Title	BRINGING AN OUTDATED NATIONAL HOLIDAY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY
Brand	HEMA
Product/Service	CHILDREN'S SINGERS-SONG WRITER COMPETITION
Category	A13. User Generated Content
Entrant	XXS Amsterdam Schiphol, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation	XXS Amsterdam Schiphol, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Placement	RLVNT Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
PR	MERKTROUBADOUR Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Additional Company	WISSELOORD STUDIO'S Hilversum, THE NETHERLANDS

Name	Company	Position
Hans van Nood	XXS Amsterdam	Executive Creative Director
Wessel Beumer	XXS Amsterdam	Jr. Creative
Barend Stegeman	XXS Amsterdam	Jr. Creative
Saskia Meijer	XXS Amsterdam	Sr. Copywriter
Remy Kurpershoek	XXS Amsterdam	Executive Creative Director
Joram Helmer	XXS Amsterdam	Strategy Director
Karlijn Marchildon	XXS Amsterdam	Creative Strategist
Josien de Heul	XXS Amsterdam	Creative Producer

The Campaign

HEMA decided that the polarizing Sinterklaas-songs, that are the inspiration of much criticism and debate, have no place in today’s multicultural society. It decided to turn things around and called upon children to update of the Sinterklaas tradition for once and for all.

Creative Execution

Influencial vloggers called out for kids nationwide to participate. The news was spread via print media and online publications in the domains of parents and children. Tutorial video's were launched as inspiration as pre-rolls and on TV. The contest started and ran for three weeks. Weekly winners were chosen. At the end of the campaign period 10 winners were selected. Their songs were recorded in the world famous Wisseloord Studio's in Hilversum (where legends such as Elton John, Michael Jackson and The Beetles recorded) and released on Spotify over the Sinterklaas weekend.

The Sintersong contest enjoyed a lot of attention. In the press and on social networks, as children proudly shared their YouTube auditions in their own networks. All in all we gathered over 23 million impressions in a week’s time. And that’s a lot in a country of 16 million people. Most of all, The kids rewrote Sinterklaas history with the new songs they created. Thereby bringing an outdated National Holiday, into the 21st century.

Sinterklaas is the primary Dutch family holiday in December. HEMA, Holland’s #1 retail love brand, decided that the outdated, polarizing songs that are sung during this tradition, have no place in today’s multicultural society. HEMA opened a competition to renew the tradition by calling upon children to write and submit their own Sinterklaas songs. Through hundreds of YouTube auditions and by releasing the songs on Spotify, this 'kids generated content' campaign gave the Sinterklaas tradition it’s much needed update.

Via influencial vloggers, HEMA called upon children nationwide to contribute their own Sinterklaas songs. The news was thus spread via influencer vlogs on Youtube, but also on other owned channels and in pre-rolls and a TV commercial. Press moments during the campaign peaked the publicity. Once the ten winners were selected, we involved the local press from the cities/provinces where they came from. This turned the kids into local stars, feeding the popularity of the campaign.