How Bolletje Turned a Traditional Cookie Into the Netherlands' Smallest Burger

For more than 150 years, Bolletje has been baking Kruidnoten, one of the Netherlands’ most beloved seasonal treats. Deeply woven into Dutch culture and synonymous with the Sinterklaas Season, the small, spiced cookies have long been a festive staple. But in an increasingly crowded category, heritage alone was no longer enough to guarantee relevance.

As new brands, unexpected flavours, and seasonal launches appeared earlier each year, consumer attention became harder to capture. The challenge was especially acute among younger audiences, whose choices are increasingly shaped by social culture, creators, and online trends rather than tradition itself. Bolletje needed a way to make a centuries-old product feel culturally relevant again.

The challenge wasn’t simply to advertise a heritage product. It was to transform a beloved Dutch tradition into a participatory cultural moment, proving that when brands earn a place in culture, they create value far beyond the media moment.

Rather than launching another flavour innovation, Havas Play Netherlands and Havas Lemz set out to reinvent how people perceived the original Kruidnoot.The breakthrough came from a simple observation: Kruidnoten look remarkably like miniature burger buns.

That insight created an opportunity to move the conversation beyond the festive season. Burgers are endlessly customizable, highly social, and naturally shareable. What if the Kruidnoot could become the same?

The answer was the Kruidnootburger.

Two classic Bolletje Kruidnoten became the bun, with consumers free to add whatever filling they wanted in between. Sweet or savoury, simple or extravagant, homemade or chef-created, the format was designed to be instantly recognisable and endlessly adaptable.

More importantly, it transformed the Kruidnoot from a seasonal snack into a cultural canvas. Instead of simply consuming the product, people were invited to become active participants in the idea. Every Kruidnootburger creation became an expression of fandom, turning consumers from audiences into creators and helping the brand build deeper cultural relevance through participation.

Recognising that modern fandom is fuelled by creators and communities, Havas Play partnered with leading Dutch food and lifestyle creators, giving them the freedom to reinterpret the idea in their own way and inspire audiences to do the same.

The concept quickly generated a wave of remixes across social platforms as consumers created and shared their own versions.

The campaign then moved from screens into the real world with the launch of the Bolletje Kruidnootburger Bar in Amsterdam, created in partnership with Cosmopolitan. Visitors could build their own Kruidnootburgers and sample creations developed by influencers, extending engagement beyond digital channels.

Additional momentum came through collaborations with media partners including Cosmopolitan and LINDA., while popular Dutch podcast Geuze & Gorgels helped bring the idea to audiences in an entirely different format.

The Kruidnootburger reflected a broader shift in consumer behaviour. Today’s audiences don’t just consume content; they remix it, personalise it and share it with their communities. By turning a product into an open platform for creativity, Bolletje embraced a new model of brand participation that sits at the heart of the future of play.

The Kruidnootburger quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The campaign reached 82% of Dutch adults aged 20-45 and generated more than 9.4 million social views. At the same time, ad awareness increased by 27%, while brand preference rose from 35% to 41%.

The impact extended beyond communications metrics. Bolletje achieved a 3.9% increase in sales and 3.2% market share growth in a highly competitive category. The idea gained so much traction that even brands and retailers joined the conversation organically, with the Kruidnootburger appearing in Albert Heijn’s festive special edition.

What insight inspired the campaign?
Younger audiences are increasingly influenced by trends, creators, and social culture rather than tradition alone.

What was the core idea?
Transform the classic Kruidnoot into the world’s smallest burger and invite people to create and share their own versions.

How was the campaign activated?
Through creator partnerships, social content, a pop-up Kruidnootburger Bar in Amsterdam, podcast integration, and earned media partnerships.

What channels were used?
Social media, creator content, experiential, podcast, online editorial and retail activation, supported by Bolletje’s owned channels.

What made the approach innovative?
It transformed a heritage product into a modern food trend people wanted to create, share and talk about.

The Kruidnootburger demonstrates that cultural relevance doesn’t always require a new product. By reframing a familiar tradition through a participatory idea, Bolletje turned a seasonal favourite into a cultural phenomenon, showing how heritage brands can engage new audiences and build relevance long before the key selling season begins.