Škoda introduces Kodiaq model with bumblebee love story

The global campaign, created by FCB London, hopes to fly in the face of typical car ads

By Creative Salon

18 June 2024

Flirting bumble bees introduce a whole new take on car advertising in FCB London’s 'Honeyed Love' campaign for the launch of Skoda’s newest Kodiaq SUV.

The global campaign is spearheaded by a 60-second commercial that features a bumble bee flies inside a Kodiaq and driven off on a family road trip, while its sweetheart follows alongside the car in a bid to stay together.

While the free-flying bumble bee does its best to keep up with the Kodiaq, the bee inside the Kodiaq is transfixed by the space, looking for ingenious ways to be reunited. After a few mishaps, the bee lands on the comic of a boy, who calmly leads it to the window and joins its loved one.

The romance is dialed up by the soundtrack, Stevie Wonder singing “For Once in My Life,” while the voiceover concludes with the line, “Discover a new kind of space”, highlighting the internal space of the car while reinforcing the brand’s commitment to exploration and adventure.

Meredith Kelly, head of global marketing at Škoda, said: “When you transform a car ad into a love story, you excite your audience. Love stories are never old-fashioned, it is always a genuine and smart way to connect with our consumers.”

Owen Lee, chief creative officer, FCB London added: “Skoda is a very human brand, but rather than just use people and driving footage like every other global car ad, we wanted to tell a very human love story about two cute little bumble bees. The combination of music by Stevie Wonder, shot by the supremely talented Nicolai Fuglsig and post by the magicians at 1920, makes for a fresh car commercial."

In addition to the TVC, FCB London created a series of digital assets and stills, to build an integrated global campaign that will run across TV, cinema, digital, paid social, billboards, and OOH. Media was handled by PHD.