.nl in the spotlight: deposterscouts.nl

How did you come up with the idea for deposterscouts.nl?

"I've been involved with the cultural industry for several years, trading online with toffey.nl. We're based in Tilburg and one of the main things we normally do is organise publicity campaigns for cultural events and attractions. However, that's virtually dried up this year, due to the lockdown. So we started looking for new activities we could develop. For our campaigns, we produce a lot of posters for events and exhibitions. So we came up with the idea of The Poster Scouts: if people can't go out, why not bring art into their living rooms?"

Can you sum up the basic concept?

"Yes. The concept has been developed for artists and art-lovers. You take out a subscription via our website. For that, you get an A2-format poster once every two months. The posters are all by different artists, and they're yours to keep. The artists in question are well-known and we give their names on the site, but we keep the details of the prints themselves secret. The concept works well on two levels. It gives artists exposure at a time when the normal channels are severely restricted. And for art-lovers it's a substitute for visiting exhibitions, museums and events, while that's not possible."

Photo De Poster Scouts - Maaike Canne

How have you been publicising the service?

"We aren't aiming for a big audience; we want to create a slight sense of exclusivity. We've got something over a hundred subscribers ahead of the dispatch of our first poster on 1 December. It's a work by Groningen-based artist Douwe Dijkstra. Five other illustrators from various parts of the country are going to be providing art in the coming year. We've been promoting the initiative through our own network and by getting material out to the media, and the plan is to do more promotion once the operation is up and running. The recruitment of artists went better than we expected. The contributors include people we already had ties with, people we approached, and artists who reached out to us."

And what sort of response have you had from art-lovers?

"The initial response has been very positive. Now we're waiting with bated breath to see how the first posters are received. We didn't want to make too many compromises and deliberately selected edgy designers. We're not interested in playing safe; our target audience is people with an adventurous mindset. But we've kept the price low, at €25 per poster, with a low participation threshold."

Photo De Poster Scouts - Iris van den Akker

How did you come up with your domain name?

"We're used to developing concepts and looking for matching domain names on sidn.nl. That's what we did with The Poster Scouts. We wanted a really distinctive name that hadn't already been used elsewhere. We came up with the name, found that both deposterscouts.nl and the .com equivalent were still available, and registered them."

What about building and hosting your website?

"It's a bespoke design, but realised using WordPress so that it's easy to maintain. We use the Mollie.com payment platform. Being a creative agency, we can do most creative things ourselves. Our own graphic designer did the design, our website engineer handled the technical realisation and our copywriter produced all the text. The domain name and the website are hosted by Mijndomein, mainly because their service is very straightforward, with a clear user interface."

Finally, any advice for fellow start-ups?

"This year is all about getting through. Longer term, I don't see us ever going totally online. So, stick close to what you know, but be open to the new opportunities that exist online. In the present climate, an online concept like deposterscouts.nl can capture people's attention. It's important not to let opportunities like that pass you by."