Fallon has unveiled the next phase of its Skoda campaign following
on from its "It's a Skoda. Honest" work.
The national TV ads focus on the idea of actually owning a Skoda in
order to confront people's continued discomfort with the brand. It is
part of a continued integrated marketing strategy designed to transform
the brand's image in the UK from an underdog to a desired marque.
Introducing a new strapline, "It's a Skoda. Which, for some, is still a
problem", the campaign plays on the fact that despite acknowledging that
Skoda makes good cars, some consumers still remain uncomfortable at the
idea of actually owning one.
The campaign continues to use irreverence and humour to combat prejudice
in a bid to establish the Skoda brand among its rivals.
The TV spots, "coffee" for the Fabia and "layby" for the Octavia,
feature potential customers talking favourably about the cars to Skoda
dealers.
But instead of completing the sale, the customers bottle out at the last
minute and run away as fast as they can.
The print ads follow the same strategy. One features a night image of an
Octavia lit up in the window of a dealership, with copy reading: "Does
the thought of buying a Skoda make you rush out and buy something not as
good?"
Chris Hawken, Skoda UK's head of marketing, said: "2001 has been Skoda's
best ever year with 35,000 sales, and our integrated marketing approach
has been incredibly successful. But we also know that some prejudice
remains.
Not everyone is yet comfortable with the thought of actually owning a
Skoda. The new ads, together with our direct mail and PR campaigns, have
been designed to help us in this area."
The campaign was written and art directed by Richard Flintham and Andy
McLeod. It was directed by Rocky Morton through Partizan. Media planning
and buying is through MediaCom.
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