Skoda:
The Alternative
Rich List
Skoda has come a long way since its Communist-era image of terrible cars that always break down. Today its cars are more reliable and more refined than ever. But it was in danger of becoming ‘just another VW’. It had to differentiate itself against its more premium stablemates – that’s where we came in.
“What do you call a Skoda at the top of a hill? A miracle.”
Insight
Compared to most other car brands, Skoda already had a secret weapon we could deploy: personality. Skoda’s mission statement says: “to provide modern accessible mobility solutions with everything you need and surprises you love.”
In other words, a Skoda is for the kind of person who doesn’t take themselves seriously – who is driven to build a life full of enjoyment and happiness.
Skoda’s doesn’t make aspirational cars in the classic sense – no open top roadster or V12 supercar – so it needs to appeal to people who judge success by the life they lead, not the riches or promotions they get.
People, in short, who are driven by more than money.
So we conducted a hostile takeover of The Sunday Times Rich List – a long-running magazine that promotes envy and greed. In the middle of all that ugly wealth, we celebrated inspirational people who live fulfilling lives that are enriched by more than mere money.
The work
We placed our Alternative Rich List in the centre of The Sunday Times’ Official Rich List for maximum exposure.The issue is the jewel in The Sunday Times crown, attracting over 3 million readers in print each year.
The campaign was a huge success two years in a row, with Guardian Editor Katharine Viner tweeting (with more than a little bit of snark):
’At last, a Sunday Times Rich List that’s actually worth reading.’
The campaign itself generated huge amounts of PR in TV (BBC, GMB, C4) Radio (BBC, Smooth, Magic), digital (Guardian, Speakers Corner, Canary, Creativepool) and more..
Most importantly, post-campaign research showed that the campaign did the trick for Skoda. Positive perceptions of the brand increased by an astonishing 187%. Over twothirds of readers said they see Skoda as a brand with ‘independent spirit’ – an uplift of 49% – while almost half said that Skoda is an inspirational brand.
Scott Webb, partnerships business director for PHD said: “A fantastic, seamlessly integrated cross-platform solution, first class campaign management, and great results for the Skoda brand.”
Like our inspirational people, the campaign proved to be worth more than just money.
“Brilliant idea, flawlessly executed. You really understand our business.
There. Doesn’t that feel better?
