Kicking things off: Co-op’s new brand platform, titled “Owned by You. Right by You,” asks: If you invented a business today, how would it work? The ad, by VCCP, artfully answers the question by providing a dreamy stream of decisions you’d perhaps imagine were logical when businesses are “publicly owned” (except they’re not). In doing so, it basically distinguishes what makes a co-op different from a normal business.

“In the Food for Love” conveys its whole vibe in the title, but we still weren’t prepared for it. Created by Rosa Paris for U.K. grocery chain Grand Frais, it makes strategic use of classic pop music to convey the deep sense of relationship shoppers feel … not to each other, but to the supermarket. Inexplicably, the work makes us miss Grey Poupon.

“Before taking the road, one must learn to share it.” Try telling that to anybody who drives in a city! Škoda and DDB Paris are trying to solve a problem: Since Covid, when the Mayor of Paris installed a whiplash-inducing number of bike lanes, the road’s become unlivable as tensions between cyclists and cars rise. Both think they own the road. Both are jerks in their own special way.

Škoda is a major Tour de France partner, so it’s got both these warring tribes in its DNA. The agency and brand worked with the French Cycling Federation to do a simple thing that may be ingenious, but we won’t know for another 10 years: To train future owners of the road, they created the first-ever children’s playmat that includes bike lanes. The mat comes in a game box that includes a toy car, a toy bike (with a cyclist, natch) and a booklet you can read to your child, who of course will not listen.

The program accounts for weather, travel time, personal interests, family size and other factors.

So, what’s the “mystery” aspect? Destinations remain hidden until arrival. Or, you can ask the AI to reveal the location at any point during the trip. Machines never lie!

“As the service is web-based, ‘Mystery Trips’ can integrate with the infotainment system in most car models,” say Hallvard Vaaland and Mathias Sandvik, the creatives behind the concept. “This opens up new opportunities to engage with and experience the Škoda brand.”

The work offers a slick fusion of tech and human aspiration. It casts AI as an expert co-pilot, helping users find routes to relaxation or adventure.

“We hope this service will enable new discoveries,” says Škoda Norway director Martine Behrens. “Whether it’s a lookout point you didn’t know about, an art exhibition or a completely different restaurant than the one you would have otherwise chosen.”

CREDITS

Agency: TRY Advertising
Account Manager: Arne Eggen
Project Manager: Trine Olsen
Creatives: Mathias Sandvik, Hallvard Vaaland
Digital Agency: TRY DIG
Production Company: TRY Film
Client: Škoda Norway

Join us on May 24 in NYC @ State of Play: 2023 Clio Sports Marketing Summit for a closer look at top creative ideas. You’ll hear from agencies, teams and advertisers, including Michelob Ultra and Frito-Lay, about how they’re using innovation, advocacy and engagement to build brand affinity with sports fans. Register Now.

Every once in a while, you encounter some social propaganda from the past that flummoxes you—not because people fell for it, but because it was tried. Who had the gall?

In 2023, Škoda in Spain served as the official sponsor for La Vuelta Femenina, an historic women’s cycling race. This marked the first time the event, part of the UCI Women’s World Tour, was held under a new name, with increased visibility designed to put it on par with Spanish men’s competitions.

To promote Škoda’s sponsorship, and its commitment to women’s cycling, Proximity Barcelona unearthed a weird old myth: “Bicycle Face.”

This is “a horrifying story about a fake illness that was invented in the 19th century to scare women and stop them from cycling—’bicycle face,'” Proximity Barcelona creative director Anna Soler tells Muse, “another failed attempt to stop women from being more independent and free. We turned the campaign into a celebration of the failure of all these men trying to stop women on two wheels in the most surreal ways by redefining, in a positive way, the meaning of Bicycle Face during the first la Vuelta Femenina cycling competition.”

In the 19th century, cycling gave women a wider range of freedom. It was literally revolutionary—they could ride far from their own neighborhoods, without permission, or accompanied by someone to ensure their safety. Suffragettes embraced bicycles as a symbol of their movement.

Ultimately, however, doctors invented Bicycle Face, a “disease” where bike-riding women supposedly got dark shadows under their eyes and formed masculine facial traits. Soon, women’s cycling was linked to depression, difficulty breastfeeding and miscarriages—basically, badmotherism.

Proximity turned such tripe on it head, remaking the sexist trope to empower women and epitomize equality.

