Brand Experience and Activation > Use of Promo & Activation
SAATCHI & SAATCHI LA, Los Angeles / TOYOTA / 2013
Awards:
Overview
Credits
ClientBriefOrObjective
Space Shuttle Endeavour was in the process of moving from its current home in Houston to its place of retirement at the California Science Center. A massive, computerized carrier would bring Endeavour from its arrival point at the Los Angeles Airport to its storage hangar downtown. There was a hitch, however. A stretch of overpass in mid-route was not strong enough to support both Endeavour and its heavy carrier. In order to get Endeavour across this overpass, they were going to need something both incredibly light, and incredibly strong. That's where Tundra came in.
Implementation
An online documentary series tracked the truck's preparation in the weeks leading up to this historic job. News outlets across the country ran stories about how a half-ton truck was planning to tow a 175-ton Space Shuttle.
On October 12, 2012, thousands of spectators lined the streets to watch the historic moment in person. With news helicopters broadcasting it live from above, Tundra successfully hitched Endeavour, and towed its way into history.
Outcome
The tow was covered by news outlets including The Los Angeles Times, Jalopnik, Popular Science, and USA Today. Over 1 million people watched it on Youtube.
Online comment sections were filled with Tundra owners celebrating their American-made vehicle and what it just accomplished. Buzz flowed onto Twitter, where the tow generated 121 million impressions.
The towing of Space Shuttle Endevour was also a success with those in the market for a truck. Year over year Tundra sales rose 22%, despite no major overhaul of the vehicle itself.
Relevancy
The Toyota Tundra was an underdog. Despite its top-of-the-line parts and class-leading specs, truck buyers had never given Tundra the respect they offered its better-selling peers. A misconception existed that Tundra couldn't work as hard as other "American" trucks, despite the fact that Tundra was built in San Antonio, and had more America parts than any truck in its class.
To start a bigger conversation about the fact that this was indeed an American vehicle, and show truck buyers what it was capable of, we needed to complete a job so big that it proved Tundra could do practically anything.
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