Škoda’s Electric Ad Takes on the Doubters

Škoda have a proud advertising history of taking myths about their cars and confronting them head-on. In the 90s and 00s they turned a much-mocked brand into a reliable and well-loved family car option with a series of commercials that leaned into their reputation rather than trying to avoid it. It led to a rapid rise in market share and to one of the best ads of the 2000s – the iconic “Cake”.

In their new ad with Leo UK, Škoda are doing the same kind of thing. The public have long since been won over to the brand, so now it’s time to challenge stereotypes about electric cars and their drivers, in the “Electric, But Škoda” campaign.

The ad is a satire on neighbourhood gossip – the great British hobby of curtain-twitching and whispering over hedges. A new family are moving into a suburban road – and the rumour is they drive an electric car. What kind of metropolitan podcast-making kale-eating hipsters do that? As the entire street gathers suspiciously round, the family arrives in their Škoda – and they’re a completely normal, friendly bunch.

So as well as making fun of gossip, it’s making gentle fun of people who prejudge electric cars and assume they’re only for a very specific target market. No, Škoda is saying, electric vehicles are for everyone – in fact they’re the normal choice for a family car. If a brand as down-to-earth as Škoda is going electric, what’s stopping you?

This approach isn’t without risk – the ad plays with negative emotion, which can be hard for ads to resolve. But it’s doing something refreshingly different from most EV ads, which have emphasised the technology itself, or sometimes the sustainability credentials of the vehicles. Škoda is keeping its focus on the customer, letting us know this is an ordinary car for ordinary people. It’s making EVs feel normal, not exceptional.

The other reason the ad’s bold approach works is that car advertising is, sad to say, a dull category. Car ads are notorious for being full of visual cliches and familiar ideas, and even electric car ads have quickly settled into a rut. Škoda’s ad is surprising and funny, and aimed at avoiding the “Cost Of Dull” that’s an opportunity cost paid by uninteresting ads. Non-dull ads simply give more bang for your buck – they need less investment to achieve the same impact as dull ones.

Škoda’s 3.2-Star Rating is good for a car ad, which usually only average 2.5-Stars on the Test Your Ad platform. The ad also does very well on Brand Fluency – it’s a recognisably Škoda commercial. And the range of emotion it evokes means the ad avoids dullness in a flat category. Not for the first time, Škoda have taken a risk, confronted rather than avoided stereotypes, and created something effective.