Škoda tackles Tour de France dicks to push female event

Tour de France sponsor Škoda is embracing larger than life cartoon male members – hundreds of which are graffitied onto the race route during the men’s event – and turning them into a powerful opportunity to promote women’s cycling for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Every year, it is a constant battle for organisers to tackle the “big dick” problem, forcing them to employ a dedicated team to try to paint over the markings before they are captured by the world’s press reporting on the race.

But this year, Škoda – which currently supplies up to 220 fully electric or plug-in hybrid support cars across the men’s and women’s races – is jumping on these “artistic expressions” to turn them into OOH sites to promote the nine-stage female race.

With the Tour attracting an impressive cumulative TV audience of over 3.5 billion, there is a significant opportunity to leverage the event’s global platform and bring more attention to the women’s race.

To do this, Škoda and agency FCB London have deployed a team of female artists who will drive around the course in a special support car – which will become Škoda’s 221st support car in the race – to convert the giant penises at Stage 19 in the mountains into eye-catching designs that are impossible to ignore.

Painted by feminist French illustrator Celine Dormeau and London-based illustrator Erin Aniker, the artworks cleverly incorporate the saucy scribblings to turn them into bold visual statements that celebrate cycling and draw attention to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Each artwork will feature #WatchTheFemmes, the official hashtag of the women’s race, to encourage cycling fans worldwide to watch the race.

Media planning and buying has been handled by PhD and Global Street Art handled the artists.

Škoda global head of marketing Meredith Kelly said: “Having started our journey in 1895 as a bicycle manufacturer, cycling is in our DNA. And this year, as we celebrate our 130th year, it’s especially meaningful to support the Tour, and see our fourth consecutive year as the main official partner of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

“With this bold visual statement, we’re turning an unwanted problem into a powerful opportunity to promote women’s cycling – and what better platform to do so than by infiltrating the 3.5 billion-strong viewership of the Tour de France, to encourage “cycling fans of all genders to watch the women’s race.”

FCB London chief creative officer Owen Lee added: “When we heard about the penis graffiti that is painted on the course, we saw it as an opportunity to do something bold and disruptive to motivate the Tour’s global audience to sit up and take notice of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

“By turning the penises into a conversation starter, we’re not only helping the organisers out, but celebrating cycling and getting more people to #WatchTheFemmes.”