In the summer of 2024, we executed Finland's largest treasure hunt for Škoda as a brand act. As a result, nearly 10,000 Finns threw themselves into solving clues and doing detective work to find the lost car keys, which would open the doors to an all new Škoda Kodiaq for a year. The three-week #kodiaqkadoksissa treasure hunt encouraged people to pay attention to their surroundings and challenged them to experience something completely new. This exceptional brand act engaged Finns with the brand for over 56,000 hours and achieved fantastic results, strengthening the brand image nationwide.

Brands make all sorts of assurances, from values to missions and customer promises. However, you don't get far with mere written chatter; actions are needed. Through brand acts, a company makes its values visible in consumers' daily lives through concrete actions.

‍

Building Engagement and Relatability

A brand act itself can be almost anything, such as an experience, a cultural deed, supporting a community, an act that challenges industry norms, or a significant innovation. An increasing number of brands are also taking a stand on a societal or responsibility-related issue – either at the core of the act or in connection with it. Brands taking a stand has increasingly become one of the significant factors influencing purchase decisions. Representatives of younger generations, in particular, find it important that a company's actions align with their own values.

With a brand act, you can deliver on the brand's promise in practice and prove that your brand stands behind its values. In other words, it makes your brand a human and interactive player in people's daily lives. Humanity appeals to people, and actions resonate especially with those who share the same values or mindset. That, if anything, strengthens brand image and loyalty.

On the other hand, a brand act can engage the target audience and activate people—from both within and outside the main target group—to spend time with the brand. In Škoda's treasure hunt, engaging people with the brand was one of the key objectives, and the carefully planned entity exceeded all expectations. At its best, a well-executed brand act offers a unique competitive advantage through interactivity and reaches entirely new target audiences.

‍

Avoiding Pitfalls Through Planning

Without a proper strategic framework, the result is haphazard prodding and disconnected pieces. At worst, inconsistent actions lead to a brand that stands idly by and disappears into the crowd. On the other hand, even a brand with a good strategic foundation can stumble if the overall picture is not under control. A poorly timed act can easily do more harm than good, and the brand's image can take a hard hit.

Problems also arise if the act is not strongly anchored in the brand's core – illogicality is the worst poison for brand image and success. Therefore, to create impactful brand acts, meticulous planning is needed as a foundation, in addition to a strong strategy and a well-digested brand identity.

Have you considered how to turn your brand's values into concrete actions and stand out from the crowd? Book a 30-minute chat with us, and we'll go through your brand's current situation together and discuss in more detail what kind of acts could effectively make your brand seen and heard in the daily lives of consumers. You can find available times here!