Commercial video production in the Netherlands
Strategy-led commercials for television, online video and social. Written, shot, animated and delivered from Amsterdam and Eindhoven.
A commercial is a short piece of paid video built to change what people think, feel or do about a brand. Bigfish is a strategic creative agency that handles commercial video production end to end: strategy, concept, live-action film, 2D and 3D animation, post-production and broadcast-ready delivery. We work in English for international brands, we combine film and animation under one roof, and we start with your objective rather than your format. Because the format is a consequence of the goal, never the starting point.
Why & process | Examples | Costs | Formats | Dutch television | Film or animation | Strategy | International | Why Bigfish | FAQ
What a well-made commercial actually returns
Advertising video delivers the highest measured profit return of any medium, and creative quality is the largest single driver of that return. Television and broadcaster video generate GBP 5.61 of profit per GBP 1 invested, while creative execution accounts for roughly half of all incremental sales.
- Highest profit ROI of any channel: the Thinkbox and Ebiquity Profit Ability 2 study (2024, GBP 1.8bn of spend across 141 brands) puts TV and broadcaster VOD at GBP 5.61 profit per GBP 1, or 54.7% of all advertising-generated profit.
- The effect compounds: the same study found 58% of advertising profit arrives after the first 13 weeks. A commercial is therefore an asset, not a campaign expense.
- Creative beats targeting: NCSolutions and Nielsen (2023, meta-analysis of nearly 450 campaigns) attribute 49% of incremental sales to the creative itself, against 14% for reach and 11% for targeting.
- Better creative moves market share: System1 finds that top-rated ads can lift long-term market share by up to 3 percentage points, where average work lifts it by about 1.
- Video is now the default: in Wyzowl’s State of Video Marketing 2026, 91% of businesses use video and 93% call it an important part of their strategy.
- Attention is shifting, not shrinking: Dentsu forecasts online video spend up 11.5% and connected TV up 9.5% in 2026, with linear TV broadly flat. In other words: the same commercial now has to work on three screens.
One production, a full campaign
From a single shoot or animation build we deliver a broadcast master plus 30, 20, 15, 10 and 6-second cutdowns, in 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16, with stills, GIFs and alternative voice-overs for other markets. As a result, one investment feeds television, online video, social and sales for months.
Six phases from brief to broadcast
Bigfish is not a production house that executes a brief without asking questions. We are a strategic commercial production company, so we start with the decision you want to influence and work backwards to the format.
- Intake and strategy: first we map the objective, the audience, the channels, the media plan and the KPI. A 6-second pre-roll and a 30-second TV spot are different scripts, therefore we need the media plan before the script.
- Concept and script: next our creatives translate the strategy into an idea, a script and a tone of voice that fits your brand.
- Pre-production: then follow styleframes or an animatic, casting, location scouting, the shotlist and the shooting schedule. Because we test the idea as an animatic first, expensive surprises stay out of the shoot.
- Production: cinema cameras, professional lighting, broadcast audio, drone where useful and a director on set. For animation, the build happens in our own studio.
- Post-production: edit, colour grade, sound design, motion graphics, voice-over and subtitles, mastered to broadcast loudness.
- Delivery and distribution: finally you receive the broadcast master, all cutdowns and platform-ready exports, delivered to the Dutch sales houses where required.
What you can expect from us
One permanent point of contact, fixed feedback moments and two feedback rounds included as standard. Moreover, the whole process runs in English if that suits your team better, and we advise on distribution, media and performance measurement when you want it.
Examples of Commercials
we produced
From national television campaigns to animated brand mascots and social cutdowns: below is a selection of commercial work for Dutch, Belgian and international advertisers.
Een stijlvolle TV-commercial voor Walra waarin 150 jaar zachtheid wordt vertaald naar een herkenbaar moment van rust en comfort.
Een bewezen TV-commercial voor Synvest die door zijn succes al jaren op televisie te zien is.
Een TV-commercial voor Woninginrichting-aan-huis waarin woongenot, persoonlijk advies en herkenbaarheid samenkomen.
Een heldere TV-commercial voor Harm Alarm die veiligheid en betrouwbaarheid centraal stelt in een herkenbare thuissituatie.
Een TV-commercial voor Stockon die het merk helder en herkenbaar neerzet in een eigentijdse stijl.
Een energieke TV- en online commercial voor Plus Supermarkten waarin Sjeffies op een herkenbare en humorvolle manier tot leven komt.
What does commercial video production cost?
