Škoda brings Tour de France down under to Auckland in cross-agency activation via Rocket
Rocket’s latest campaign for Škoda has brought the Tour de France to Auckland through a cross-agency activation to drive greater awareness of Škoda’s long-standing sponsorship.
As the 11-time official car partner of the Tour de France, Škoda worked with Rocket to connect with Kiwis by treating them to a unique brand experience à la the famed race. Rocket created and implemented the Škoda NZ Tour de France Cycle Pit Stop to engage Škoda’s target audience, showing them first-hand what it’s like to be a tour pro.
At a pop-up pit stop on Auckland’s most populated cycling route, Tamaki Drive, Saturday bike-riders experienced a taste of true Tour de France atmosphere. When they rode through the pit stop, cyclists of all levels had their bikes polished and primed, while being refreshed and refuelled by their very own support crew. There were branded prizes to take away and the chance to win the new Škoda Octavia RS Liftback for a month.
Says Jas Gierlinski, digital director at Rocket, says the brief brought together Rocket’s specialist offerings across media, digital and PR to create a positive brand association for Škoda’s target market, leading to the development of the multi-platform activation.
Says Gierlinski: “We partnered with Radio Sport to create awareness and hype on-air, online and on-site. We also partnered with key Auckland cycling groups to push the message out through their networks, and digitally we pushed advertising through partnerships with NZ Herald, Stuff and Facebook.”
Says Sara Pastor-Hernadez, marketing coordinator at Škoda: “We are proud of our long-standing heritage with Tour de France. As the official car partner, carrying all the support crews, our role is vital to the success of the competitors.
“It’s been great to work with Rocket to bring our sponsorship to life in this market – which couldn’t be farther from the event itself – and give Kiwi cyclists a uniquely Tour de France experience.”
The activation ultimately tied together to create a piece of video content on the day, which focused on the cyclists’ engagement. The opportunity to win a Škoda then drove participants to the Radio Sport website where they could watch the video and enter to win.