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You don't need expensive things to find joy.
That was the core message Andy Sitta and his team at Seznam Brand Studio tapped into when they set out to change people's perceptions of Dacia, a car brand many associate with low-cost practicality rather than urban cool.
Today, Andy Sitta runs his own consultancy, elav/\te by /\ndy.
But at Native Advertising Days 2025 in London, he’ll take the audience back to one of his proudest moments at Seznam: the creation of a bold, funny, and refreshingly human branded content campaign — created by the Seznam Brand Studio crew — that did more than grab attention: it got people talking, searching, and even test-driving.
And it all started with a muddy SUV.
Creativity as a real-world tool — not an afterthought
Andy Sitta’s background isn’t in journalism like many content studio leaders. He comes from marketing and leadership, and that, he says, shaped his approach.
“For me, creativity isn’t about making shiny things at the end of a project,” he explains.
“It has to live inside the strategy. It has to drive real results.”
That’s exactly what the Dacia campaign set out to prove.
The challenge: Change the conversation
Dacia had a perception problem.
While the brand had a loyal rural customer base, it wanted to reach city-dwellers too — people who might have seen Dacia as, frankly, a little unsexy.
“They didn’t need us to make people buy a car the next day,” Sitta says.
“They needed us to get urban consumers to think: Maybe Dacia is actually for me. Just planting that ‘maybe’ was the goal.”
And so the Seznam Brand Studio team got to work.
The idea: The road to joy is simple
Instead of pretending Dacia was something it wasn’t, Sitta’s team leaned into what it was: An essential, no-frills, reliable car that gets you to the places where real life happens.
They built the creative concept around a simple, powerful truth: Life isn’t about expensive things. It’s about joyful experiences.
Under the campaign slogan "The Road to Joy is Simple," they developed a full branded content program:
- City escape guides: Beautifully shot weekend trip ideas from major Czech cities, featuring cosy cafés, scenic routes, and the new Dacia Duster front and center.
- Native articles: Story-driven pieces helping readers imagine themselves escaping the city for a joyful weekend getaway.
- The PR stunt: A real-life Dacia Duster, artfully caked in mud, parked on Prague’s most luxurious shopping street — right in front of Prada.
Because, after all, a muddy SUV tells a better story than a showroom shine ever could.
The results: When creativity clicks
The muddy Duster caused a landslide.
- It became the most-read car article of the year, racking up 770,000+ page views.
- Online searches for “Dacia Duster 2024” even surpassed those for the generic term “Dacia Duster” — a clear sign that the campaign sparked interest in the new model, not just the brand.
- Most impressive of all: declared interest in test-driving the new model doubled — a rare feat for any brand, especially one fighting long-held perceptions.
“It confirmed what we really believe in,” Sitta says.
“When you create something people truly relate to — when you make that emotional connection with the brand — you can change minds fast.”
Lessons learned: Bravery matters
Of course, bold ideas don’t happen without brave clients.
Sitta admits there was some nervousness from Dacia’s side when they realized just how big the activation had become. But in the end, the results spoke for themselves.
“Native advertising lets you change perception way faster than traditional ads — especially when it’s packed with real emotion,” Sitta says.
“But oftentimes, that takes a bit of bravery.”
At Native Advertising Days 2025 in London, Andy Sitta will break down exactly how creativity became Seznam Brand Studio’s secret weapon — and how you can build creative thinking into your strategy from day one.
Because, as Sitta puts it:
“Creativity isn’t the last step. It sits at the core.”
Want to hear more? Join Andy Sitta at Native Advertising Days 2025 in London.
