The Stars Come Out For Toyota at 2015 SEMA Show

The Stars Come Out For Toyota at 2015 SEMA Show

Celebrities Onsite at the Toyota Booth for Autographs

October 29, 2015

TORRANCE, Calif., (Oct. 29, 2015) — There will be stars as bright as the cars around them at Toyota’s 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show display. Autograph and photo opportunities will be available at select times from Tuesday, November 3, through Thursday, November 5.
 
The celebrity sightings will begin immediately following Toyota’s press conference, which will be held from 10:00 to 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3.
 
Rutledge Wood
Chief among the luminaries will be Rutledge Wood, who will emcee the press conference itself. Wood has been one of the co-hosts of Top Gear USA on television’s History channel for the past four seasons. Earlier this year, he debuted on History’s Lost in Transmission, in which he and his co-host George travel the country is search of America’s forgotten automotive classics in an attempt to tell their stories and get them back on the road for their deserving owners.
 
Wood also joined NBC Sports as a specialty motorsports reporter and NASCAR analyst in early 2015.
 
But Wood’s roots in motorsports go back many more years than that. His first experience in NASCAR came during his first job in entertainment: traveling with the NASCAR circuit for Country Music Television. Soon after, he was hired by Speed TV (now Fox Sports 1), where he worked for 10 seasons covering NASCAR. He was a correspondent for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pre-race show, NASCAR RaceDay, and has hosted or co-hosted various NASCAR shows and events for Fox Sports, including Speed Road Tour Challenge, NASCAR Smarts, and NASCAR Live, as well as the annual NASCAR Awards Banquet.
 
Rutledge Wood will be available for autographs, photos and interviews starting at 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3.
  
Ryan Millen
Also in attendance on Tuesday, November 3, will be Ryan Millen, a member of the legendary
Millen racing family who is currently having a very successful season driving a 2015 Toyota RAV4 in the Rally America series.
 
Millen is the son of off-road racing and rally icon Rod Millen, and has a history with Toyota that stretches back to his childhood, including racing in the MTEG stadium series at the age of nine, racing an FJ Cruiser in the Baja 1000, and winning the Baja 1000 in a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
 
Like Wood, Millen will be available for photos and interviews beginning at 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, immediately following Toyota’s press conference.
 
Antron Brown
Drag racing pioneer Antron Brown will also be available for autograph seekers following Toyota’s press conference.
 
Currently driving the Matco Tools Toyota in NHRA’s Top Fuel division, he is known for winning the 2012 Top Fuel championship and winning six Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event titles in 2014.
 
He is perhaps best known as a pioneer in the sport of drag racing, its first African-American champion. In February 2013, he was featured on NBC’s Today show when he was named one of TheGrio.com’s list of 100 African-American industry, sports and community leaders. Later that year, he was honored—along with other renowned athletes like Terry Bradshaw, James Worthy, Dave Winfield and Nick Faldo—at the 28th annual Great Sports Legends ceremony.
 
Mike Iaconelli
Rounding out the group of four celebrities who will be available following Toyota’s Tuesday, November 3, press conference will be professional bass fisherman Mike Iaconelli.
 
Iaconelli was the 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion and, more pertinently, the 2006 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. Most recent among his many victories was his win at the 2014 Bassmaster Elites on the Delaware River.
 
Of Iaconelli, The New York Times wrote, “He’s not one of the old-style fishermen. He is a fast-talking, intense, summa cum laude graduate of Rowan University.” Those qualities will all be on display at Toyota’s SEMA booth twice during the course of SEMA. In addition to appearing beginning at 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, Iaconelli will make a return visit from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Wednesday, November 4.
 
Gerald Swindle
On Thursday, November 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Toyota display visitors will be greeted by Gerald Swindle, another legendary bassmaster and winner of the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year title in 2004.
 
Swindle is often referred to as both “The G-Man” and “bass fishing’s funniest man.” His professional career began in April 1998, when he won the $150,000 first price at a Fishing League Worldwide event on Beaver Lake, Arkansas.
 
Six years later, Swindle achieved bass fishing’s highest accolade when he won the Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year title.
 
SEMA visitors can enjoy Swindle’s wit and wisdom on Thursday, November 5.
 