Expect roughly EUR 6,000 for an online or social commercial, EUR 6,000 to EUR 25,000 for an animated commercial, and from EUR 15,000 for a live-action television commercial. Production usually accounts for 10 to 20 percent of a campaign budget; media buying takes the rest.
There is no standard price, because no two commercials share the same scope. However, the cost drivers are always the same five, and once you know them you can steer the budget yourself instead of waiting for a quote to surprise you.
The five factors that determine your production budget
- Objective, scope and usage rights. A single social cut sits in a different bracket than a national campaign film that has to last three years. Moreover, the territories and the term you buy for talent and music move the total more than most clients expect.
- Shoot days and locations. Every extra day or location adds travel, logistics and crew hours. Bundling formats into one day therefore lowers the cost per asset substantially.
- Crew size. A compact two-person shoot is a different production from one with a director, DoP, gaffer, grip, sound recordist, stylist and runner.
- Production elements. Talent, drone, studio, set build, 3D animation, VFX and original music each add real value, but they also add specialist hours.
- Post-production and deliverables. Basic edit or advanced grade with sound design? In addition, the number of versions, aspect ratios, languages and subtitle files determines a large part of the post budget.
| Type of commercial | Indicative investment | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Online or social commercial | From € 6,000 | Pre-roll, in-feed and story formats for YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok, delivered in multiple aspect ratios and lengths. |
| 2D animated commercial | € 6,000 – € 15,000 | Abstract propositions, services, processes and campaigns that need a distinctive visual style and easy multilingual versioning. |
| 3D animated commercial | € 10,000 – € 25,000 | Products that do not exist yet, technical demonstrations, invisible processes and recurring brand characters. |
| Live-action TV commercial | From € 15,000 | National television, broadcaster VOD and connected TV, including a broadcast-compliant master and all cutdowns. |
| Brand film or full campaign | From € 25,000 | Cinematic brand storytelling, multi-format campaigns across several markets, or a hybrid of live action and animation. |
Indicative production budgets excluding VAT and media spend. Talent buyouts, music licensing and international usage rights are quoted separately. Every commercial is bespoke, so we always provide a fixed quotation after the intake.
How production and media budget relate
A rule of thumb worth keeping in mind: production is normally 10 to 20 percent of a campaign budget, and media buying takes the remainder. That ratio matters, because a weak commercial in an expensive media plan wastes the largest part of the budget. Since creative accounts for roughly half of incremental sales according to NCSolutions, spending a little more on the idea is usually the cheapest way to improve the return on the media.
In practice we therefore advise reserving at least 20 percent of the production budget for strategy and concept. That investment prevents costly corrections during production and determines whether the commercial converts at all. For concrete airtime figures, see how Dutch television advertising works below.
Which type of commercial fits your objective?
The main formats are the television commercial, the online commercial, the social media commercial, the animated commercial, the brand film, the product commercial and the direct-response commercial. Choose on the basis of the decision you want to influence and the channel where that decision happens.
Not every commercial does the same job. A brand film builds preference over years, while a direct-response spot has to produce a click this week. Consequently we help you choose on intended effect, not on budget or fashion.
| Format | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Television commercial | Broad reach and brand building via NPO, RTL and Talpa channels plus broadcaster VOD. Usually 20 or 30 seconds, with 10 and 5-second variants for frequency. |
| Online commercial | Pre-roll and in-stream video on YouTube, connected TV and streaming platforms. Skippable formats demand the brand and the message in the first two seconds. |
| Social media commercial | Vertical, sound-off-proof and short, built for LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Shorts. Best produced as a family of variants rather than a single cut. |
| Animated commercial | 2D or 3D animation for abstract propositions, technical products, invisible processes or a recurring brand character. Easy to update and to version per market. |
| Brand film | Cinematic storytelling that builds emotion and preference. Ideal as the hero video on your homepage and as the anchor of a campaign. |
| Product commercial | Shows a product in use, with features and benefits. Indispensable for retail, e-commerce, sales and international distribution. |
| Direct-response commercial | Built around one offer and one action, with a clear call to action, an urgency device and a measurable response. Frequently combined with regional or addressable TV. |
| Recruitment commercial | Attracts talent by showing culture, team and workplace. Increasingly bought as a media campaign rather than a careers-page video. |
Many advertisers combine several of these formats in one production day, which is almost always the cheapest way to build a campaign. Curious which mix fits your objective? Get in touch and we will advise you without obligation.
How does television advertising work in the Netherlands?
