Skoda UK has launched a new TV advert campaign, called ‘Electric, but Škoda’, as a “tongue in cheek” take on outdated and misconceived stereotypes of electric car drivers.
The campaign is targeting drivers who remain on the fence about switching to electric, and aims to “challenge common assumptions that EV drivers are all ‘tech bros’ or ‘hipster smoothie lovers'”, it said.
Instead, Škoda is presenting a dynamic EV range for the everyday driver with a campaign focusing on the traditional British cul-de-sac.
It features a family arriving in its new Škoda EV with suspicious neighbours gossiping about who the ‘eco warriors’ might be, exchanging rumours that they must be ‘part of a cult’, ‘tree huggers’ or have ‘paid for their car with crypto’ as they drive an electric car. These “wild theories are proven hilariously wrong when the family turns out to be perfectly ordinary”.
The campaign is supported by a suite of social-first films and animations designed to engage a broad online audience. 45-second social-first films, on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok ask viewers to challenge the stereotypes of EV drivers.
The campaign also sees the launch of ‘Ask Škoda’, a paid social series wherein neighbourhood characters ask questions about electric cars to educate audiences about Škoda’s electric vehicle range and electric cars in general.
It was developed in partnership with agency Leo Burnett UK, and follows the agency’s previous work on ‘The Redditor Edit’ for Škoda.
Kirsten Stagg, Head of Marketing, Škoda UK, said:
“There’s a tendency in the auto industry to treat electric cars as a completely separate category, which can reinforce a sense of ‘otherness’.
“That’s one of the factors holding some drivers back from making the switch from petrol and diesel. With this campaign, we wanted to show that Škoda simply makes great cars, some of which just happen to be electric. And we wanted to do it in a bold, creative, and hopefully clever way that makes people smile.”
Image courtesy of Škoda
