Using rhyming radio ads and a puppet intended to represent Brexit, the Netherlands launched a media blitz Monday to warn firms about the impact of Britain's departure from the EU.
"Make sure Brexit doesn't get in your way," says the payoff to the radio commercial broadcast by the Dutch government at the start of a huge government information campaign.
In Dutch, the word "Brexit" rhymes with the last two words of the jingle, giving it a sing-song feel along the lines of "Don't let Brexit block the exit".
Businesses will need to be creative in the face of Brexit, say the radio ads -- as the prospect of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal on March 29 grows by the day.
"It's possible that products will be held up for longer at customs, that British certificates and licences will no longer be valid, and that data transfers will be hit by a new digital frontier," it adds.
"Don't let yourself be taken by surprise," the ad warns, providing a website --
www.brexitloket.nl -- where firms can check for the potential impact on their business.
The first radio ads ran on Monday and an online campaign will follow from Friday.
It will feature a "character that literally shows how Brexit gets in the way of business", a Dutch government statement said. It will be a "muppet"-style creature that blocks trucks and conveyor belts to show the impact of Brexit.
Newspaper ads will launch in mid-February, but the government will only run television commercials if there is a no-deal Brexit, a foreign ministry spokesman said.
The campaign "reiterates what the government has been telling companies for months now" about being prepared. "It makes sense to stress such a message more and more as Brexit is approaching," the spokesman told AFP.
Britain is one of the Netherlands' biggest trading partners in the EU, and Dutch officials say a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the two closely linked economies.
The government last week started negotiating with MPs for emergency powers in the event of a no-deal scenario actually happening.
Hospitals have warned there could be shortages of medicines, medical supplies and equipment.
On the other hand, the Dutch have already seen some benefits, having persuaded Japanese electronics giants Sony and Panasonic to move their European HQs from Britain to the Netherlands.
The EU's medicines agency has also quit London for the Netherlands, transferring to offices in Amsterdam.
And Dutch officials say another 250 companies are in contact with the government about a possible post-Brexit move to the Netherlands.
Using rhyming radio ads and a puppet intended to represent Brexit, the Netherlands launched a media blitz Monday to warn firms about the impact of Britain’s departure from the EU.
“Make sure Brexit doesn’t get in your way,” says the payoff to the radio commercial broadcast by the Dutch government at the start of a huge government information campaign.
In Dutch, the word “Brexit” rhymes with the last two words of the jingle, giving it a sing-song feel along the lines of “Don’t let Brexit block the exit”.
Businesses will need to be creative in the face of Brexit, say the radio ads — as the prospect of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal on March 29 grows by the day.
“It’s possible that products will be held up for longer at customs, that British certificates and licences will no longer be valid, and that data transfers will be hit by a new digital frontier,” it adds.
“Don’t let yourself be taken by surprise,” the ad warns, providing a website —
www.brexitloket.nl — where firms can check for the potential impact on their business.
The first radio ads ran on Monday and an online campaign will follow from Friday.
It will feature a “character that literally shows how Brexit gets in the way of business”, a Dutch government statement said. It will be a “muppet”-style creature that blocks trucks and conveyor belts to show the impact of Brexit.
Newspaper ads will launch in mid-February, but the government will only run television commercials if there is a no-deal Brexit, a foreign ministry spokesman said.
The campaign “reiterates what the government has been telling companies for months now” about being prepared. “It makes sense to stress such a message more and more as Brexit is approaching,” the spokesman told AFP.
Britain is one of the Netherlands’ biggest trading partners in the EU, and Dutch officials say a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the two closely linked economies.
The government last week started negotiating with MPs for emergency powers in the event of a no-deal scenario actually happening.
Hospitals have warned there could be shortages of medicines, medical supplies and equipment.
On the other hand, the Dutch have already seen some benefits, having persuaded Japanese electronics giants Sony and Panasonic to move their European HQs from Britain to the Netherlands.
The EU’s medicines agency has also quit London for the Netherlands, transferring to offices in Amsterdam.
And Dutch officials say another 250 companies are in contact with the government about a possible post-Brexit move to the Netherlands.