Dutch airtime is sold by three sales houses: Ster for the public broadcaster NPO, Ad Alliance for the RTL and Talpa channels, and Talpa Network. Buying works on GRPs, requests follow a monthly calendar, and every commercial must be delivered through SpotDeli in a prescribed technical format.
For international advertisers this is usually the least familiar part of the process, so we handle it as part of the production. Below is what you actually need to know before you commit to a launch date.
Buying airtime: Ster, Ad Alliance and Talpa
Dutch television advertising is traded in GRPs, or gross rating points, where one GRP equals reaching one percent of your target audience once. You buy a number of GRPs against a net base price per GRP, which is then adjusted by seasonal and audience indices. Ster sells the public channels, Ad Alliance represents the RTL and Talpa portfolio and Talpa Network sells its own inventory, while Screenforce coordinates the market and publishes the request calendar.
Net base prices per GRP differ per sales house, per target audience and per package, and the market indices move the effective price up or down by roughly 15 to 20 percent across the year. As a result, the same campaign can cost very different amounts in January and October. Because rate cards change annually, we always calculate with the current cards rather than a rule of thumb. Minimum spot length is five seconds, and addressable television now allows a national spot to be overwritten regionally on connected set-top boxes, which makes television viable for regional advertisers too.
Technical delivery: SpotDeli and EBU R128
Since April 2025, commercials for Dutch television must be delivered via SpotDeli, the delivery platform used by Ster, Ad Alliance and Talpa. Requesting an account takes a few working days, therefore we start that process during post-production rather than after it. The Screenforce technical specifications prescribe programme loudness of –23.0 LUFS with a tolerance of half a loudness unit, a maximum true peak of –1 dBTP and colour reference ITU-R BT.709, in line with the EBU R128 standard.
These are not academic details. A master that is rejected on loudness costs you a broadcast slot, so we master to spec, check the file before delivery and keep a separate online mix, because online platforms and social feeds use different loudness targets than broadcast.
Music rights: Buma/Stemra and Sena
Any music in a commercial needs a synchronisation licence, which is the permission to combine that music with your images. In the Netherlands, Buma/Stemra handles the rights of composers and publishers, while Sena handles the neighbouring rights of performers and record labels.
You have three routes, in ascending order of cost. Production or library music is pre-cleared and cheapest. Original composition sits in the middle and gives you full ownership without third-party sync negotiations, which is why we recommend it for campaigns that will run for years. Licensing a well-known track is the most expensive option, and the fee depends on the territory, the term and the media you buy. In every case we budget clearance at concept stage, because discovering a licensing problem after the edit is locked is expensive and avoidable.
Advertising rules: the Dutch Advertising Code
Advertising in the Netherlands is governed by the Nederlandse Reclame Code, administered by the Stichting Reclame Code. The core requirements are simple: advertising must be recognisable as advertising, truthful and not misleading. On top of that, specific codes apply to particular categories. Alcohol advertising follows the code supervised by STIVA, with tightened rules on youth-oriented channels and social platforms, and separate provisions cover advertising aimed at children. Health, financial and food claims each carry their own requirements as well.
We build compliance into the concept phase instead of treating it as a legal review at the end. For regulated clients that is often the difference between a campaign that launches on time and one that goes back into the edit. Read more in Dutch on our TV commercial page.
Live action or animation for your commercial?
Choose live action when authenticity, emotion and recognisable human situations carry the message. Choose animation when the message is abstract, technical, invisible or impossible to film. In practice the strongest commercials are hybrid: live action for the feeling, animation for the explanation.
This choice is made on taste far too often. However, the content of your message and the behaviour you want to trigger should decide it. Because we produce both disciplines in house, we have no commercial reason to steer you towards one of them.
| Criterion | Live-action commercial | Animated commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Authenticity | High: real people, real locations, real emotion | Depends on style and character design |
| Complex or invisible subjects | Difficult: you can only film what exists | Ideal: processes, data and products that do not exist yet |
| Changes after delivery | Limited: significant edits mean reshooting | Flexible: individual elements can be replaced |
| Multilingual versions | Replace voice-over, add subtitles, watch lip sync | Straightforward, with no lip-sync constraints |
| Brand distinctiveness | Cinematography, casting, location and grade | Fully bespoke in your brand identity, including characters |
| Best applications | Brand films, testimonials, culture, retail and food | Technical products, services, propositions, mascots, safety |
| Typical lead time | 4 to 8 weeks, concentrated around the shoot | 6 to 10 weeks, spread across design and animation |
Our advice: combine the two
Bigfish started under the name Lutters Westenbroek as an film production studio and in 2010 Bigfish Animation Studio was founded. That history explains our standard recommendation, which is to combine. A filmed opening that makes you feel something, followed by animated motion graphics that explain how the product works, outperforms either approach on its own in most categories.