All of the stars—along with 16 Toyota specialty vehicles—can be found in the Toyota display booth (#24700) in Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
 

Toyota Gets Down and Dirty in Action-Packed Marketing Campaign for the All-New 2016 Tacoma

Toyota Gets Down and Dirty in Action-Packed Marketing Campaign for the All-New 2016 Tacoma

Campaign Underscores Tacoma's Extreme Adaptability and Tougher-than-Nails Capabilities, Appealing to the Adventurer's Insatiable Appetite for Defying Limitations

October 05, 2015

TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 5, 2015 – If your heart doesn’t beat a little faster after watching the all-new Toyota Tacoma broadcast spots, you might want to check your pulse.

America’s best-selling, midsize pickup takes off-roading to new heights in the latest multicultural campaign delivered by Toyota and its advertising agencies Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles and Conill. Debuting today, the Tacoma creative targets those addicted to authentic, adventurous living without boundaries, where dirt clouds and mud sprays are rites of passage. 

“I’m totally pumped that Toyota is introducing an all-new generation of the Tacoma,” says Jack Hollis, group vice president of Marketing, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “Tacoma is already the top-selling midsize pickup in America, and the 2016 builds off the off-road heritage of the last generation, while giving guests the opportunity to take it along as they experience things as never before. I’m really excited for the road ahead.”
 
Call of the Wild
Two broadcast spots will be unleashed, beginning today. One of the spots, shot in one take, features a multitude of professional motocross riders and stunt people unapologetically taking aim at the dust-filled landscape alongside the Tacoma. The other spot focuses on a group of thrill-seekers enjoying the dirtier side of life and relishing in the Tacoma spirit.

The fun, fearless and rugged creative approach aligns with Toyota’s “Let’s Go Places” theme and encourages play in the great outdoors.

Complementing the spots, social media elements of the campaign include a series of dynamic videos, which use the latest in visual and targeting technology to showcase the Tacoma in action.  On Facebook and Twitter the videos speak directly to target consumers by focusing on their interests, specifically: BMX racing, dirt bikes, ATV, snowboarding and snowmobiling. 

Instagram activations will deploy snippets of slow motion video, shot in bullet time with 4k technology, that graphically highlight the grittiness of the Tacoma in off-roading action from different angles.   

Additionally on Instagram, a stop-motion video pays tribute to Tacoma owners and trucks at play. Tacoma owners are encouraged to submit their Instagram photos to possibly be featured in the series of videos.

“This has to be one of my favorite campaigns since I arrived here a year ago. It was so much fun to get a little dirty and create authentic content that emulates what the Tacoma is all about,” says Jason Schragger, chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles. “We not only wanted to ignite the passion for exploring the great outdoors, but also show that playing in the mud should never get old, even when you become an adult.”

The Tacoma broadcast spots aim to connect with the liberating, adventure-seeking culture that dreams of dares and fears nothing, the young and young-at-heart who live on the edge. The tougher and more adaptable their truck, the more fun they will have. In fact, while on set at one of the shoots, the featured Tacoma didn’t even make contact with soap and water; the crew kept it down and dirty to maintain the authenticity of the vehicle’s off-roading escapades.
 
The Science of Fun
In addition to the main path of the campaign, Toyota’s Hispanic marketing agency, Conill, has added another online leg to the journey, one that focuses on the Latino market.  
 
Using culturally relevant insights and a little competition, “Sal a Jugar” (Go Out & Play) highlights hard working Latinos who reward themselves by seeking out new adventures.  The objective: to measure the level of fun participants had driving the Tacoma. Special wristbands monitored the electrodermal activity of each person on competing teams during a series of outdoor challenges.
 
“We as Latinos tend to more closely associate this vehicle class with work and business than other groups,” says Javier Campopiano, chief creative officer, Conill. “This led us to a surprising idea to show our guests how much fun the all-new Tacoma can be. Putting some real science behind it adds another dimension to the experience. It’s an interesting twist for the category.”
 
Launching Oct. 5, a 2-minute video will chronicle the experience from start to finish, while snippets are seeded across social media and digital channels. Each “snackable” video will focus on an engaging piece of the experiment, encouraging viewers to watch the full story on YouTube. 

To complete the journey, consumers can check out additional Tacoma content at Toyota.com.