Kruidvat Christmas Campaign Comes Alive with Heart-Warming Christmas Hit

In collaboration with DDB Amsterdam and Eigen Fabrikaat, MassiveMusic has created the music for the Kruidvat Christmas campaign 'Everyone deserves a beautiful Christmas.' Launched today, the campaign urges people to donate money to Dutch charity Armoedefonds (Poverty fund) and brings a unique blend of fiction and reality to life. The specially crafted Christmas song ‘Sing Along for Christmas’ is now available on Spotify, with all proceeds benefiting the Armoedefonds.

A Christmas Song for the Armoedefonds

The campaign unfolds a story where a Christmas hit comes to life, both in the commercial and reality. Two girls and a boy aim to raise money for the Armoedefonds in December. “Then you have to write a Christmas hit,” says one of the mothers. Eight-year-old Jude writes the song ‘Sing Along for Christmas’, Liv gathers street musicians, and Anna forms a children's choir. They then break into a recording session with artists Miss Montreal and Metejoor, asking them to join. The campaign concludes with the children in the car, listening to their single on the radio. Mission accomplished.

Fiction and Reality

In reality, MassiveMusic translated DDB's creative idea into a grand orchestral track that puts everyone in a festive mood. Maarten Remmers, Creative Director of DDB Amsterdam, wrote the initial chorus at home, recorded a demo on his phone, and shared the creative concept with Kruidvat. With enthusiastic responses, the MassiveMusic team, led by Music Creative Jasper Slijderink, collaborated closely with DDB to expand the idea into a large-scale orchestral track featuring well-known artists, including a diverse mix of musical elements like a band, a string quartet, and a children's choir.

Jasper Slijderink says, “We started with just a demo, the chorus and the campaign story, and from there, we built it up. Maarten's demo evolved into a significant production, eventually adding a string quartet and a children's choir.”

Musical Challenge: From Voice memo to Orchestral Track

MassiveMusic's biggest challenge was translating a simple voice memo into a complex and large-scale orchestral track recorded in a single take at Studio 150. “We chose the ‘old school way’. Before entering the recording studio, we thoroughly went through all arrangements, scores and scores, so we wouldn't encounter any unexpected surprises during the recording sessions. This detailed musical alignment proved invaluable, laying a solid foundation for a smooth and successful collaboration and recording experience,” says Jasper Slijderink.

Maarten Remmers, creative director of DDB Amsterdam said, “With a self-written song, wonderfully produced by MassiveMusic, we harnessed the power of music to convey a beautiful message and raise as much money as possible for the Armoedefonds. Music is a beautiful and powerful way to touch people's hearts and connect with each other.”

Jasper continues, “The special thing about this project is the interweaving of reality and fiction. Ultimately, no one can predict if something will become a hit, but at least we felt and got the freedom to do what we're good at – making music – and for a good cause like the Armoedefonds. It feels incredibly satisfying.”

MassiveMusic's 360 Approach

With a 360 approach, MassiveMusic delivers a high-quality production, from licensing, artist search, artist handling, arrangement, vocal coaching, on set music supervision and, of course, studio recording. .

Christmas Hit Mission

In the run-up to the holidays, Kruidvat is going all out to score a Christmas hit. The Christmas song from the commercial with Miss Montreal and Metejoor is available for streaming on popular platforms, and the proceeds from all these streams go to the Armoedefonds.