There is a solid reason for that beyond taste. According to dual coding theory and Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning, people process visual and verbal information through separate channels, so a message that arrives as image and words together is understood faster and remembered longer than the same message in words alone. Animation lets us control exactly what the viewer sees at the moment they hear the claim, which is precisely why it works so well for propositions that are hard to picture.
How strategy shows up in the final edit
Every agency says it starts with strategy. Fewer can show you where that strategy is visible in the finished commercial. So here is how it works at Bigfish, decision by decision.
- The objective sets the length before the script exists. A 6-second bumper carries one idea and one brand cue, nothing more. A 30-second TV spot can hold a small story. Deciding this after the script is written is how commercials end up as compressed versions of a longer film that nobody asked for.
- The audience insight sets the first frame. Attention research consistently shows that most viewers decide within the first couple of seconds whether to keep watching, therefore we place the brand cue early and open on the tension the audience actually recognises, not on a logo animation.
- The channel sets the sound design. Social feeds are watched without sound and broadcast is mastered to a fixed loudness standard. As a result we design a version that still works when muted, with the message carried by image and typography, and a separate broadcast mix.
- The media plan sets the shoot list. If the plan needs a hero film, three social cuts and two product variants, we schedule and light for all of them on the same day. That single decision usually saves more money than any negotiation on day rate.
- The KPI sets the edit rhythm. A brand goal calls for space, music and a memorable device. A response goal calls for a tighter cut, an explicit offer and the call to action on screen long enough to act on. Consequently the same idea gets two different edits when the objective differs.
- The tone of voice sets the casting and the grade. Warm and human, dry and confident, or deliberately provocative: this is a strategic choice, and it is executed by a casting director and a colourist, not by a brand document.
Our positioning, built on strategy, powered by content and driven by results, is really just a description of that chain. In-house strategists, concept makers, copywriters, art directors, directors, DoPs, animators, editors and developers work in one team, so the thinking does not get lost in a handover between agency and production house. Read more about our strategic approach or about Bigfish.
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Why your commercial has to do the selling before anyone talks to sales
Most business buying decisions are largely made before a supplier is ever contacted. Gartner reports that 67 percent of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience, and 6sense finds that buying groups shortlist four to five suppliers on day one and buy from one of them in 95 percent of cases.
That has a direct consequence for video. If the shortlist is formed while you are anonymous to the buyer, your commercial is often the only sales conversation you get. It has to establish who you are, what you do and why that matters, in a few seconds, on a screen you do not control.
Gartner also found that a growing share of buyers now use AI assistants during a purchase, which means your brand has to be findable and quotable in those answers as well. 6sense adds a useful detail: the supplier that gets contacted first wins roughly eight times out of ten. Video is the fastest way to become the name a buyer already recognises, so we treat every commercial as part of that recognition job rather than as an isolated asset.
Commercial production in the Netherlands for international brands
Bigfish works in English throughout: strategy, scripts, direction on set, post-production and delivery. We produce for Dutch, Belgian and German media, arrange locations and permits, and deliver multilingual versions from one master, so a single production can serve several European markets.
International marketing teams usually have three concerns when they produce outside their own market: language, control and compliance. We designed our process around exactly those three.
- Everything runs in English. Briefings, scripts, storyboards, the set and the feedback rounds. Your local stakeholders can join reviews remotely, and you never need an interpreter to approve a cut.
- Locations, permits and crew. The Netherlands is compact, well connected and English-speaking, which makes it unusually efficient to shoot in. We arrange locations and permits, and for location scouting outside our own network we work with the Netherlands Film Commission.
- One master, several markets. We build the master so that voice-over, on-screen typography, subtitles and end frames can be swapped per market. For animation that is straightforward, because there is no lip sync to match.
- Local compliance handled. Broadcast delivery specs, the Dutch Advertising Code and music clearance are part of the production, not a separate project you have to manage from abroad.
- Belgium and Germany too. Our base in Knokke-Heist serves Flanders, and we regularly produce for German media from Eindhoven, which sits close to the Brainport technology cluster and the German border.
