Skoda is taking action to make its brand and products more visible, by supporting regional and national events plus advertising to the ITV X-Factor audience.

The brand has filmed a TV campaign featuring its VRS models and highlighting the awards Skoda has won. It has been putting its cars in front of prospective buyers at more than half-a-dozen county shows, fleet event Company Car In Action, and Goodwood Festival of Speed.

 “That’s very much about taking the products to the public,” said UK brand director Robert Hazelwood.

“New products will get us in front of new customers,” he said.

However the brand wants to hold onto its loyal customers. Hazelwood cites the case of ‘Skoda Jim’, a customer in Bournemouth who recently took delivery of his 34th Skoda.

The brand has committed itself and its dealers to a publicised ‘Customer Promise’. Hazelwood said this is not aimed at doing this differently, as most of his dealers do it right most of the time.

“We’re simply telling the customer what they’re going to get at every dealership,” he added.

He said the network’s focus on the customer is already a great USP for the brand, which has come top for the second year running in VW Group UK’s internal satisfaction survey.