Škoda is taking car advertising to new heights in the global launch campaign for its new electric model, Enyaq.
The work, created by FCB London, cuts through the ‘sea of sameness’ that is often associated with advertising in the electric car category, and channels the spirit of curiosity and exploration that drives Škoda.
Dramatising the fact that the Škoda Enyaq is one of the most aerodynamic SUVs in the world, the 60-second hero film – created in collaboration with acclaimed directors Ian Pons Jewell, Yukihiro Shoda and Freefolk – answers the question of what happens when you drop a car and an umbrella in a vacuum chamber.
Spoiler alert: without air, everything moves in the same way, and the car falls slowly through the chamber at the same pace as the umbrella before landing on the ground, intact. Safely back on the ground, the car exits the vacuum chamber and drives in the real world, illustrating that, thanks to its design, it moves beautifully even where there is air.
To create the campaign, FCB London relied on science, and took great steps to ensure the experiment was as authentic as possible, even speaking with ex-NASA engineers to understand the exact physics behind it.
The team built a CGI replica of the biggest vacuum chamber in the world – the NASA Space Power Facility in Ohio, United States – and plugged in all of its calculations to see how the Enyaq and the umbrella would realistically fall in that environment.
Meredith Kelly, Head of Global Marketing at Škoda, says: “The new Škoda Enyaq is one of the most aerodynamic SUVs in the world, and we wanted to show people that in a bold, disruptive way that stays true to our spirit of curiosity and exploration.”
Owen Lee, Chief Creative Officer at FCB London, adds: “Car advertising is full of clichés. Stunningly good-looking people driving on stunning coastal roads. Instead, we took our inspiration from science experiments we all remember from our childhoods. The result? A truly innovative car campaign that cuts through.”
Ian Pons Jewel & Yukihiro Shoda, Directors, ProdCo “When we first got the brief, we were blown away by the concept—dropping a car into a vacuum chamber. Ian and my intent was to make it feel real, so we met with an ex NASA engineer to understand how vacuum chambers work. That research shaped everything—from the air-draining pipes to the rigs and monitoring devices on the walls. The atmosphere on set was incredibly open—everyone, from the crew to the agency to the client, was sharing ideas and building together. It created this beautiful rhythm. I think you can feel that energy in the final film. I’m really grateful to the Škoda team for their trust, and to FCB London for the collaboration throughout the entire process.”
Rob Farren, Creative Director at FCB London, said: “The team at Freefolk are some of the best I’ve worked with from both a CG and collaboration perspective. Their attention to craft for the creation of the car, vacuum chamber and forest environments was flawless. It’s testament to their combination of technical skill and creativity.”
The push will run globally for two years across TV, print, digital, social and out of home.
The film comes in shorter versions of 30, 15, and 6 seconds and there are multiple formats for press, OOH and social media. But no matter the format, elegance and aerodynamics are at the heart of the campaign, which was produced by Pons Jewell’s own production company, ProdCo, and co-directed by Yukihiro Shoda.
