Milton Keynes, 11 July 2025: Škoda UK has launched a new TV advert campaign, called ‘Electric, but Škoda’, a tongue in cheek take on outdated and misconceived stereotypes of electric car drivers.
Targeting drivers who remain on the fence about switching to electric, the campaign challenges common assumptions that EV drivers are all ‘tech bros’ or ‘hipster smoothie lovers.’ Instead, Škoda presents a dynamic EV range for the everyday driver.
At the centre of the campaign is a 60-second TV and cinema spot set in a familiar British cul-de-sac. As a family arrives in their new Škoda EV, their neighbours watch suspiciously, gossiping about who these new ‘eco warriors’ might be, exchanging rumours that they must be ‘part of a cult’, ‘tree huggers’ or have ‘paid for their car with crypto’ as they drive an electric car. Wild theories are proven hilariously wrong when the family turns out to be perfectly ordinary.
The campaign is supported by a suite of social-first films and animations designed to engage a broad online audience. Playful 45-second social-first films, on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok ask viewers to challenge the stereotypes of ‘hipster hummus-eating smoothie drinkers’ and ‘tech bros with Bluetooth bellybuttons’ and consider trying an EV for themselves. These are supplemented by cutdowns in 20- and 6-second formats, and animations that parody neighbourhood WhatsApp chats filled with electric car gossip.
To help answer real consumer questions, the campaign also sees the launch of ‘Ask Škoda’, a paid social series wherein neighbourhood characters ask questions about electric cars to educate audiences about Škoda’s electric vehicle range and electric cars in general.
‘Electric, but Škoda’ was developed in partnership with Leo Burnett UK, who brought the idea to life with a distinctive mix of British humour and social relevance. The campaign follows the agency’s previous award-winning work on ‘The Redditor Edit’ for Škoda, which won two gold Lions and a silver Lion at Cannes.
Kirsten Stagg, Head of Marketing, Škoda UK, said: “There’s a tendency in the auto industry to treat electric cars as a completely separate category, which can reinforce a sense of ‘otherness’. That’s one of the factors holding some drivers back from making the switch from petrol and diesel. With this campaign, we wanted to show that Škoda simply makes great cars, some of which just happen to be electric. And we wanted to do it in a bold, creative, and hopefully clever way that makes people smile.”