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A Sustainable Brand Activation That Went Beyond the Stand

Client: ŠKODA Auto

Event: Lavrs Market, Prague

The Challenge

How does a car brand connect with an audience that isn’t even shopping for a car?

When ŠKODA Auto partnered with Heels Make Deals for Prague’s Lavrs Market—a curated event for slow fashion, circular design, and sustainability-minded consumers—we weren’t asked to build a car stand. We were asked to build relevance.

Together, we turned ŠKODA’s sustainability strategy into a tactile, emotional, and memorable brand experience that people didn’t just pass by. They stayed. They talked. They walked away seeing the brand in a new light.

Our Strategic Approach

We knew this couldn’t look like automotive branding as usual. Instead of focusing on specs and slogans, we focused on storytelling through touch — materials, rituals, and space that created curiosity and sparked emotional connection.

We grounded the activation in a core visual metaphor: Zrychlení na Nulu (Acceleration to Zero). It became the north star for the creative concept.

Where:

Two touchpoints, one narrative core.

• Pop-up Stand (3×3 m) → storytelling hub for care, circularity, and surprising material innovation.
  
• Car Display Zone → the anchor that connects story back to ŠKODA vehicle
  

The Creative Solution

Zero as a Statement

• A sculptural “0” became the visual metaphor for ŠKODA’s journey to zero waste and zero emissions. Open at the top, it doubled as a recycling bin — a functional, iconic centerpiece.
  
• Accompanied by a material display and transparent info panel, the Zero invited visitors to interact and reflect, not just observe.
  

Wait — Coffee?

Did you know a Skoda has its own coffee?

We created a coffee ritual that told a sustainability story.
But not just any — we served Curiosity Fuel, a Rainforest Alliance–certified roast created exclusively for ŠKODA.
What made it so compelling?

• It’s already served in ŠKODA’s Czech HQs
  
• It’s ethically grown and supports fair wages
  And best of all?

  👉 Its bean husks are reused to tan leather in ŠKODA interiors

One small cup became a full-circle story — from coffee waste to car design.

To amplify the moment, branded recycled cups carried the story around the market. People didn’t just sip. They asked questions.

We displayed a ŠKODA vehicle featuring the exact seats tanned using the coffee husks. Visitors weren’t just sipping the story — they were sitting on it.

To tie it all together, every recycled coffee cup came with a call-to-action printed on the sleeve:
 “Sit on Coffee.”

A simple message that turned curiosity into conversation, and sustainability into something you could literally feel.

Texture as Storytelling:

Olive Tree Leather
Right next to the coffee, we invited people to touch something unexpected: olive tree leather. Tanned using extract from olive leaves collected as agricultural waste, the process replaces harsh chemicals with natural infusions — and requires zero deforestation.
The texture felt soft, elevated, and meaningful — a perfect proof-point of how sustainability can feel luxurious and thoughtful.

Touchpoints That Sparked Curiosity

Every detail was designed with intent.
✅ Sculptural Zero - Visual anchor + clear metaphor
✅ Recycled coffee cups carried the brand across the event
✅ Tactile displays that made sustainability feel real
✅ Conversation cues that sparked authentic engagement
✅ No sales pitch — just storytelling

“People didn’t just pass by — they stayed, asked questions, and walked away knowing what ŠKODA stands for.”

Why This Matters

In a sea of sustainability claims, people aren’t looking for louder messages — they’re looking for signs that brands actually mean it. This wasn’t about shouting for attention. It was about creating something people could feel, right when it mattered most.

The Impact

📈 Engaged design-savvy, eco-conscious women aged 25–45


📈 Generated buzz across the entire market via branded, recycled cups


📈 Made complex sustainability messaging visceral and memorable


📈 Introduced ŠKODA as a forward-thinking lifestyle brand


📈 Created a standout automotive brand activation without a single car on display

The Bigger Lesson

For today’s audiences, it’s not about square meters. It’s about emotional momentum.


At Lavrs, ŠKODA proved that when brands lead with alignment, they don’t interrupt — they integrate. They don’t just show products — they show care.


And care is what people remember.

Ready to turn your brand into the hell-yes choice?

Join 100+ brand leaders who stopped waiting for “someday” - and built brands people obsess about today.

Ready to turn your brand into the hell-yes choice?

Join 100+ brand leaders who stopped waiting for “someday” - and built brands people obsess about today.

Year: 2025
Creative direction: Katerina Horka, Sabina Samuel
Designers: Přemysl Herka, Polina Petryshyna, Viktoriia Safonenko
Studio HEELS MAKE DEALS