Naturalis

Nature Takes Center Stage During the Elections

In the run-up to the national elections on October 29, 2025, Naturalis wanted to send one message loud and clear: nature needs a voice. While politicians were campaigning for seats, Naturalis drew attention to something far more fundamental—biodiversity as the foundation of our survival.

Together with ftrprf and Naturalis, we developed a media strategy that could reach the entire Netherlands with a single, clear message: “Those who vote for nature are choosing the future.” Due to existing restrictions on political advertising, the usual platforms were ruled out. This led to a strategy that relied entirely on alternative, independent channels that could indeed provide nationwide visibility.

ftrprf’s “Nature Names” concept brought nature closer to people by linking the last names of political candidates to plants and animals that symbolize biodiversity. Our role: to ensure that this message reached as many Dutch people as possible at exactly the right time and in the right places.

The Challenge

The campaign began at a time when the rules governing political advertising changed midway through the process. Starting October 10, politically charged campaigns were no longer allowed to run on platforms such as Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and Spotify—precisely the channels that normally form the foundation for broad reach and effective visibility. Within a single week, the entire media plan had to be retooled to use alternatives that were permitted and could still provide nationwide reach.

On top of that, there was a second challenge: Naturalis did not want to issue any voting recommendations and therefore had to maintain a visible presence without appearing politically biased. Everything had to fully comply with the new legislation, including the drafting and submission of a transparency statement. This required meticulous attention to detail, speed, and flawless execution.

Because all the major social media platforms and YouTube were off the table, we had to turn to relatively more expensive channels such as NPO and Talpa. At the same time, despite those limitations, the campaign still had to deliver one thing: maximum reach among all Dutch people aged 18 and older, within a tight timeline, including, among other things, daily variations on the “Nature Names” concept.

Strategy

The campaign called for a clear course of action as soon as the major online platforms were no longer available. By exploring alternatives in advance, we were able to pivot immediately and put together a new, feasible media plan within a few days.

Core of the approach:

High-quality channels as a foundation.
Focus on channels that are permitted to air political campaigns and guarantee nationwide reach.
A diverse media mix for multiple touchpoints.
A mix of radio, newspapers, online display, and video to combine listening, reading, and watching.
Strong reach foundations through NPO, Talpa, and DPG.
These partners formed the backbone of the campaign, supplemented by MIBTL to ensure daily visibility through constantly changing “Natuurnamen” messages.
Strict compliance with politiekereclame.nl.
Every format, every submission, and every placement was checked for transparency, correct labeling, and political neutrality.
A consistent message through creative variations.
ftrprf developed the variations, ensuring that every piece of communication conveyed the same message and was immediately recognizable within the campaign.
Continuous monitoring of budgets and impressions.
Continuously verifying that delivery was in accordance with the agreement to monitor reach and visibility leading up to Election Day.

Using this approach, a solid campaign was launched in a very short time—one that was recognizable, widely visible, and fully compliant—without relying on the major online platforms.

Technology used

For this campaign, we used a combination of publisher-specific systems and our own internal tools. This gave us real-time insight into ad delivery, ensured direct communication with publishers, and allowed us to make daily adjustments to quality and pace leading up to Election Day.

Publisher Platforms

NPO, Talpa, DPG, MIBTL, and newspaper publishers provided real-time insights into impressions and delivery.

Monitoring Tools

Daily checks on progress, performance, and necessary optimizations.

Quality Control

Verification of placements, formats, and delivery as agreed.

Scaling Checks

Additional layers of oversight leading up to Election Day, with the allocation of supplemental funding.

Reporting Structure

All results are compiled into a single internal framework for overview and analysis.

Presentation Template

A clear PowerPoint presentation with all the key takeaways and reach figures.

Thanks to this combination of systems, monitoring, and reporting, we maintained control over the campaign throughout its entire duration and were able to deliver a fully substantiated evaluation.

Implementation

The campaign went live on October 22 and ran through October 29, the day the Netherlands went to the polls. The majority of the budget was deployed immediately so that we could build broad reach from day one. Only MIBTL started later, because this channel selection was not made until the final phase. The daily variations of the “Nature Names” ads were pre-scheduled with the publisher, so a new name went live automatically every day.

During the flight, we kept a close eye on all channels. NPO delivery got off to a slow start in the first few days, so we actively monitored it and coordinated closely with the operator.

When additional budget became available, we took a critical look at where there was still room to scale up. Talpa turned out to be fully booked, so we allocated the additional budget across the channels that were still able to accelerate their efforts.

The collaboration with ftrprf and Naturalis went smoothly and quickly. Short lines of communication, rapid decision-making, and direct coordination made it possible to move forward consistently within a tight timeline. At the same time, we ensured that every submission and every change throughout the entire campaign fully complied with the rules governing political advertising, so that the campaign remained transparent and legally sound.

Results

Wide reach and high engagement

Despite having to withdraw from the major online platforms, the campaign generated 3,356,901 impressions and 19,220 clicks. The mix of online, print, video, and radio ensured broad visibility in the final week before the election. Talpa stood out with an exceptionally high number of clicks, even without a clear call to action in the videos.

Positive Assessment of Implementation and Collaboration

Naturalis was particularly pleased with the quick response, the well-organized execution, and the fact that the campaign—despite changes in legislation—remained fully compliant with the rules while still achieving nationwide reach. The collaboration between Naturalis, ftrprf, and Clever Strategy was seen as exceptionally smooth.

Learning: limited algorithmic learning time, but high variability

One key lesson was that changing the MIBTL creatives on a daily basis left less room for algorithms to learn. Nevertheless, the variety resulted in a constantly fresh campaign look, ensuring that nature’s message was visible anew every day.

If you’d ever like to brainstorm, I’d love to talk with you. We’ve successfully completed many projects. It would be great to share our experiences and find out how we can help you!

Call 010-752 39 41, or fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you.