Presentation Background

A Benelux Market Reboot for 𝕏

Socialdatabase's proposal to rebuild trust and drive Benelux ad revenue on X.

Benelux Digital Ad Spend
Digital Ad Spend
NL
€4.5B
NL
Benelux
€6.5B
Benelux
Social Ad Spend
Top Advertisers
Unilever
ING
KPN
Albert Heijn
VodafoneZiggo
Odido

Top 100 Benelux Advertisers should drive €10M in Ad revenue

€10MAnnual Revenue Potential
Year 1 Target:€1M
Q4 25: 200K, Q1 26: 100K, Q2 26: 300K, Q3 26: 400K
Year 2 Target:€3M
Q4 26: 800K, Q1 27: 500K, Q2 27: 800K, Q3 27: 900K
Year 3 Target:€10M

What social ad spend based on DAU 'should' look like

Using daily active users as the sole proxy for share, X's addressable annual ad revenue in the Dutch market is ~€54M.

Platform
DAU (millions)
Share by DAU
Implied Spend (€M)
Facebook
7.0
€268M
Instagram
5.9
€226M
YouTube
4.7
€180M
TikTok
3.2
€123M
Snapchat
3.0
€115M
LinkedIn
1.7
€65M
X (Twitter)
1.4
€54M
Pinterest
1.2
€46M
Reddit
0.6
€22M

Why isn't X capturing its fair share of Benelux ad spend?

Brand-safety sentiment
High profile controversies keep risk averse Benelux advertisers on the sidelines.
Agency dynamics
Conservative, holding company planning defaults to Meta/YouTube/TikTok.
Product & proof gaps
Limited local proof and outdated views of "Twitter" performance hinder adoption
Elon Musk / X public sentiment
Polarized opinions erode brand confidence and discourage advertisers.
Lack of hard performance facts
Many teams are uninformed about the true opportunity of X Ads.
Misconceptions about X
Acitivity is down, reach is limited, CPMs are high, Audience quality is weak, Targeting is basic.

A Dutch Led, Data Verified Turnaround for X in the Benelux

Local trust, global credibility
Amsterdam based Dutch team with deep agency/brand relationships, backed by a proven global data partnership with X and Reddit. Over 10 years of building expertise and driving growth on X.
Independent proof via Enterprise API
We fact check X performance ourselves (brand safety, reach, lift, attention), publish transparent benchmarks, and replace hearsay with hard data.
Change the story in Dutch
Dutch language PR to correct misconceptions and show real outcomes to the market. Launch a live X NL Fact Board.
Agency roadshow, Dutch playbooks
Benelux specific compliance/brand safety packs, vertical blueprints, and myth busting decks, delivered in-person to holding companies.
Create wins to unlock follow on spend
We land the first flagship Benelux advertisers through our network, and use it to bring the next advertisers.
Cross platform credibility
We're already trusted by Reddit, bringing governance and buyer confidence that transfers to X.

Team

Jair Klaver
Lead Client Partner

Jair Klaver

Dutch Market Lead

Native Dutch client partner with extensive experience working with X and major agencies. Successfully managed multi-million dollar portfolios for X targeting products, bringing deep market knowledge and proven results to Benelux expansion.

Executive Team

The executive team will be engaged across Benelux, with primary responsibility for the Dutch market assigned to Duco Janssen, who will drive initiatives and join key meetings.

Thomas Slabbers
Thomas
CEO
Duco
Duco
COO
Joran
Joran
CTO

X Data & Campaign Performance Team

Provide audience insights, benchmarks, campaign optimizations, and sales enablement tools and data.

Thomas
Thomas
Henry
Henry
Ioana
Ioana
Claire
Claire
Jamie
Jamie

Team Scaling

An additional FTE is added at 750K, 1.5M, 2,5M, 3,5M and 5M annual ad spend.

Team Compensation

60% base / 40% variable paid quarterly, with variable tied to (a) retention and (b) growth; payouts are on collected billings.

Current results as a global partner of X

2024

$82 million
X Ad dollars spent on our audiences

Key Metrics

  • 1,683 audiences delivered to X teams
  • 1,029 unique advertisers served
  • 326 unique X CPs and CAMs served

Regional Distribution

USA
51%
EMEA
16%
APAC
11%
GCN
10%
Japan
7%
Other
5%

2025

$120 million
Projected X Ad dollars spent on our audiences

Top Advertisers

YouTubeDellU-NEXTCrypto.comComcastGoogleNetflixAmazonLVMHAmericas NavySportsbeteToroYahooBinanceZoomCoralHPFigmaThe Sole SupplierWarner Bros

Agencies

WPPOmnicomPublicisIPGDentsuHavas

Resellers

AlephJumpcrewTeleperformanceAd dynamoConnect AdsHttpoolMedia donutsIMS
Focus on 2 Platforms Globally

With Enterprise API Access, we've restructured and enriched X data into what we call the Knowledge Graph. This foundation gives us a deeper understanding of users and communities, enabling us to build innovative products on top of it, from unprecedented targeting tools for advertisers like Amazon, Google, and Netflix, to custom solutions like YouTube's NFL Game Recommender.