One point of honesty about incentives, because it comes up in almost every international conversation. The Netherlands does operate a production incentive worth up to 35 percent of qualifying Dutch spend, but it is administered by the Netherlands Film Fund for feature films, documentaries, animated features and high-end series, and it requires an independent producer and a cultural test. Advertising and branded content generally do not qualify. We would rather tell you that upfront than let you build a budget around a rebate you cannot claim.
Commercial production per sector
We produce commercials across sectors, and each one has its own language, its own compliance requirements and its own visual conventions. That nuance is usually what separates recognition from noise.
| Sector | What we produce |
|---|---|
| Retail & FMCG | National TV campaigns, recurring brand characters, product and food commercials, promotional cutdowns and seasonal variants. |
| Technology & SaaS | Proposition films, product demonstrations, animated explainers and pre-roll built around a single benefit. |
| Energy & utilities | Commercials and campaign films about the energy transition, grid infrastructure and complex tariff propositions. |
| Healthcare & pharma | Patient communication, awareness campaigns and medical animation that meets regulatory and accessibility requirements. |
| Government & public sector | Public information campaigns, multilingual and WCAG-conformant productions, behaviour-change communication. |
| Finance & insurance | Brand and response commercials, explanation of financial products, compliance-aware scripting. |
| Travel & leisure | Campaign films, 3D brand mascots, radio and banner adaptations for several European markets. |
| Industry & automotive | Technical product animation, safety and dealer campaigns, B2B brand films for trade and events. |
| Non-profit & education | Awareness and fundraising campaigns, plus educational content and digital learning material. |
Clients we have produced for include TenneT, KPN, Bavaria, Eneco, Booking.com, TNO, RDW, Sanquin, WWF, the Prinses Máxima Centrum and the Dutch national government. Want to see video used for training rather than advertising? Look at our e-learning and digital learning work or our interactive content.
Why choose Bigfish as your commercial production company?
Bigfish combines strategy, live-action film and 2D and 3D animation under one roof, so the format follows your objective instead of the studio’s speciality. We work from Amsterdam and Eindhoven for brands including TenneT, Bavaria, KPN, Eneco, Booking.com and the Dutch government.
- Strategy first, always. We begin with the objective and the audience, and only then choose concept, format, style and technique. That order is the whole point.
- Both disciplines in house. An animation studio since 2010 and a film production company since 2023. Because we do not depend on one craft, our advice on the mix is genuinely neutral.
- We make complex things simple. Energy infrastructure, medical protocols, financial products, technical systems: translating difficult subject matter into clear, watchable video is our core skill.
- One integrated team. Strategists, concept makers, copywriters, art directors, directors, DoPs, animators, editors and developers work together, so nothing is lost in handovers to subcontractors.
- Broadcast-ready delivery. We master to Dutch and European broadcast specifications, deliver through SpotDeli and handle music clearance, therefore your launch date is not at the mercy of a technical rejection.
- Campaign thinking, not single videos. Every production is planned as a content ecosystem, with cutdowns, formats and market versions designed in from the start.
- AI where it genuinely helps. Through our sister brand ai we use AI-assisted production for previsualisation, variants and scale, without letting it near the strategic thinking or the craft that makes work distinctive. See also our AI lab.
- Recognised work. ADCN Awards, Fonk 150 and Emerce 100, with a Trustpilot rating of 4.3 across hundreds of projects.
How do we know whether your commercial worked?
We agree the measurement before we shoot. For brand objectives we look at recall, recognition, attention and preference. For performance objectives we look at view-through, click-through, cost per acquisition and incremental sales. Because most advertising profit arrives later, we measure long as well as short.
The Profit Ability 2 study found that 58 percent of advertising profit appears after the first 13 weeks. Judging a commercial on its first fortnight therefore measures the wrong thing, and it is the single most common reason good creative gets replaced too early.
So we do three things differently. First, we pre-test the idea as an animatic or a rough cut before the expensive production stage, which is where changes are still cheap. Second, we agree with you which metric decides success, and we design the edit around that metric. Third, we look at the work again after the campaign, because the learning belongs in the next commercial rather than in a closed report. For campaigns that run across several channels we combine that with our campaign and content strategy work.
Commercial video production in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and across Europe
Our studios are in Amsterdam at Schiphol-Rijk and in Eindhoven, with a base in Knokke-Heist for Belgium. From there we shoot throughout the Netherlands and Flanders, produce regularly for the German market, and travel further for international productions.
