LEER Toyota Tacoma Project Truck
A show-stopping attention-getter at SEMA

Toyota has an unqualified hit on its hands with the redesigned Tacoma - a hard-working, rugged, dependable mid-size pickup that looks great. But getting noticed in a market crowded with worthy competitors requires aggressive promotion, including high-profile displays at key car and truck shows, extensive exposure to the truck accessories industry, and widespread distribution of photos of the new pickup. That's where LEER and its project truck partners (see the list of partners here) were able to lend Toyota a helping hand.

LEER project truck partners added audio and visual components to the "bait," in the form of a cargo bed fully outfitted with thumping bass subwoofers, crystal-clear high-end speakers, and flat-panel video displays. Other experts equipped the truck with interior components, including custom leather seats. As a result, SEMA attendees used digital cameras and camcorders to take home countless thousands of images of the truck from all possible angles.

After stints at other key truck shows, the new Tacoma Xrunner began a road tour with LEER representatives, calling on truck accessories retailers across many western states. Winning the acceptance of the accessories market is a key element of any new pickup truck, and the enhanced Tacoma was a convincing platform wherever it appeared.

Next, it was a trip to Southern California to spend a day at the beach with one of the industry's top vehicle photographers, Peter Linney. Using the sand and water as a backdrop, Peter captured both the spirit and substance of the new Tacoma, showing how well it fits into an active lifestyle. The images Peter captured on the California coast were immediately shared with scores of magazine editors across the country, and will be featured in hundreds of thousands of copies of LEER brochures and posters, distributed to motivated truck customers across the US and Canada.

That's the kind of exposure that can help turn a great new truck into a real star on the automotive scene. Its' the kind of boost that make a real difference in a crowded, competitive market. And judging by the early sales results for the Tacoma, it looks like all the work by LEER and others has really paid off for Toyota.