
Little Bit of the Tour
Škoda
Issue 44 | September 2017
Agency
Fallon London
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Nick Bell
Production Team
Planning Director Henry Kozak Digital Account Director Jon Sloneem
Date
2016-17
Background
Škoda had been long-time global sponsors of the Tour de France. In the UK, the challenge was how to make more out of this and create a meaningful relationship between British cycling enthusiasts and the Škoda brand.
Idea
Simply, the idea was to give British cyclists a taste of what it feels like to ride in the Tour de France, without leaving the country.
Using Google Maps API, Earth API and Directions API, the topographical ride data from every stage of the Tour was taken and then mapped onto over one million roads in the UK.
Desktop and mobile platforms were created on which cyclists could search for rides anywhere in Britain which matched perfectly sections of the Tour.
It was a world's-first platform that allowed cyclists to find and ride their very own little bits of the most famous race in the world.
They could filter their rides, making their choices based on distance, difficulty and location.
The rides could be downloaded as a file, as written instructions or as an on-screen map.
Riders could also share their rides and experiences with others on the platform.
Results
33,000 cyclists tried riding "little bits" of the Tour.
They cycled a smidgin under 170,000 miles.
There was a 256% increase in the number of visitors to the Škoda cycling hub with an average of 2 mins 28 seconds spent on the site.
Awareness of Škoda's involvement in cycling rose by 46% and in tracking studies, "I like Škoda" saw a 40% hike.
Our Thoughts
Usually this is one of those last-minute briefs when a brand manager suddenly thinks, "Oh my goodness, we need an advert to let everyone know we're sponsoring this event." And so what happens is an expensive full-page in the papers on the day of the match/contest/ occasion saying "Bloggo is proud to support..."
But, fanfare of trumpets, here we have a brand manager realising that there was an opportunity to influence the likeability of the brand, an agency planner who saw it as an opportunity for Škoda to share its values with a like-minded segment of their overall target audience, and a creative director who didn't give the job to the placement team in the corner.
After three or four years of being a blancmange brand, Škoda in the UK is beginning to reassert its personality.