For Reddit, we developed a Subreddit Intelligence Platform that maps audience interests and demographics across any subreddit. This allows us to go beyond surface level targeting and identify the most accurate, complete set of subreddits and keywords for advertisers. By matching campaigns with the right communities, we help brands improve ad relevance, maximize engagement, and significantly boost ROI on Reddit Ads.

Top Industries & Companies
to Focus On

Tech

10%
PhilipsBitvavoRemote

Telcom

35%
Vodafone ZiggoKPNOdido

Finance

20%
AegonINGRandstadBunqRobecoABN AMROFinst

Energy / Sustainability

10%
EssentAkzonobelVattenfallEneco

Retail & FMCG

25%
JumboHemaAHAldiLidlBol.comCoolblueMediamarktPerfetti van MelleJust EatRituals
Top Agencies to Focus On
Wavemaker NL
Mindshare NL
Dept
OMD NL
Essencemediacom NL
Havas
Monks
Dentsu Benelux
Value adds:
Match spend with media credits and testing budgets.
Predictable outcomes:
Detailed campaign planning and competitor analysis (forecasts, pacing, reach/frequency).
Proof & transparency:
Vertical playbooks, local benchmarks, and Dutch case studies.
Frictionless operations:
Always avaialble, prompt responses, and easy billing and workflows.
People & enablement:
Education, campaign set up best practices, audience/data insights, custom dashboards, access to beta products, plus ready to use pitch decks and case studies.
Top X Products to Focus On
Video Ads
Engaging video content is growing immensely and drive strong reach and brand awareness. (Vertical full screen available soon)
Timeline Takeover
Premium placement at the top of user timelines for maximum visibility
Amplify pre-roll
Video ads that play before premium content partnerships
Collection ads
Showcase multiple products in a single, interactive ad format and leverage the new product catalogue.

Products in high demand & missing on X:

Native Lead generation
Easier comparative tools (for performance)
Proper retargeting integration
Plan for the next 6 to 12 months
Activate and spotlight the NL core team as the trusted local face for agencies and brands.
Re-engage book of business: target past advertisers as potential early adopters, guide their reactivation, and uncover pain points if not ready.
Land a first win via our network, and use it to bring the next advertisers.
Secure data from X (NL DAUs, convos by vertical, benchmarks) to arm the narrative.
Publish "X NL Fact Board" + press note: "X's footprint in NL is bigger than you think."
Run PR + spokes tour (NL media/LinkedIn/X threads) to reset sentiment and spark interest.
Launch agency roadshow (GroupM, OMD, EssenceMediacom, Dept, Havas, Monks, Wavemaker, Greenhouse).
Offer agency incentives (starter credits, live dashboards, SDB/X insights, beta access, training).
Develop vertical specific pitch decks and deliverables (one-pagers, decks, case templates, frequent webinars).
Activate at least 3 early-adopter pilots using Timeline Takeover, Amplify, and DPA.
Brand safety setup: (exclusion audiences, adjacency controls, ready-to-use block lists, SDB custom timelines)
Convert pilots to wins and publish NL case studies (both brand and performance) with quotable stats.

Proposal

Performance-Based Commission Structure
Retained Business:20%
Commission on spend up to last year's baseline
Growth Business:30%
Commission on incremental spend above baseline
Example (YoY, same period)
Baseline (last year): €1.0M
Actual (this year, collected): €1.5M
Rev share: 20% of €1.0M (€200k) + 30% of €500k (€150k)
Total payout:
€350k
Summary

Challenges

Brand trust and perceived risk concerns.
Sentiment toward Elon Musk discourage advertisers.
Misconceptions on reach and targeting capabilities.
Agency defaults to Meta, YouTube, or TikTok.
Lack of localized case studies and performance proof.

Solutions

Brand safety controls: exclusion audiences, block lists, adjacency controls
Independent proof via Enterprise API and Dutch media relations
Highly targetable, cost-effective audience with proven performance data
Counter outdated narratives with fact board, benchmarks and case studies
Dutch-led team with local market expertise and credibility

Support Needed from X

Daily active stats for NL and conversation volumes by vertical
Tools for competitor analyses and market benchmarks
Ready-made sales materials for agencies and clients
Access to ad account insights (ad spy) on historic activity
Local case studies and brand safety demonstrations
Background

Socialdatabase is ready to expand X across the Benelux.