KPN commercial featuring a cat scores well above the telecom benchmark

A red-haired cat that becomes the mascot for the Dutch national soccer team achieves a ValueFlow score of 49 percent in KPN’s latest commercial—well above the telecom benchmark of 15 percent and significantly higher than previously tested commercials from Ben (29 percent), Budget Thuis (20 percent), and Lebara (0 percent). This is according to a study by Telecompaper and Validators involving 103 respondents. Instead of a traditional telecom ad about plans or internet speeds, KPN opted for a lighthearted story featuring news broadcasts, talk shows, soccer, and self-deprecating humor. Respondents primarily describe the campaign as fun, funny, original, and enjoyable, while the core associations with KPN (reliable and fast internet, television, and connectivity) remain firmly in place. Even those aged 55 and older—typically the most critical group when it comes to telecom commercials—respond positively.

Humor leads to high emotional appreciation

With a score of 49 percent, the campaign ranks among the best-performing telecom commercials of recent times. While many telecom commercials focus on providing information about products or offers, KPN opts for entertainment. In the open-ended responses, words like “fun” and “funny” come up most often. Respondents say the commercial is enjoyable to watch and keeps them curious about the whole story.

The positive response does not stem from a single highlight. The sequence of short, recognizable scenes ensures that the emotional response remains positive throughout virtually the entire commercial. This is in contrast to, for example, the Vodafone commercial featuring Bente, where the opening scenes in particular caused unease and irritation.

Advertising Rating

Based on Valueflow™. Viewers use a slider to rate the ad as they watch it. A rating above 0 is positive; below 0 is negative. The rating can change while the viewer is watching.

Read the results of the survey on Telecompaper >

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