Škoda

Busting a sustainable media planning myth.

Challenge

As one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters, automotive brands face growing pressure to decarbonise — not just their vehicles, but their entire value chain. Škoda Ireland had an ambitious sustainability agenda, and media was a meaningful piece of that puzzle. The challenge: could a campaign be planned and bought which significantly reduced its carbon footprint without sacrificing the effectiveness of media in driving sales performance?

Insight

The widely-held assumption in media is that decarbonising a campaign means compromising its effectiveness — that sustainability and performance are a zero-sum game. PHD Ireland had obtained early access to a world-first tool that suggested otherwise: a novel Carbon Scenario Planner capable of dual-optimising media plans by achieving eco-efficiency, a measure a channel mix’s carbon emissions relative to media impacts.

Strategy

The guiding principle was simple: reduce first, compensate second. The plan would be optimised through three evidence-bases tactics: media mix shifts, sustainable format adaptations, and media vendor selection, thereby squeezing out every possible carbon reduction without touching media performance. Where emissions couldn't be eliminated entirely, UN-verified offsetting would make up the difference and make the campaign totally climate neutral. A thorough ESG assessment of the top 13 media vendors rounded out the approach, establishing a sustainability baseline for future planning.

Campaign

PHD became the first agency to beta test the Carbon Scenario Planner in Ireland, plugging the standard Škoda Karoq plan in as a scientific control and running it through the tool's dual-optimisation engine. The resulting carbon-optimised plan shifted investment toward lower-emission channels, shortened online video formats, and made targeted vendor changes — all while holding media KPIs steady. Remaining emissions were verified through Climate Partner and offset via a UN Gold Standard-certified programme combining ocean protection and solar energy in the Global South, a neat fit with Škoda's own renewable energy focus.

Results

The experiment decisively busted that pernicious media myth. The optimised plan cut media carbon emissions by 17% — from 16,303kg CO2 to 13,621kg, equivalent to 54,480km driven, or five times around the coast of Ireland - while Škoda recorded a 31% increase in sales year-on-year. Performance wasn't protected in spite of the sustainability focus, it thrived alongside it.

The ripple effect went further than one campaign. The Green KPI is now standard practice on all Škoda Ireland media planning, with subsequent plans achieving a further 10% carbon reduction.

Awards

🏆 Gold for Best Sustainability Initiative - Media Awards 2024

🏅 Shortlisted for Best Sustainability Initiative - Effies Ireland 2024

🏅 Shortlisted in Media Category - Ad Net Zero Awards 2024