Dutch creative team Bas van de Poel and Daan van Dam set up five separate Twitter accounts and started following various Dutch Creative Directors on Twitter. Their message was simple: HIRE US.
Even though the idea is very similar to the Jeep Twitter Puzzle campaign, the execution is different and innovative. It gets them noticed and finally a job with Boondoggle in Amsterdam.
Why five accounts is the point, not the gimmick
The mechanism is engineered repetition. One account can be ignored. Five accounts create a pattern. When multiple new followers arrive with the same blunt message, it triggers curiosity and a small sense of social pressure. Someone is doing something intentional, and it is hard not to look.
It is also highly targeted. They do not broadcast “hire us” into the void. They place it directly in the attention stream of the people who can change their outcome.
In attention-scarce professional markets, the fastest way to get noticed is to use a platform’s native behaviors to deliver a message that is instantly legible.
Why it lands: interruption plus clarity
This works because it is instantly legible. No clever puzzle to decode. No long portfolio pitch. The call to action is the entire creative idea. That clarity is what makes it feel confident.
And because it happens inside Twitter’s native behaviours. following, notifications, profile clicks. it does not require extra friction. The recipient can react in seconds.
The intent: turn hiring into a creative brief
The business intent is obvious. get hired. But the deeper intent is to reframe the hiring process. Instead of asking for a meeting, they create a live demonstration of how they think. targeted, lightweight, and culturally fluent in the medium.
What to steal if you are marketing yourself
- Be specific about who you want. Target decision-makers, not “everyone”.
- Design an interruption that fits the platform. Use native behaviours, not extra hoops.
- Make the message instantly legible. One idea. one line. no explanation required.
- Turn the ask into proof. Show your creativity in the method, not in a PDF pitch.
- Keep it respectful and reversible. Clever is good. spammy is not.
A few fast answers before you act
What did Bas van de Poel and Daan van Dam actually do?
They created five Twitter accounts and followed Dutch Creative Directors with a single message: “HIRE US”.
Why did using multiple accounts matter?
It created a noticeable pattern and a stronger interruption than a single follow, prompting curiosity and profile clicks.
How is this different from the Jeep Twitter Puzzle?
It is similar in spirit, but the execution is simpler and more direct. a single clear call to action rather than a puzzle mechanic.
What made it effective as self-promotion?
High targeting, low friction, and a message that communicates confidence in one second.
What is the main takeaway for personal branding?
If you want attention from decision-makers, design a small, platform-native experience that demonstrates how you think and makes the next step easy.
