Amsterdam, December 16th, 2019

Based near the beautiful canals of Amsterdam, 180 Kingsday is an award-wining creative agency that sees the world not as it is but as it could be.

To make that happen, the agency sets out to make brands more famous, more human and a more seamless part of people’s lives.

The agency is proud for being truly multinational, with 26 nationalities in its building speaking up to 19 languages. Everybody believes in the power of 180 thinking, never afraid to get around a table and ask the difficult question, dig a little deeper or turn the situation around.

Sander Volten started with three partners their own agency Kingsday in 2011. After a considerable growth, they merged six years later with 180 Amsterdam and created 180 Kingsday, with him becoming a CEO.

In an interview with TIA, Volten gives us an inside look at the agency, while reflecting on the past, the future and the advantages of working in Amsterdam.

Tell us about your personal journey. How did you find yourself leading 180 Kingsday?

Like many of us, I stumbled into advertising, almost by accident. In the late ’90s, I joined a digital start-up who had just been acquired by Havas. Then in July 2011, I started Kingsday with my three partners. Six years later, we merged with 180 Amsterdam and I became CEO.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your role?

That it’s only fun and games! It’s fun, for sure, but not always in the way people expect.

Please share what was the process of founding your own agency Kingsday like

When we started Kingsday, we all felt that founding your own agency was the greatest expression of our entrepreneurial spirit. It really allows you to build something from the ground up and for us, that meant realising a vision that we had for the future of the industry.

During our first week as Kingsday, we sent out one email about the new agency to ten clients. Three clients responded and one is with us till this day. For the rest, it’s all about hard work, passion and persistence.

How do you consider 180 Kingsday stands out from such a crowded sector?

We pride ourselves on being a true multi-national agency (there are 26 nationalities in our building), bringing together a range of different perspectives to the table.

The other thing we hear a lot is that the way we organize ourselves and work directly and intensely with our clients is quite different. We invest a lot in training our staff and really make sure that we organise around a client brief to deliver work that really matters.

180 Kingsday claims to “see the world not as it is, but as it could be”. Could you explain shortly what this means?

Sitting in our main conference room is quote from Director, Francis Ford Coppola. It’s taken from an interview he did during the filming of Apocalypse Now. He said, “Whenever you get into trouble, keep going. Do a 180-degree turn. Turn the situation halfway round. Don’t look for the secure solution. Don’t pull back from the passion. Turn it on full force.”

That quote became the foundations on which this agency was built and that’s why we see the world not as it is, but as it could be – we turn problems on their heads and look at them through a different lens.

What do you envisage for the future of 180 Kingsday?

2020, will see the launch of a couple of new initiatives. The first will be around consultancy and the second social content. We’ve seen that they require their own focus and our client’s interest in these has grown massively over the past couple of years. We’re very excited about what the new year will bring.

Where do you see the future of collaborations like SIRE’s and VEA?

They’re both quite different organisations. The VEA board was interesting as you are working alongside your peers to try and solve common difficulties across the industry – establishing best practices for training, procurement, and ultimately creating a knowledge hub. The biggest challenge for VEA will be how to integrate with the other associations and build a (more) united front. I know they are taking the first steps in this direction.

For SIRE, we typically address issues that are not yet being given a spotlight, but concern us and especially a wide group of people in the Netherlands. It’s a board with advertisers, journalists, media-owners, and agencies, so a much more varied board. It’s an important institution that has brought much good to the Dutch society over the past 50 years.

Amsterdam is such a top city for tourists to visit. What makes it an attractive place to do business?

Amsterdam is essentially a small town, with a very cosmopolitan mindset. It’s a highly educated city, easy to communicate in English (and Dutch), incredibly international, open-minded and at the heart of Europe, so easy to connect to the rest of the world.

Can you share a fun fact that not many people know about you?

I used to play (guitar, piano) and sing in a rock band in the nineties.

Which experience has shaped your personal life?

On several occasions over the years, I lived in the US. Immersing yourself in another culture really helps you to be truly open and empathetic to other viewpoints.

When talking of mentors, who comes to your mind?

In my time at Havas, I learned a lot working with Kate Robertson, the CEO of the UK, and from my former boss, Christian de la Villehuchet (CEO Europe). Having worked with my Kingsday partners for almost 20 years, I am also proud to say we are still as honest and transparent with each other as ever and that keeps you humble (and on your toes)!

Thanks Sander!

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