A little bit of social shame housed in perfectly poised humour. Leo UK and Škoda UK briung outdated and misconceived stereotypes of electric car drivers out from the shadows of gossip in their new campaign Electric, but Škoda.
The campaign is aimed at drivers who are undecided about switching to an electric vehicle, challenging common stereotypes of electric car drivers as ‘tech bros’ and ‘hipsters’ with a sense of fun.
The 60-second hero commercial is supported by 45-second social-first films, running across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, that take a playful approach as the neighbourhood characters encourage viewers to skip their stereotyped views of electric cars as ‘hipstery hummus-eating smoothie drinkers’ and ‘tech bros with Bluetooth bellybuttons’ and try an electric vehicle for themselves. Shorter 20-second and 6-second cutdowns are repurposed for social.
Animations of the neighbourhood’s WhatsApp conversations follow the gossip across social channels, engaging Škoda’s online audience by calling out some of the strange stereotypes the nation has about electric cars and their drivers. In a paid social series, Ask Škoda, the neighbourhood characters ask questions about electric cars to educate audiences about Škoda’s electric vehicle range and electric cars in general.
Collaborations with a diverse range of social media influencers, including gardening and upcycling experts, will illustrate to Škoda’s online audience how electric vehicles help them to get their tasks done with ease.
The full campaign covers TV, cinema, social and digital, and follows Leo Burnett’s 2024 innovative social-first campaign for Škoda, The Redditor Edit, that won two gold Lions and a silver Lion at Cannes.
Mark Elwood, chief creative officer, Leo UK, stated, “Tapping into the everyday conversations of the nation is what we do best. Quintessentially British, we can all recognise certain elements of the characters in our campaign, they live next door or just down the street. This campaign celebrates the quirks that can only be found in British communities – though this comes with an important message, we hope helps everyone see that the switch to electric isn’t that scary after all.”
Kirsten Stagg, marketing director, Škoda UK, added, “There is a trend in the auto industry to treat electric cars like a totally new category, reinforcing this sense of ‘otherness’, which is keeping many people from trading in their petrol and diesel cars. With this campaign, we wanted to give drivers the sense that Škoda makes great cars and some of them just happen to be electric. It positions us as the approachable yet desirable entry point to EVs and continues our strategy of using bold creative to grab attention.”
Credits:
Client: Škoda UK
Marketing Director: Kirsten Stagg
Brand & Performance Marketing Manager: Peter Mcleod
Brand Marketing Manager: Rhidian Taylor
Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett
CCO: Mark Elwood
Executive Creative Directors: James Millers & Andrew Long
Creative Director: Graham Lakeland
Social Creative Director: Beth Manning
Senior Creatives: Chaz Mathers & Lucy Jones
Design Directors: Paul Reddington
Project Director: Fahed Eichikhe
Project Manager: Michael Serrao
Planning Partner: Henry Gray
Managing Partner: Liam Hopkins
Account Directors: Rachel Jeffery & Tobias Dahlhaus
Account Executive: Charley Fryers
Agency Producers: Georgina Pearson
Production Assistant: Sara Gill
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Damien Shatford
Producer: Tom Birmingham
Production Manager: Davina Abrahams
Production Assistant: Dalia Saeed
Executive Producer: Katie Keith
Head of Production: Emily Atterton
Founding Partner: Shawn Lacy
Managing Director: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
DoP: Franz Lustig
Editing Company: Stitch Editors
Editor: Pete Scibberas
Editor Executive Producer: Maggie Mcdermott
Assistant Editor: Laura Zvaríková
Post-Production Company: Black Kite
Post Production Executive Producer: Hazel Gibson
Colourist: Rich Fearon
VFX Supervisor: Guillaume Weiss
VFX Lead: Jonathan Box
Audio Post-Production Company: Factory Studios
Sound Engineer: Jon Clarke
Audio Producer: Becs Boswell
Music Supervision: Wake The Town
Music Supervisor: Ronnie Olubayo
Social & Still Content
Agency Producers: Amber Fahrner
Stills Producer: Sara Gill
Photographer: Scott Cross
Production Company: Prodigious
Director: Yiani Andrikidas
Editor: Yiani Andrikidas
DoP: Chaimaa Ormazabal
Off Site Producer: Emily Slupecka
Post-Production Company: Prodigious
Colour: Harbour
Audio Post-Production Company: Factory Studios & Prodigious
Sound Engineer: Jon Clarke @ Factory Studios
Audio Producer: Becs Boswell
Designer: Khalil Dase
