3.6× more likely to consider purchasing the Elroq vs. control audience 

Haymarket Automotive Studio, publisher of What Car?, was tasked by Škoda with raising awareness of the all-new Elroq ahead of its launch. The brief called for content that would showcase the EV’s practicality, style, range and technology to prospective buyers across a multichannel campaign spanning Meta, YouTube and web. 

The Challenge 

The EV market is a difficult one to break into, with slowing demand and a growing field of competitors making genuine cut-through hard to achieve. Škoda needed the Elroq launch campaign to demonstrate real commercial appeal rather than simply generate impressions. The brief became significantly harder days before the shoot: the Elroq supplied for filming could not legally be driven on the road, ruling out the dynamic driving content the original creative had been built around. With a static car and a fixed timeline, the team needed an entirely new creative approach that could still land the commercial objectives. 

The Plan / Execution 

Rather than fall back on a generic studio walkaround, Haymarket Automotive Studio built a stop-motion showcase from scratch, capturing 800 photographs over three days and moving the car by millimetres between shots. The approach used no AI or computer-generated imagery, even the on-screen feature labels were physically made and shot in stop-motion. The playful, precise, hand-crafted format suited Škoda’s brand personality, and the resulting film became the centrepiece of a campaign atomised across Meta, YouTube and web to maximise reach and return on investment, all while keeping to the original timeline despite the late change in brief. 

The Results 

  • Reached 487,000 people, generating 32,000 video views and 473 hours spent with the brand 
  • Meta creatives achieved a 7.07% click-through rate; the YouTube film secured 25,000 views at a 79.1% average view percentage, well above channel averages 
  • Exposed audiences were 2.7 times more likely to visit the Elroq webpage, 3.2 times more likely to use the car configurator, and twice as likely to request a brochure or visit a dealership 
  • 82% of viewers found the car practical (vs. 53% of the control group); 62% agreed it had suitable range (vs. 35%) 
  • Audiences were 3.6 times more likely to consider purchasing the Elroq and 5.9 times more likely to recommend it 
  • The Elroq became the UK’s best-selling electric vehicle in April 2025, a month after launch 

In their words 

“Working with Automotive Studio was a fantastic experience from start to finish. They grasped our requirements immediately and, despite not having access to a drivable car, showed remarkable agility and creativity, delivering outstanding creative solutions that truly resonated with the audience.” Rhidian Taylor, Brand marketing manager, Škoda 

“This was a genuinely fun project that really pushed Automotive Studio creatively (and logistically). It showed that proper, original, creative solutions still resonate with audiences.” Matt Lizzimore, Editor, Automotive Studio