First, let’s consider the broader cultural context. The 2023 La Vuelta Femenina is historic for a couple of reasons. It completed a years-long attempt to create a full women’s Tour of Spain. It also took place a year after the return of the Women’s Tour de France.

The latter also has a fraught, gendered history. In the 120 years that the Tour de France has existed, the women’s competition only ran from 1984-89 before shutting down for lack of financial interest. In 2015, Spain launched the La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta (an early, less intensive iteration of La Vuelta Feminina). And last year, purportedly boosted by renewed interest in women’s cycling in Spain, the Women’s Tour de France finally returned.

With La Vuelta following just a year later, we’re seeing a reinforcement of women’s cycling’s legitimacy. The sport now has three major tours, in Italy, France and Spain, just as men’s cycling does.

Notably, La Vuelta Femenina’s past iterations were held concurrently with the men’s Vuelta—making its popularity an uphill climb. This year, it took place in spring instead, giving it a fixed place in the competitive calendar that doesn’t promote a popularity contest with the men’s event.

The combination of post-Covid bicycle revival, plus La Vuelta Femenina, provided galvanizing moment for women’s cycling in Spain. La Vuelta Femenina kicked off on May 1, in Torrevieja, and ended on May 7, with an ascent to the Covadonga Lakes.

At the heart of Škoda’s campaign is the work of two sports photographers, Naike Ereñozaga and Laura Ortiz de Zárate, who shot the cyclists as they raced.

“For us, ‘Bicycle Face’ in 2023 means something very different: The face of concentration before starting the first time trial stage, the overexertion during the ascent to the Covadonga Lakes, the pain after a fall,” Soler says. “We needed to look for photographers that had all the knowledge to turn all these faces into portraits during the competition. [Ereñozaga and Ortiz de Zárate are] two Spanish women specialized in cycling and sports photography, and are an exception in a field with much more male presence.”

The “Bicycle Face” portraits were shared on Škoda’s social media, as well as on the social media of the photographers. The full project is visible at BicycleFace.es.

Lastly, if you’re wondering what relationship Škoda—known to us as a car brand—has to cycling, Soler explains that, too. “The brand started by manufacturing bicycles, so its relationship to cycling is in its DNA,” she says. “Skoda has actively supported women in sports, with the sponsorship of two women’s football teams from La Liga. Being the sponsor of the first edition ever of La Vuelta Femenina and doing a campaign for the occasion made a lot of sense for the brand.”

For the curious, this year’s La Vuelta Femenina was won by Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten. Now that there are finally three major-stage races in women’s cycling, she is the first to have won them all: La Vuelta Femenina, Tour de France Femmes, and Giro d’Italia Donne.

Campaign images appear below. Click to enlarge:

Building on its “Open Air, Open Roads” campaign with Nord DDB, Czech car manufacturer Škoda is collaborating with a Swedish upcycling fashion brand, Rave Review, for an exclusive clothing line made of scrapped car bits.

The lead ad highlights Škoda’s all-electric Enyaq Coupé RS iV, which a group of friends use to drive into the forest and throw a day-rave.

The objective of “Open Air, Open Roads” is to inspire more outdoor adventures, which feels beside the point until you consider the sustainability aspect. The connection being made is that circular relationships to consumption align you with environmental interests. What better way to seal your respect for nature than to party with it in all your upcycled glory?

In the behind-the-scenes video below, the founders of Rave Review explain what car parts they used to design the collection, and on what types of clothing they appear. These include utility belts composed of seat belts, and a bomber jacket made of old carseat material. Vintage kilts and blankets also shape the wider collection of outdoor-friendly jackets, hats and bags.

The effect is very punk. Eco-punk is having a big moment in fashion right now, but an effective case can be made that punk has always been connected with a sustainable attitude and counter-growth culture. 

For Škoda, “to let old car parts be given new life as a fashion collection allowed us to be more than a car,” explains Stefan Nygren, the brand’s head of marketing and product. “It has been inspiring to explore new and innovative solutions together with Rave Review, and with this collection we hope to inspire people to more unconventional creativity for the future.”

Rave Review’s whole vibe is about repurposing high-quality materials to make unique fashion statements. “Working with Škoda has been a fun adventure,” adds co-founder and creative director Livia Schück. “To transform car parts into outdoor wearables proves that upcycling will be an important part of the future.”

Of course, the punks already knew that. 

