Himalayas
A dangerously great production idea climbs to 5.7 million global viewers, resulting in tangible sales increases and a prestigious BEST DOCUMENTARY award to boot.
THE CHALLENGE
Czech Republic’s largest business, Škoda Automotive, needed to accelerate awareness of the versatility of their SUV’s, the Škoda Kodiaq and Karoq. Beyond awareness, they dreamed of creating an emotional impact that could deepen their brand story and have a ripple-effect years after their launch campaign.
Škoda sought an agency partner that could:
Connect dots to Škoda’s origin story as a bicycle manufacturer.
Build a narrative of adventure and perseverance to a target demographic of Gen X buyers across extremely diverse markets of Spain, Italy, Poland, India, and France.
Craft compelling, organic and long-living content that had an underlying call to action of soft-selling SUV features and benefits.
THE SOLUTION
Škoda trusted The Milkshake Agency to go the distance for the work. They were right, because we took the challenge to new heights...literally.
Our strategic teams set in motion a real-life Himalayan challenge to four cyclists to complete a bike race of 40km across winding, crumbling mountain roads.
Using documentary-style narrative, audiences saw the highs and lows of these adventurers as they traversed military checkpoints, landslides, snowstorms, and high-altitude challenges. And through it all, Škoda’s Kodiaq and Karoq kept pace to serve as a motivational partner and safe car.
The approach required an unmatched level of planning and production expertise.
However, the real value for Škoda came from our ability to over-deliver on assets — making every shot count to generate more content for a robust, multi-week digital campaign.
With only one chance to film this real-time, live stress-test, Milkshake’s teams ensured that Škoda got much more for their budget:
5-min hero video for branded platforms and news outlets
4 distinct, promotional spots of their racers
20-min branded documentary for festival competition
Teaser trailer to use in advertising
Pre-prepared digital article for media partners
50+ professional-grade images for future branding
A “behind the scenes” video to re-release following the campaign’s success
crave-worthy
results
The world was entranced with Škoda’s Himalayan Challenge, viewing it as a shared experience, rather than a sales campaign.
Press covered the challenge in more than 150 international articles. while the hero video alone reached more than 5.7 million viewers and generated an additional 1.5 million impressions. Later, the full campaign went on to win 3 different awards, including the silver for BEST BRAND DOCUMENTARY at the prestigious London Brand Film Festival.
As for Škoda’s ROI, the campaign paid for itself many times over. Škoda experienced its best sales performance of all time, and demand for Škoda Kodiaq and Karoq rose 79.8% in comparison to sales of previous models from the year before.
79%
growth
cOMPARITIVE SALES
5.7m
VIEWS
HERO VIDEO
150+
press
media mentions
WINNER
BEST BRAND doc.
LONDON BRAND FILM FESTIVAL
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