Remember the days when driving a Škoda was the height of embarrasment and likely to spark a mass piss-take? Then you must be older that you look; Škoda has been moving in much higher circles ever since the company was bought by VW in the early 1990s.
In the UK, the long-gone-but-never-forgotten agency Archibald Ingall Stretton played a major role in this change of perceptions, as did Fallon, while being in the same fold as Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati and VW also helped, naturally.
In fact, Fallon still runs its UK advertising account, while parent Leo Burnett, which was hired last year to handle the car marque’s social media business, has released its first work this week, promoting the updated range of SUVs.
“Made for Familying” follows a woman driving the all-new Škoda Kodiaq Plug-in Hybrid, as she experiences lots of different “familying” moments, from spilling ice cream on the seats to getting “snack-taxed” on a long drive.
She playfully describes each new scenario in a lyrical, rhyming style, from “out for an adventure with an early start, at least one of you is dressed for the part” as it focuses on a young girl in a pirate outfit with wings, to “flight to Spain on a stupid-o-clock plane” as the family sets off for the airport.
Made for Familying is part of an integrated campaign which will run throughout the summer, spanning influencer content, PR, paid social, digital, TV and cinema as well as partnerships with ITV, Global Radio and CarFest.
Supporting content brings out different family members’ perspectives on Škoda cars and deep-dives into some of the key features in Škoda’s new SUVs.
Škoda UK head of marketing Kirsten Stagg said: “Family cars can be messy, fun, full of spills, tears, laughter, and desperate attempts to keep young children entertained. It’s about a shared experience and connecting with others – your partner, friends, kids, and even your dog.
“The car is an essential part of family life. Our ‘Familying’ campaign highlights the reality of driving a family and showing what our cars are actually used for day-to-day.”
Leo Burnett UK creative director Graham Lakeland added: “So many of us spend our weekends Familying, it’s unbelievable that a word didn’t exist to describe it, until now, and there’s no better brand than Škoda to bring it to the nation.
“‘Familying’ allows us to talk about our cars, but more than that, it allows us to talk to the people who drive them, connecting with them and what’s important to them. Populist creativity in action.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, first up, “Familying” – sadly, it isn’t a word and never will be so don’t bother trying to get it into the Oxford English Dictionary.
However, other than that minor point, how refreshing to see a car ad that actually shows something other than annoying Millennials zipping around a non-descript city or through the countryside, which has been made to suit every market with just a few tweaks to the voiceover. Many of them are even right-hand drive.
This ad actually shows the reality of British family life, highlighting the highs and lows, and the twists and turns that occur when families are on the road – and they’re from up North, too.
Decision Marketing Adometer: A ‘famalam-a-ding-dong’ 9 out of 10
