One region, at least five language versions
Netherlands Dutch and Belgian Dutch share a standard but differ in vocabulary, idiom and rhythm, and Flemish audiences notice copy written for the Netherlands at once. Belgian French has its own markers, such as septante and nonante for seventy and ninety, and 'GSM' for a mobile phone in both of Belgium's main languages. The German-speaking Community in the east is small but addressed in German. Luxembourg uses Luxembourgish, French and German side by side, with English common at work and a large share of residents and commuters from abroad. A national Belgian campaign therefore needs Dutch and French at the very least, with identical claims in both, and Brussels usually carries both languages on the same piece.
Subtitles in the north, dubbing in the south
The Netherlands and Flanders subtitle foreign film and television for adults, while Wallonia follows France and dubs. Children's content is dubbed everywhere. One video master can therefore need a subtitled Dutch cut and a dubbed or voiced French cut, and those are different edits, not a language switch. Voices matter more than the script suggests: Dutch and Flemish accents are distinct, and a voice from Holland in a Flemish ad reads as foreign. Generated scenes need local detail as well. Dutch number plates are yellow and Belgian ones white with red characters, streets have cycle lanes, and a generic 'European city' built by a model tends to look like nowhere in particular.
The Dutch Advertising Code, the JEP and the regulators
In the Netherlands, the Dutch Advertising Code is administered by the Stichting Reclame Code, and complaints go to its Advertising Code Committee. Special codes sit alongside it, including rules for social media and influencer marketing, sustainability claims and alcohol. The Authority for Consumers and Markets enforces consumer law and has published guidance on sustainability claims, and the Dutch data protection authority also coordinates oversight of algorithms and AI. In Belgium, the Jury for Ethical Practices in Advertising, known as the JEP, handles complaints under the ICC Code and national codes, while the FPS Economy enforces consumer law. Luxembourg's self-regulator is the Commission luxembourgeoise pour l'éthique en publicité. All three countries apply the EU's AI Act, GDPR and consumer rules.
Keeping every version saying the same thing
The risk in a multilingual market is drift. A claim approved in Dutch acquires a stronger adjective in French, a legal line is shortened in German to fit the frame, and the Flemish cut uses last season's price. Packaging sold across Belgium usually carries both Dutch and French, so generated pack shots must show the real bilingual label rather than an invented one. Synthetic White localises copy into 30 languages with terminology and approved claims enforced, and product-lock keeps real labels pixel-accurate, so the versions differ in language and idiom but not in what they promise. Approvals then run on the whole set together, which suits a region where legal teams usually read in two languages.
Updated 25 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current text with your legal team before relying on it.