Reddit Superfans Take the Wheel in Škoda's Social First Campaign

Leo Burnett UK and Škoda have launched a new social-first campaign for the fourth-generation Octavia, using the voices of the car model’s biggest fans: the Reddit community.

The campaign, ‘You Said It’, focuses on an online audience of Škoda Octavia enthusiasts from the Reddit forum 'r/CarTalkUK'. Described as “the definitive subreddit for British petrolheads and inquisitive car drivers alike”, the forum boasts over 350,000 members who have adopted the Škoda Octavia as its unofficial mascot with the rhyming moniker, “Our Lord and Saviour, the Škoda Octavia”. This inspired the campaign proposition: 'if you know, you know': written to capture the Octavia's 'insider' status for people who are passionate about cars.

To transform these dedicated fans into active advocates for the 2024 model, Leo Burnett UK and Škoda have handed over the keys to Reddit members with the first-ever ‘Reddit Car Share’. Participants from across the length and breadth of the UK have been the very first to test-drive the new fourth-generation Octavia, before press, retailers and even before the car was photographed for marketing.

Redditors driving experiences and their testimonials will be turned into headlines such as “Notice how time and space bend around the vehicle as a mark of respect” and amplified across OOH, print, social and digital. Highlighting that the Škoda Octavia is the chosen car of people that know about cars, each execution will be accompanied by the campaign slogan ‘You Said It’.

For the final stage of the campaign, Škoda and Leo Burnett will also be creating the first ever car configured by Reddit. From the body shape to the paint, wheels, engine and tech, every aspect of the special edition Octavia will be chosen exclusively by the people who know it best. To have a say on ‘The Reddit Edit’, fans will be able to vote via Reddit from today until the 21st July. The finished Octavia is set to be made and retailed from 24th July.

Mark Elwood, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett UK, said, “When people have good things to say about your product, sometimes the best thing the agency can do is to get out of the way and give them the platform to do it. Our fans have given us funny, compelling messages to sell the Octavia that we would never have gotten away with ourselves. Here’s to people power.” 

Kirsten Stagg, marketing director, Škoda, added, “The Octavia is a quietly brilliant vehicle in our range, and I’m so pleased we’ve found the right way to celebrate it. Harnessing the power of fandom can be a tricky thing, but this campaign has shown us how to engage fans in the right way: using them not just to build our credibility but also to deliver a creative and original campaign that is bang on Škoda’s human tone-of-voice."