We had to root the approach in genuine attributes of the car. This couldn’t just be about association, it had to be clear to our audience that SKODA and the Superb were worthy of reappraisal. Therefore our idea was built on the car’s two main USPs: the introduction of a whole new cutting-edge design approach on the outside, and best-in-class spaciousness & practicality on the inside. This combination is exactly what the buyers want: enough space for the family, but enough style to keep up appearances in the company car park. SKODA in Poland is known for excellent practicality, so we could concentrate our efforts on working with style leaders to convince our target audience – and influential journalists – that the Superb really did deliver both sides of this equation. A content partnership approach was especially vital as our audience actively avoided advertising, purchasing ad-free content, using ad blockers.

Because authenticity of association was everything, the campaign was built on owned & earned first. We made video content that was distributed across both our ambassador’s and SKODA’s social channels. This was then amplified with paid support in the channels where views were being delivered including viral seeding, YouTube & Facebook. The best performing content was ‘promoted’ to nationwide TV spots.

The fashion show premiere in particular generated huge buzz in Poland – it not being the sort of thing SKODA “should” be doing. Running these two partnerships simultaneously meant we were able to leverage this peak in attention (over 1.5m PLN in PR value) by directly connecting it to the longer, deeper content created with Mr Vintage showcasing stylish Polish designers all over the country.

The huge PR value listed above was particularly impactful because so much of it was delivered in lifestyle and fashion environments, not an area SKODA usually achieves much coverage. On top of this the campaign delivered more than 6.5m views in total, of which 2.73m were delivered through Facebook and YouTube films alone. SKODA’s and influencers’ owned sites and channels (Skodovy.pl, Superbatelier.pl, Mrvintage.pl) generated another quarter of million of contacts. And the figures are still growing, even after the campaign, as the content is still online.

Most importantly, the campaign contributed to a considerable growth in Superb sales – by 16% YoY for the September (from which we count campaign’s impact) to December 2015 period and even 31% compared to the January-August 2015 average.

SKODA are already planning the next phases of both co-operations, so successfully did this strategy deliver against planned KPIs.