Cannes Lions

Conquering the Unconquerable

PHD INDIA, Mumbai / SKODA / 2023

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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Background

In November 2021, ŠKODA completed 20 years in India.

To celebrate this massive milestone, heading into 2022, it launched a new, highly anticipated model in the Indian market; the first car made entirely in India, the ŠKODA KUSHAQ.

Led by the tagline ‘Choose What Really Matters’, the KUSHAQ is a powerful SUV that can tackle any terrain.

However, success was not guaranteed. Still comparatively new compared to rivals Hyundai and Kia, ŠKODA was only the twelfth best-selling manufacturer in-market and wasn’t top of people’s consideration list.

To make the ŠKODA KUSHAQ a success, we needed to draw attention to the car in an eye-catching way.

Strategy

We spent hours scouting various mountains for our outdoor projection, before settling on the majestic Rohtang Pass, an ancient trade route known for being incredibly dangerous because of unpredictable snowstorms and blizzards.

To make the biggest impression possible, we would create a unique film celebrating 20 years of ŠKODA – shot and projected in 3D.

The film would begin with a light show before revealing the KUSHAQ in all its glory… seemingly ‘conquering the unconquerable’ by driving across the mountain pass.

We would film our project from every angle, creating a second, unique piece of content, ready to share on social media and drive organic conversation among Indian auto consumers.

To build buzz for the reveal, we partnered with 300+ influencers to tease what was going to happen.

Execution

We created a 3D film in studios, and after three months of planning, projected it on a large mountain peak of the Rohtang pass – a staggering 10,942 feet above sea level.

This grand feat was achieved with the help of 156 crew members who put in 54,000 man-hours to achieve the goal.

The crew used 12 projectors to create the 3D projection on a rock face at the Rohtang pass.

Opening with a spectacular light show, the 3D film depicted ŠKODA Auto India’s 20th anniversary, before introducing the KUSHAQ… as it drove effortlessly – impossibly – across the mountains!

The video was promoted on YouTube targeting the in-market audience and went viral amongst ŠKODA enthusiasts.

The social media was buzzing with likes, shares, and comments.

Outcome

By ‘Conquering the unconquerable’, we made Skoda an Indian legend.

The video of the event reached 16M people, generating 8.6M views – more than four times higher than Skoda India’s regular video content (2M views average).

30% of people watched the whole film – beating the benchmark of 20%.

The event was covered in magazines and newspapers across the country – with PR coverage worth INR 3M – very high for the market.

As a result of this massive PR coverage, Indian drivers rushed to buy a KUSHAQ.

We sold an unprecedented 12,000 cars within six months – Skoda’s best-ever sales figures in India.

As a result of these sales figures, SKODA’s market share has now increased from 12th to 9th.

Unconquerable, conquered.

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