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01.

Paid Media Services

Capital-efficient media buying services deliver more growth, with more efficiency.

01.

Paid Media Services

Capital-efficient media buying services deliver more growth, with more efficiency.

02.

Expertise

Across borders and industries, our expertise is growing our client's business.

02.

Expertise

Across borders and industries, our expertise is growing our client's business.

03.

Case Studies

Paid Media Agency with Proven Results

03.

Case Studies

Paid Media Agency with Proven Results

04.

Insights

To navigate media buying investment, our first task is to question assumption.

04.

Insights

To navigate media buying investment, our first task is to question assumption.

05.

Contact

We look forward to hearing from you.

05.

Contact

We look forward to hearing from you.

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00. Markets

Paid media agency Netherlands

Amsterdam → Rotterdam → Randstad

The Netherlands is a gateway

01 | Who we are

Criterion Global is a leading independent international media agency, with established operations and working history in the Netherlands and a focus on challenger and globally-ambitious brands.

02 | The proposition

A 17.5M-person market and Europe's front door. We give global brands nimble, local access, and a competitive edge in global media buying in the Netherlands and beyond.

Scroll ↓
01Amsterdam → Rotterdam → Randstad
Netherlands 1
Netherlands 2
Netherlands 3
Netherlands 4
01European gateway → 17.5M reachPoort naar Europa
01 / 04
The gateway
Open trade, world-class infrastructure, and a highly educated, internationally-oriented audience. The Netherlands is where global brands enter Europe → where Dutch brands reach the world.
02 | Netherlands: EU market analysisCriterion Global NL

A concentrated market that punches far above its size.

17.5M
Population
A concentrated, highly connected market.
$53K
GDP per capita
Among Europe’s most affluent consumers.
~20%
of inbound FDI is U.S.
The Dutch gateway for American brands.
No. 1
Port of Rotterdam
Europe’s largest logistics hub.
Poort naar Europa

High-tech, energy, agriculture, and logistics, anchored by the Port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest. In 2021 U.S. companies led inbound investment at roughly 20%, ahead of the UK, Germany, Luxembourg, and France.

Dutch companies are frequently multinational. For brands moving in either direction, the Netherlands is the most efficient point of leverage in the EU.

Our in-depth knowledge of the Netherlands, Benelux, and beyond, becomes tailored media strategy: campaigns that aren't only seen but felt, with measurable impact to prove the value of the investment. Start with the Criterion Global Budget Blueprint to size the opportunity.

03 | Media coverage

Full Netherlands media coverage, zero outsourcing or intermediaries: from digital to broadcast, out-of-home to experiential. One partner, every channel.

01
Television
National broadcast and addressable TV across NPO, RTL, and Talpa inventory.
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02
Radio
National and regional radio, plus digital audio and podcast environments.
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03
Out-of-Home
Schiphol, Amsterdam Centraal, and Randstad transit, roadside, and DOOH.
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04
Print
National titles and specialist trade press where the audience still reads deeply.
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05
Digital & Social
Programmatic, paid social, search, retail media, and emerging platforms.
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06
Experiential
Guerrilla and experiential activation where attention is earned, not bought.
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04 | The practiceService matrix

A global, preferred partner of Google, Meta, TikTok, Spotify and more. But more than this: we know the local Dutch media ecosystem → NPO, Ster, DPG, the Randstad and beyond → where local precision actually scales brand here.

Plan
Strategy
Media mix, audience framing, and the brief work that makes the rest possible.
Buy
Buying
Direct relationships with premium Dutch and pan-EU inventory.
Activate
Activation
Creative trafficking, tagging, and QA across every channel.
Measure
Measurement
Attribution, incrementality, and media-mix modeling.
Optimize
Optimization
Weekly optimization rituals and in-flight pivots.
Where to start? The Criterion Global Budget Blueprint℠: our proprietary tool for sizing investment to a brand's 3–5 year ambition, and Paid Media Consulting for in-house teams.
Explore services →
Trusted independent global media agencyAvg. tenure 5.5 yrs | Festival of Media | WARC
Client reel | 2009 → 2026Selected clients | Criterion GlobalProprietary & Confidential
05 | ProofSelected work

Global reach, local proof of concept.

Case 01
Gorillas| Q-commerce| Intra-EU expansion
Launch pressure, city by city, not spread thin across the map.

Instead of equal pushes everywhere, we concentrated spend where density would compound fastest, sequencing markets through the Randstad outward.

8 markets
Sequenced in 9 months
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Case 02
Grupo Brisas| Travel & Hospitality| NL + Global
A travel brand kept ahead of seasonality, currency, and a crowded field.

Nearly a decade of partnership, adapting paid media to shifting demand for travel across currency swings and an increasingly competitive landscape.

~10 yrs
Partnership tenure
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Case 03
Confidential| B2B SaaS| EU market entry
Twelve fragmented vendors became one disciplined operation.

A single DSP relationship, a unified creative brief, and weekly cross-channel rituals replaced overlapping buys and inconsistent measurement.

−34%
Blended CAC, year one
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Case 04
Confidential| Consumer Tech| Benelux scale-up
Dutch addressable TV plus retail media, measured against control.

A held-out control proved incremental lift rather than asserting it. The channel mix earned its budget quarter over quarter.

3.1×
Return on ad spend
→
Some clients can't be named. Their results can.Figures indexed | illustrative of engagement outcomes
“
We've worked with Criterion Global as our paid media agency for nearly a decade. Marketing is a moving target, and they've been key to our success in the Netherlands and globally.
Darrick Eman | CMO, Grupo Brisas
07 | The independent international media agency

The Netherlands practice. One of many doors into Criterion Global.

Explore our world →
Strategy, buying, and measurement run on one global desk: New York, Miami, Zürich, Singapore, and here. Local nuance, global leverage. White-label media buying lets creative and brand agencies offer full, global media services, without building a media team. The reach of a multinational, the response time of a boutique.
08 | FAQ

Netherlands advertising: the questions we're asked most.

We excel in global media buying, connecting challenger and globally-ambitious brands with audiences worldwide. Our network spans clients such as GoDaddy, Brookfield, and ZEISS, with recognition from the Festival of Media and WARC, backed by an average client tenure of 5.5 years.

We value long-term relationships over short-term budget. If you’re uncertain what budget your goals require, Budget Blueprint℠, our proprietary planning tool, helps allocate investment efficiently across platforms and geographies. Contact us to discuss your needs.

A wide range: digital, social, television, radio, print, out-of-home, guerrilla, and emerging platforms. We stay abreast of the latest trends to offer a comprehensive set of options for each campaign’s unique needs.

09 | Reach out

Let's talk

NetherlandsAmsterdam | Zuidas Market practice
Global HQ121 E 24th St, 12th Floor, Penthouse
New York, NY 10010
Partnershipshello@criterionglobal.com
+1 646 330 4673
Start a conversationBrief us →
Amsterdam52.37° N
Rotterdam51.92° N
New York40.71° N
Miami25.76° N
Zürich47.37° N
Singapore1.35° N
Tokyo35.68° N
Amsterdam52.37° N
Rotterdam51.92° N
New York40.71° N
Miami25.76° N
Zürich47.37° N
Singapore1.35° N
Tokyo35.68° N