Amsterdam and the Randstad
Our Amsterdam studio sits at Schiphol-Rijk, which means it is fifteen minutes from the airport and easy to reach for international teams flying in for a shoot day or a review. From there we serve Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam, Haarlem and the wider Randstad, where the majority of Dutch head offices, media agencies and sales houses are based.
Eindhoven and the Brainport region
Our Eindhoven studio covers the south of the Netherlands, including Tilburg, Breda, Den Bosch, Helmond and Limburg. The Brainport region is full of technology and industrial companies with complex products, so demand there tends to combine live action with technical 3D animation. Because we offer both in house, that combination does not require a second supplier.
Belgium, Germany and beyond
Knokke-Heist is our base for Flanders, where search behaviour and media consumption closely resemble the Dutch market. In addition we produce for German media, and for international productions we bring in local crew wherever that is more efficient than travelling with our own. Want to know whether we shoot in your region? Get in touch and we will plan the smartest approach in terms of crew, logistics and budget.
Related services
We are happy to advise on the best video approach for your objective and your audience.
Bedrijfsanimatie
Je verhaal krachtig in beeld? Wij maken bedrijfsanimaties die de kern raken.
E-learning op maat
Wil je een e-learning die impact maakt? Interactieve modules die leren en betrekken.
Interactieve content
Meer dan alleen zenden. Interactieve content die betrekt, stuurt en activeert.
Interactieve infographic
Maak data inzichtelijk. Een klikbare infographic laat jouw verhaal echt leven.
Technische animatie
Technische animaties die complexe systemen helder en overtuigend uitleggen.
Contentstrategie
Wil je een contentstrategie die écht resultaat levert? Wij bouwen aan een fundament.
Digital learning
Wij ontwikkelen digital learning oplossingen die kennisoverdracht boeiend maken.
3D animatie
Wil je maximale impact creëren? Bigfish maakt impactvolle 3D animaties die de diepte in gaan.
Medical Animation
Wij ontwikkelen 2D- en 3D medical animations die complexiteit helder uitleggen.
Jeroen Westenbroek
Algemeen directeur
Even sparren over jouw commercial?
Of je nu al een compleet script hebt liggen of alleen nog maar een vaag idee: wij helpen je de volgende stap te zetten.
Plan een gratis intake van 20 minuten. Je krijgt direct advies over aanpak, planning en een realistische prijsindicatie.
Veelgestelde vragen over een animatie commercial laten maken
Hieronder vind je antwoord op de vragen die we het vaakst krijgen over kosten, doorlooptijd, stijlkeuze en aanlevering. Staat jouw vraag er niet tussen? Neem dan gerust contact op.
How much does it cost to produce a commercial in the Netherlands?
Expect from EUR 6,000 for an online or social commercial, EUR 6,000 to EUR 25,000 for an animated commercial, and from EUR 15,000 for a live-action television commercial. Talent buyouts, music licensing and international usage rights are quoted separately.
The final figure depends on five things: the scope and the usage rights you need, the number of shoot days and locations, the crew size, the production elements such as talent, drone, set build or 3D animation, and the amount of post-production and the number of deliverables. A single-location shoot with a compact crew sits at the bottom of the range. A campaign film with several locations, cast, original music and pan-European usage sits well above it.
It also helps to put production in the context of the whole campaign. Production is typically 10 to 20 percent of a campaign budget, with media buying taking the rest. Since NCSolutions attributes roughly half of incremental sales to the creative itself, underspending on the idea to save 5 percent of the total budget is usually a false economy. We therefore quote a fixed price after the intake, so there are no surprises later.
How long does commercial production take?
Allow four to eight weeks for a live-action commercial and six to ten weeks for an animated one, from kick-off to delivery. Fast-track production in about two weeks is possible for urgent campaigns.
Most of the lead time sits before the camera rolls. Strategy, concept, script, casting and location scouting take more calendar time than the shoot day itself, and that is exactly as it should be, because a well-prepared shoot is the difference between an efficient day and an expensive one. Post-production then follows with edit, colour grade, sound design, subtitles and broadcast mastering.
For television there is one extra step to plan for. Airtime requests follow a monthly calendar and delivery runs through SpotDeli, where account approval takes a few working days. As a result we work backwards from your on-air date rather than forwards from the kick-off, and we build in a buffer for technical approval.
What is the difference between a commercial and a corporate video or brand film?
A commercial is paid advertising built for a media plan, usually 5 to 30 seconds, and optimised for reach and frequency. A corporate video presents your organisation as a whole and is used on owned channels. A brand film builds emotion and preference over a longer period.
