‘Welcome to Omnia, Meetings and Symposia. Omni-ja-ja.’ This parody on Europapa by Chris van Kreij had the intranet exploding last Thursday. By Tuesday morning, the clip has well over twelve thousand views on YouTube.
How did you come up with this idea?
‘I frequently watch the Children’s News with my kids. Joost Klein (representing the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest of 2024 in Malmö, red.) is quite popular among this demographic and appears in their broadcasts regularly. When I heard his song Europapa for the umpteenth time, it occurred to me that “Europa” and Omia have the same number of syllables. In my mind, it became Omnia-ja-ja.’
‘I went on to brainstorm on the lyrics and asked my neighbour, who is a musician and makes commercials, for help. I could have dabbled at it myself, but Joost Klein’s video is rather complex, with images that follow the beat of the music. Moreover, there were different vocal tracks to record to stay as true to the original as possible. Although it sprung from a joke, I didn’t want it to look too amateurish.’
Were colleagues happy to play a role in the video?
‘Some were so enthusiastic they gave up their day off to come to the campus to help with the recording. Others preferred a less visible role. The disco footage at the end of the clip, were shot during Sander Kersten’s farewell party a week and a half ago. I know him well, so I was comfortable asking him whether I could use five minutes of his party for this idea.’
Have you received many reactions?
‘On Thursday morning, I checked how the post had been received and immediately saw that people were laughing a lot. On Friday, the intranet editors emailed me that the post had shattered all previous records.’
If you had asked me beforehand how many people I expected to watch the clip, I would have estimated some 500. We have had almost thirteen thousand views on YouTube. I have seen only one negative reaction on YouTube, with someone posting, ‘Is this what our tuition fees are spent on? Slay!’
Will Omnia screen the song contest?
‘Sadly, no. The semi-finals with Joost Klein are on 9 May, which is also Ascension Day, and we are closed. The finals are on a Saturday when we are also closed. We may still come up with something we can do leading up to the contest. A reel of highlights, perhaps.’
A Joost Klein tribute in the Summervibes festival on 20 June?
He laughs: ‘I am quite involved in the Summervibes. We had a meeting yesterday, and this parody was discussed, but the subject was soon abandoned. We will discuss the main act soon, and I promise the party crowd will have fun with or without this parody! Besides, the Eurovision Song Contest is on 9 and 11 May, and Summervibes is on 20 June. By that time, the fad will likely be over.’
‘No, it’s just a joke. And teambuilding for all who work in Omnia. Although I hope this visibility positively impacts our marketing and communications campaigns.’