Select items from the collection will be raffled out through Dec. 31. “Open Air, Open Roads” will appear on televisions, out-of-home, on posters, print, social media, in community activations, and via PR efforts.

Given that Škoda’s own fashion line is exclusive and one-off, here’s a list of other sustainable punk brands that make stuff all year round.

CREDITS

Client: Škoda  
Advertising agency: NORD DDB 
Designers: Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück at Rave Review 
Director: Gustav Stegfors 
Director of Photography: Andreas Johannessen 
Still photographer: Nemo Hinders
Production company: Giants & Toys 
Executive producer: Tilde Franzén  
Producer: Mimmi Silfverlood 

…creating a shambles that his partner knows, just knows, she’ll be sweeping up for hours, judging from that look on her face at the end.

“I loved the idea of a ‘working-at-home dad’ being completely distracted by a toy car, totally losing himself in this self-created car ad,” Haars says. “The challenges and [at times] distractions of working at home are familiar to a lot of people these days. Building on that, I approached this film in a way I love: making something big in a small way.”

He adds: “I also loved working with the boundaries of a limited crew—aka, a crew consisting only of me and my girlfriend, who did camera operating and focus-pulling when I was acting in the shot myself. You had to be very creative with everything to make the best out of it, which made it something really personal.”

Next, Johan Kramer takes his tiny Karoq for a spin, with rockin’ retro nods (cool soundtrack, man) and a bathtub car-wash as highlights.

“With a commercial or film project, there are usually many people involved,” notes Kramer. “This time, it was just me and my oldest daughter, Isabella—and Paco the dog, of course. We even had to make our own coffee on set—director, camera crew and catering all in one.”

Finally, directing duo From Form—aka, Jurjen Versteeg and Ashley Govers—harness stop-motion techniques to unleash the Kamiq from its bread-box garage:

At one point, Versteeg operated the camera with one hand and taped his toe on a wireless keyboard to film each frame—while his other hand appeared in the shot.

The DIY initiative required to steer each directors’ vision becomes apparent in this behind-the-scenes video:

“As the Škoda SUV range consists of three models with their own positioning, we were aiming for three different directors with a personal point of view, to create three different films within their own distinctive style to underline the characters of the models,” Optimist partner and creative head Tom Hollander tells Muse. “Only when you’re really into the project can you deliver the maximum result, especially with no agency or client present.”

We’ve seen toy cars in several Covid-era ads, including this cute Honda Civic spot and Silk Almondmilk’s neighborly excursion. But Škoda’s shifts the fantasy elements into a higher gear.

“Everybody who played with toy cars will recognize themselves in the films, going back to childhood memories where limitations were no obstacle,” Hollander says. “With imagination, everything is possible. All of the three films have this in common, and demonstrate the positive power of fun and play, especially in a time of worries and insecurities.”

Created by Rosapark in Paris, Škoda’s “Ugly in the ’90s” campaign promotes an array of new, more sleekly design models by addressing what people think of when they hear the brand’s name at all: Those cars are ugly.

It blames that ugliness on the ’90s. And who are you to judge? You were ugly, too. I wore baggy pants and giant Jamaica shirts. It was really just a bad time for all of us. 

The ad wraps with a few sassy headlight winks from Škoda’s next-gen Kodiaq and Karoq models, followed by a dramatic angled shot of a white Kodiaq. 

The campaign will run across social networks beginning today. In the French market, users can tweet photos of themselves or friends to the brand using hashtag #MocheDansLes90s (“ugly in the ’90s”) to receive, in return, a ’90s-style version of themselves for profile photos.

CREDITS
Brand: Škoda France
Brand Management: Paul Barrocas, Marie-Charlotte Bosvieux, Céline Hahn, Stéphanie Cantau
Agency: Rosapark
Co-founders: Jean-Patrick Chiquiar, Gilles Fichteberg et Jean-François Sacco
Copywriter: Julien Perrard
Art Director: Nicolas Hurez
Managing Director and Strategic Planning Director: Sacha Lacroix
Advising Director: Julien Quidor dit Pasquet
Strategic Planner: Alexandre Ribichesu
Social media manager: Thomas Vincenti
TV production: Elodie Jonquille
Print Production: Justine Dudognon
PR: Theda Braddock
Production: Big
Director: Jean Baptiste Saurel
Producer: Kasia Staniaszek-Choppin
Production Director: Driss Lumbroso 
Music
Technotronic – Pump Up The Jam