2011 Bronze Best use of new technology

Client Å KODA UK

What is wonderful about this work? We had to launch a serious hot hatch to an audience who saw the Skoda brand as fuddy-duddy at best. Over 8,000 people played our Facebook competition and a bidding war erupted to get last-minute votes. Over 12,000 brochures were downloaded and over 100 test-drives requested.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? It was never an easy sell. A brand that our target audience think is the preserve of middleaged, middle-class, middle-of-the-road men. And a model with the performance more associated with a Porsche than a cuddly old Skoda. But we pulled it off, using a technological and DM first to talk to our audience on their level, in their language and on their terms. We knew that lovers of genuine innovation and original ideas needed a digital wow to create the response and increased awareness we were looking for. We also knew that they were always on the look-out for new online communities. So we encouraged players to invite their friends to rate them to give them a chance of becoming the 'loveliest' or 'meanest' person in the UK (and winning a Fabia hatch or vRS respectively).

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? We had to engage and entertain a doubting target audience, in their language and with wit and humour. And, we believed, it had to be technological first. The 'mean and lovely' test engaged our audience on Facebook. The app allowed them to find out, through their Facebook activity, just how lovely or mean they were. The viral element then came into play with their friends being asked to rate them to boost their score. A microsite perfectly brought to life the 'mean' and 'lovely' sides of this new Fabia, using interactive 3D modelling, supported by banner ads and a YouTube channel. The result put this new model firmly on the radar for this new audience.

Results The results we achieved would have been outstanding for a traditional Skoda model. But they were achieved with a car that completely broke the mould for Skoda, with a target audience who would normally be considered to be violently opposed to the brand. Over 8,000 people competed and, as the closing date drew closer, a 'bidding war' erupted as those at the top end of each scale fought desperately to get as many last-minute votes as possible. And they didn't just visit to play the game: over 12,000 brochures were downloaded (over 130 brochures per day) and over 100 test-drives requested.

Team Mark Urey, Kylie Lewis, Brochan Watts, Jon Biggs, Anthony Nicols, Emma Huismans, Geoff Gower, Mark Hanson.