The practical difference is the media plan. A commercial is bought and paid for as advertising, which means it has to work at speed, with limited attention, alongside other advertising, and often without sound. Everything about the edit follows from that constraint. A corporate video lives on your own website, in sales presentations and at trade events, so it can be longer and more explanatory.
In practice many organisations need both, and produce them together. The commercial does the media work; the corporate film or brand film carries the fuller story for people who are already interested. If a company film is what you are looking for, our Dutch page on corporate film production covers that service in detail.
How long should a commercial be?
The channel decides. Use 5 to 10 seconds for bumpers and high-frequency TV, 20 to 30 seconds for a standard television commercial, 15 to 30 seconds for social and online, and 60 seconds or more only for a brand film on owned channels.
Shorter is almost always better in paid media, because you buy attention by the second and viewers decide quickly whether to keep watching. Benchmarks from Vidyard consistently show steep drop-off in the first 30 seconds when a video does not immediately give the viewer a reason to stay. A tight 20-second spot that holds attention therefore beats a 60-second film that loses it halfway.
The more useful way to think about it is as a family of lengths. We build one idea, then cut it to 30, 20, 15, 10 and 6 seconds so it can carry both the launch burst and the frequency phase of your media plan. Moreover, that family costs far less to produce in one pass than as separate projects later.
How do I get my commercial on Dutch television?
Buy airtime from one of the three Dutch sales houses: Ster for the public NPO channels, Ad Alliance for the RTL and Talpa portfolio, or Talpa Network. Buying is GRP-based, requests follow a monthly calendar, and the finished spot is delivered through SpotDeli.
You buy a number of gross rating points against your target audience, where one GRP means reaching one percent of that audience once. The net price per GRP varies by sales house, by audience definition and by season, since market indices move the effective cost up or down across the year. Screenforce coordinates the market and publishes the request calendar, so campaign planning starts with those dates rather than with your preferred launch week.
Two practical notes. Minimum spot length is five seconds, which makes high-frequency bumper strategies viable. And addressable television now lets a national spot be overwritten regionally on connected set-top boxes, so television is no longer only for national advertisers. We can handle production and delivery, and we work alongside your media agency on the buying side.
What are the technical requirements for a Dutch TV commercial?
Dutch broadcast requires programme loudness of minus 23.0 LUFS within half a loudness unit, a maximum true peak of minus 1 dBTP and colour reference ITU-R BT.709, in line with EBU R128. Delivery to Ster, Ad Alliance and Talpa runs exclusively through SpotDeli.
These specifications come from Screenforce and apply to every commercial and billboard on Dutch television. A master that misses the loudness target can be rejected, and a rejected master means a lost slot, so we master to spec and verify the file before delivery rather than after.
It is worth knowing that online is different. Streaming platforms and social feeds use their own loudness normalisation, which means a broadcast master pushed straight to YouTube or Instagram will sound wrong. We therefore deliver separate mixes for broadcast and online as standard, along with the subtitle files each platform expects.
Do I need a music licence for my commercial?
Yes. Any music in a commercial requires a synchronisation licence. In the Netherlands, Buma/Stemra represents composers and publishers, while Sena represents performers and record labels. Library music, original composition and licensed tracks differ enormously in cost.
Production or library music is pre-cleared and the cheapest route, which makes it a sensible choice for short-run or tactical campaigns. Original composition costs more but gives you a distinctive sound you own outright, with no separate sync negotiation, which is why we recommend it for campaigns intended to run for years. Licensing a recognisable track is the most expensive option, and the fee depends on territory, -term and media.
The important part is timing. We budget and clear music at concept stage, because a licensing problem discovered after the edit is locked forces either an expensive negotiation or a re-edit. In short: decide the music strategy before you shoot, not after.
What advertising rules apply to commercials in the Netherlands?
Advertising must comply with the Nederlandse Reclame Code, administered by the Stichting Reclame Code. It must be recognisable as advertising, truthful and not misleading. Additional codes apply to alcohol, food, health, financial services and advertising aimed at children.
For most advertisers the general code is straightforward. The complications arise in regulated categories. Alcohol advertising follows the code supervised by STIVA, which restricts youth-oriented channels and platforms and sets requirements for age gating on social. Health and food claims must be substantiated, and financial products carry mandatory disclosures. Advertising directed at children has its own provisions.
