The innovative use of media in this idea is the core of the campaign – transforming Skoda's competition into their own media space. All thanks to a unique way of using very small, but traditional looking, billboards to get our message inside people's cars.

As the electric car market keeps on growing, so does the competition. The big players in the automotive industry often dominate the outdoor advertising landscape, leaving smaller car brands struggling to catch the spotlight.

Škoda faced this challenge when they introduced their latest electric car, the ENYAQ iD.4. They needed an attention-grabbing idea that would set them apart from the traditional car advertisements that saturate the market.

The big objective was to make Škoda become a more competitive player in the automotive market in Sweden. Even though they can't compete with the competitor's marketing budgets.

The media insight of the idea was that almost every car have a screen now a days, but no brand has yet used this space in marketing purpose.

Big car brands dominate big outdoor media, but Škoda in Sweden has a smaller budget compared to its larger competitors. This has been the hard reality for Škoda many years, and when they researched media buy for the launch of their latest electric car, the ENYAQ iD.4, they wanted an alternative way to get attention.



So we turned Škoda's competitors’ dashboards into a new form of media space.
We created billboards designed to be seen through cars’ reverse cameras and placed them in Sweden’s largest parking lots. As a result, Škoda's outdoor ads turned into inside car ads that appeared on the dashboards of our competitors.

Our entire strategy revolved around working within the constraints of Skoda's budget. Faced with the inability to secure the same big and expensive media space as our competitors, we decided to turn the tables – we transformed the competition into our own media space. It was a classic underdog approach infused with a clever hijacking element.

The media planning also had to be innovative since we had to reach out to the owners of the parking lots to get permission to put up our billboards during the campaign period.

The billboards were produced with reverse cameras as a constant point of reference. From the height of the billboard to the design of the ad had to adapt to the fact that the signs would be seen on a digital screen. A display that also does not usually have the purpose of displaying advertising. For example, the ads were mirrored to be right-facing when seen on the screen inside the car.

By placing the billboards in parking lots for two weeks, the cars' reversing camera picked them up and we had a whole new media channel showcasing Skoda's new ENYAQ iD.4. The ads had different messages that would make people consider buying Skoda, while sitting in a Volvo. Or BMW, Ford, Audi, Tesla, or a Mercedes for that matter. Basically any car with a reversing camera.

Even though the ads where small, the scale of the impact was big.

- + 5 900 000 impressions

- + 100 000 monthly visitors to the website

- + 45% increase in customizing a Škoda on the website

- + 300% ROI in media value

And most importantly, Dashboard Billboard invented a new format. A new, highly contextualized way for a car brand to reach out to potential customers while in their car. Utilizing Škoda's underdog position in Sweden, the idea turned a small budget into a cost-effective campaign and created an impact by thinking smart rather than big. And in the end led more people to try customizing their own car on Škoda's website. And even another car brand, Volkswagen, recognized the idea with two simple words "Touché Škoda". Dashboard Billboard could be adapted as an advertising medium around the world – turning outdoor ads into inside car advertising.

Skoda couldn't afford the biggest billboards in town. But by making billboards custom-made for rearview cameras, we utilized a screen that every driver looks at, but no one advertises in - the dashboard. It's a space no car brand had ventured into before, and we found a way to get our ads right there, where they can make a rememberable impact.

Overall, the idea represents a strong example of innovative take on outdoor advertising that reach new customers in a highly relevant context, and while doing so breaking the norm of how to market a car. And that's how we got Skoda's newest car on maximum display - by using our competitors' cars as a vehicle for our message.