Skoda: Free Fare Campaign

If the people won’t come to the car,
take the car to the people.

After re-entering the NZ market in 2003, Skoda sales remained stagnant for almost 4 years. The problem wasn’t the cars themselves, but a lack of awareness around the brand and a historical perception issue from the days when owning a Skoda was embarrassing. Now Skodas were being engineered with Volkswagen technology, but on the road people still couldn’t distinguish them from European competitors. Enter Free Fare Skoda – a free taxi service running through the Auckland CBD and cool inner-city suburbs. Skoda ‘taxis’ could be hailed down, ordered for one-off trips by corporates and they randomly stopped at key points. The response was outstanding.