Did a global pandemic force you to cancel your big product reveal at the New York International Auto Show? Yep. So what do you do?
When COVID-19 led to the cancellation of the New York auto show just three weeks before the event, Toyota Motor North America’s Product Communications team had to swiftly execute Plan B for the company’s biggest launch of the year – the all-new 2021 Sienna and the triumphant return of the Venza.
The answer? A virtual reveal hosted by Bob Carter, executive vice president – Sales and Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. That’s how a masked and hand-sanitized video crew ended up at TMNA headquarters in Plano, Texas, on May 4 to film Carter’s Sienna reveal, and at Jack Hollis’ house on May 6 to unveil the Venza.
If it sounds like a nimble, versatile and noteworthy achievement, that’s because it was. We went behind the scenes to see how they did it.
By Dan Nied