Background:

In recent years, the Russian car market has shown negative sales dynamics (-2.2% YOY as of May 2019, AEB). The SUV category and competitors clutter are increasing in terms of investment in media support, boosting tactical campaigns (+33% of media spending, 2018 vs. 2017, MediaScope). Being a sponsor for decades, ŠKODA historically commands the territory of hockey, and successfully builds its positioning on the Family brand.

Brief:

Transform the image territory of hockey into a lead-generating one.

Objectives:

• Achieve test drive requests with conversion at the level of Paid search (0,5%).

• Drive the cost of lead lower than the average annual value in Digital – traditional media channel for lead generation (3,964 rubles).

Target Audience:

Active people aged 20 to 50 with middle and high incomes. They are open to new emotions and experiences, interested in innovations. For them, the family comes first. The car they are looking for must suit the wishes of all its occupants. The journey to purchase a car for them is difficult and long, taking an average of 2.8 months (Gearshift, IPSOS + Google, Russia, H1 2019).

Media Planning and Approach:

TV is a traditional instrument of "mass defeat", and has always been a channel for building knowledge, and has never been utilised as a conversion tool. ŠKODA was the first of the car brands to use the new HBB TV technology to make TV a conversion channel.

ŠKODA integrated HBB TV technology into broadcasting World Cup matches with the Russian national team on Match TV channel.

Convinced the Russian national team would win, we wanted to use the emotional rise of the audience as an additional incentive to apply for a test drive during May 2019 (from 12th till 18th).

• The technology allowed the brand to offer the audience the chance to apply for a test drive instantly by filling in a short field with a phone number without interrupting the broadcast or changing the device.

• In order not to distract fans from important game moments, the time of banner-informer appearance on the screen was chosen manually by the operator.

Conversion in test-drive requests exceeded twelve times the planned KPI based on the brand’s benchmark average (6% vs. 0,5%).

• Number of verified test-drive requests was three times higher than we expected (663 vs 215 monthly average on website).

• CPL of the placement was six times lower (6,8EURO (631.6 RUB) vs.42,75 EURO (3,964 RUB) average annual ?PL in Digital).

• 11% of users confirmed test drive request after leaving the request form (71 units).

• 38% converted into a visit to the test drive (27 pcs).

• 7% conversion in car purchases after test drive (2 purchases).

And the consumer's journey to purchase has been reduced from 3 months to 3 weeks!