We address this during concept development instead of treating it as a legal check at the end. That matters, because a compliance problem found in the storyboard costs an afternoon, while the same problem found in the final grade costs a re-shoot. For clients in regulated sectors we also document the substantiation behind each claim as part of the deliverables.
Should we cast actors or use our own employees?
For commercials, cast professional talent when the script requires performance, timing or emotional range. Use real employees when authenticity and recognisability carry the message, which is typically the case in recruitment, testimonial and culture-driven work.
A commercial is a performance under time pressure, and a 20-second spot leaves no room for a take that almost works. Professional talent delivers consistency, and casting gives you control over how your audience sees themselves reflected. On top of that, talent contracts define usage, territory and term, which is a budget factor you should decide before the shoot rather than after.
Real people, however, bring something casting cannot. Research such as the Edelman Trust Barometer consistently shows that younger audiences place more trust in brands that show genuine people. So for recruitment and culture work we usually film employees, and our director coaches them on the day so they feel comfortable on camera. In hybrid campaigns we combine both.
Can you produce an animated commercial instead of a live-action one?
Yes. Bigfish began as an animation studio in 2010 and produces 2D animation, 3D animation, motion graphics and mixed media in house. Animation is often the stronger choice for abstract propositions, technical products and processes that cannot be filmed.
Animation gives you complete control over what the viewer sees at the exact moment they hear a claim, which is invaluable when the subject is invisible: a network, a financial product, a chemical process, a product still in development. It also handles multilingual versioning easily, since there is no lip sync to match, and individual elements can be replaced later without reshooting anything.
A recurring animated character is worth mentioning separately. Because a mascot can be reused indefinitely across formats and years, it often produces a lower cost per campaign than filming a new concept each season. VacanceSelect is a good example: a 3D character carried television, radio and banner adaptations across two markets.
Do you work in English and produce for markets outside the Netherlands?
Yes. Our entire process runs in English when that suits you, from briefing and scripts to direction on set and delivery. We produce for Dutch, Belgian and German media and deliver multilingual versions from a single master.
International teams often work with a Dutch production partner for a specific reason: the country is compact, well connected, English-speaking and unusually efficient to shoot in. Our Amsterdam studio sits at Schiphol-Rijk, fifteen minutes from the airport, which makes a single-day review or shoot visit realistic. Our Knokke-Heist base covers Flanders and Eindhoven serves the German border region.
We also design the master for versioning from the start, so voice-over, typography, subtitles and end frames can be swapped per market without rebuilding the edit. As a result one production can serve several European campaigns, which is normally the largest saving available to an international advertiser.
Who owns the commercial and the footage after delivery?
You receive full usage rights to the delivered commercial for the agreed territory, media and term. Raw footage, project files, licensed music and talent contracts are governed separately, so we define all of this in the quotation before production starts.
The distinction matters more than it sounds. The finished commercial is yours to use as agreed. Music licences and talent buyouts, however, are bought for a specific territory and period, so extending a campaign into a new market or a second year can require a new licence rather than a new edit. We flag those dates in the delivery documentation so nothing expires unnoticed.
Raw footage and project files can be handed over on request, and we recommend it for animation, since it lets you update a commercial cheaply later. In short: tell us at intake how long and how widely you intend to use the work, and we will structure the rights and the budget around that instead of renegotiating afterwards.
Can you also handle distribution and media buying?
We deliver every format your media plan needs and take care of technical delivery to the Dutch sales houses through SpotDeli. For media buying itself we work alongside your media agency, or we advise on the plan when you do not have one.
Production and media are separate disciplines, and we are deliberately clear about where our value sits. We deliver the broadcast master, all cutdowns, aspect ratios, subtitle files and platform-specific exports, correctly mastered and correctly named, so nothing gets rejected on a technicality.
On the planning side we do advise, because the media plan shapes the production. Knowing which channels, lengths and formats you will actually buy changes what we shoot and how we edit it. So even when another agency does the buying, we ask to see the plan early. That single conversation usually improves both the work and the budget.
Ready to produce your next commercial?
Whether you need one television commercial, a set of social cutdowns or a full campaign across several European markets, you are in the right place. We combine strategy, creative and high-end production into commercials that actually do a job.
So whether you are looking for a commercial production company in Amsterdam, an agency for television advertising in the Netherlands, an animated commercial or a complete video campaign: we will take you from objective to on-air.
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Tell us what you want to achieve and we will translate it into a commercial that earns its place in your media plan. Get in touch for a free 20-minute intake.