Making reading sexy again

Fewer people, especially youth, are reading. Facing a future of low literacy. The Dutch National Library fights this trend with playful campaigns, making books ‘hip’ and reviving literacy.

Mission

Faced with the alarming rise of digital distractions, the Dutch National Library (KB) is on a mission to reignite a love for reading—particularly among younger audiences. By reshaping how people perceive books, KB aims to foster a lasting shift toward literacy and cultural engagement.

Approach

Although completed before we adopted our current behavioral science & research-driven methods, this project still demonstrates our knack for emotionally resonant storytelling. To draw attention back to reading, Nami crafted a social media campaign packed with playful content, direct viewer interaction, and collaborative efforts with authors and influencers. Short, snappy videos showcased reading as both “hip” and intellectually fulfilling, offering specific book tips to spark curiosity and get people reaching for the bookshelf.

Insight

Reading habits are closely tied to parental influence: when parents read, their children often follow suit. By inspiring adults—and making reading undeniably cool—KB and Nami aimed to create ripple effects that extend to the next generation.

Idea

We harnessed fun, game-like content and personal testimonials to prove that reading is more than an old-fashioned pastime. Through energetic, shareable videos, we reframed books as portals to imagination and growth, tapping into the emotional and social appeal of discovering a must-read title.

Impact

Authors raved about the fresh and humorous style—“FAN-TAS-TIC!”—while audiences on social media lit up the comment sections and took book recommendations to heart. The campaign quickly became a hit (without paid advertising), fueling conversations from living rooms to online communities. Despite predating our newer research-based approach, we sparked renewed excitement around reading, KB and Nami laid the groundwork for a much-needed cultural shift.

Nami is not only an excellent producer for video campaigns, but also a perfect and relaxed sparring partner in the concept and research phase! We have had them develop several social video campaigns for the KB, and we are very satisfied every time. Creative, refreshing and above all bingeworthy end results.

Sietse Orie

Social Media Manager - KB National Library

Extra content

Credits

Client

KB National Library

Agency

Nami

Production

Waves Video Agency

Creative

Ilia ten Böhmer

Researcher

Marit van der Heijden

D.O.P.

Ilia ten Böhmer

Editor

Ilia ten Böhmer

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