Skoda revs up ad blitz for Octavia

By Shamni Pande, Media Asia, 16 July 2004, 08:14AM

Skoda Auto India, a Volkswagen group company, has launched an aggressive print and television commercial for its fast-selling Octavia.

"We used everyday images that show relationships where the son asks the father to go faster, mother and daughter stretch out in the boot, kids with balloons to show safety and the 'premium' feel of the car as other vehicles move around. The voiceover is there just for the tagline: 'Obsessed with quality since 1895', which highlights the pedigree and heritage of the brand," said IB&W managing director Mukesh Gupta. The auto major has segmented its communication; the Octavia ads plug features, the general Skoda ads talk of environmental issues and safety, while its recently-launched Skoda Superb ads address the need of Indian consumers to know the "distinct feature advantage they would have over another car", said Gupta. "We realised this not just from our experience during research, but also with how consumers reacted to other brands. For instance, Ford Mondeo was priced at around US$39,258, but consumers tended to compare it with Honda Accord, which was available for a little less, or felt that they could give a little more and upgrade to a Mercedes Benz." This insight has been woven into Superb's print campaign; the vehicle is priced at around $52,000 (the price of Mercedes C-Class), but seeks to pitch itself against the Mercedes E-Class. The copy highlights the letter 'E' and details the feature-rich product. The company has sold more than 13,000 cars in the last two years and, encouraged by its success in a short span since its launch, it is slowly loosening its conservative approach to communication. "Internal policy bars (Skoda) from drawing on the equity of the Volkswagen brand/company, which is better known here. We had to build trust with Indians. Skoda is an unknown brand to them," said Gupta. IB&W (which has no international affiliations) has been working with the brand since its launch in 2001, but lost the account for eight months to Orchard (Leo Burnett's second agency), then won it back again in March this year.

This article was first published on Media Asia