Skoda’s Elroq takes cues from nature’s cleverest critters

Skoda is backing the launch of its first electric compact SUV with a TV spot in which a chipmunk, a pair of racoons, a hummingbird and a cloud star as sources of inspiration for pioneering car design.

Created by FCB London, the campaign shows how the world, in particular some of the creatures that inhabit it, can help shape ideas. 

The centrepiece is a 45-second ad that opens with a chipmunk surrounded by nuts. “Did you know, a chipmunk can fit up to 12 nuts in their mouth?” the voiceover says.

Then two racoons appear in place of the chipmunk. “And that a racoon can see in the dark, without blinding other racoons?” the narrator adds.

Other critters make appearances, including a hummingbird that “can drink a flower’s nectar quicker than I can read this sentence”.

The voiceover continues: “Let them inspire you. Be more hummingbird." The words are accompanied on-screen by an image of an Elroq plugged into an EV charging point, drawing a parallel between the hummingbird's speedy drinking and the Elroq's quick battery recharge. Further comparisons include “be more chipmunk", mirroring the car's surprising storage capacity, and “be more racoon", an inspiration for the car's LED matrix headlights that don’t blind other road users.

“Be more anything you like,” the narrator says, as the classical strings crescendo and the camera swoops across the contours of the car on the road, ending with the words: “Be more Elroq.”

There are also five 20-second films, each sharing five facts, including that clouds can travel hundreds of miles without getting tired (analogous to the experience of Elroq drivers). The campaign will run across TV, print, digital, social and out-of-home.

The ad was directed by Dom and Nic via Outsider and the creatives were Gio Greco and Jack Walker. Media was planned and bought by PHD.

Meredith Kelly, head of global marketing at Skoda, said: “We’re proud to launch our first electric compact SUV with creative that celebrates the Elroq’s high specifications, smooth movements and technical prowess. As well as highlighting the features of the car, FCB London has captured the innovation and curiosity at the heart of the Skoda brand, which enables us to enjoy the world around us all the more.” 
  
Owen Lee, chief creative officer at FCB London, added: “With the Elroq launch for Skoda, we wanted to crack open the category and do something genuinely fresh. That's where these curious metaphors come in. They're not just showing you what the Elroq can do, but what Skoda is – a brand with a bold, joyful spirit.”