The shift to electric cars has begun and the competition is tough. With this idea, we challenge Skoda's big-budget competitors by using a different approach by not relying on big traditional marketing channels.

Dashboard Billboard is a new and innovative way to reach people directly in their cars, by literally using our competitors' rare-view cameras and car displays. Creating a progressive ad format that challenges the way car brands usually advertise.

In Sweden, Škoda does not have as big a marketing budget as many of its larger competitors. While car brands such as BMW and Volvo can often be seen in large advertising spaces with their car models, Škoda has to find other ways to be seen.

And three years after launching their first fully electric car, Škoda once again faced the challenge of effectively showcasing the new Enyaq Coupé iV to a new target group.

The overall objective was to reach people who don't drive Škoda today. So to deliver our message directly to competitor's customers it was key to reach the audience in a highly targeted and relevant way.

Media insight: by recognizing that most modern cars come equipped with a rear-view camera, we were able to leveraged this technology to create a new type of media space, and an ad experience that is both surprising and memorable.

We identified parking lots with over 3 million monthly visitors and utilized a widely-used technology in modern cars to create a new and innovative media space. By using cars' reverse cameras, we got Škoda's fully electric Enyaq Coupé iV into the cabin of our competitors' cars. The ads were placed in several parking lots around Sweden and appeared on the dashboard screen inside cars while they parked.

With fun messages we made people consider a Škoda car, while sitting in a Volvo, BMW, Ford, Audi, Tesla, or a Mercedes for that matter. Basically any car with a rare-view camera. That’s how Škoda's competitors became Škoda's media space.

The campaign is more than non-traditional outdoor ads that got into competitors' cars – it's a new advertising format. Dashboard Billboards is in talks with JCDecaux to become an official advertising medium in Sweden.

The target audience was Swedish drivers of all major car brands, but especially those of competitor brands like Volvo, BMW, Ford, Audi, and Tesla. So how can we get infront(behind) of car owners of these brands?

We did it by letting the reverse cameras in competitor cars deliver our ads. It was important for us to use light and fun copy to make drivers consider a Škoda as a viable option for their next car purchase.

The media planning for Dashboard Billboard had to be done in new way, since the idea itself is kind of a new medium itself. So to collaborate with JCDecaux was crucial. It helped us to get the rights to place the billboards at popular locations.

This strategic approach allowed Škoda to reach a large number of people in a very efficient and precise manner while leveraging a previously untapped and innovative advertising method.

The idea creates a new kind of media space, and was implemented in Sweden's most busy parking lots, so everything from placement to design had to be reimagined in comparison to a traditional OOH campaign. The billboards were executed to make sure that they appeared correctly on the display of different car models and brands. For example, the ads were mirrored to be right-facing when seen on the Dashboard display.

The timeline was strategically planned to coincide with the launch of the new Enyaq Coupé iV, during Christmas shopping, ensuring maximum exposure and relevance in our messaging.

As the execution needed a high degree of customization, a crucial part was to make the idea in collaboration with JCDecaux. It helped us to get the rights to place the billboards at popular locations, and scale the idea by being able to produce as many outdoor ads as possible.

- + 1 700 000 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.

Our approach is different from other car brands that rely heavily on traditional marketing channels such as large advertising spaces. We challenged the competitors by finding a new and innovative way to reach people directly in their cars, by actually using our competitors' car displays and turned them into our media space.