpected.
Now that the government is fully behind the creative industries here in Holland, it will be interesting to see what their injection into our world will do. Bring it on I say, there are bigger and better things that those working within the creative industry can bring to consumers, to the Netherlands and further afield.
Kerrie Finch is the founder of FinchFactor, one of Europe’s leading PR companies specialized in reputation management for the creative industry.

www.finchfactor.com
kerrie@finchfactor.com