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Revved Up Revenues
By: Audrey Sellers, Associate Editor
Issue: March 2009



Couples ringing in 50 years of marriage may celebrate with gifts of gold, but when a major car company hits its 50-year mark, the occasion calls for something different: a special issue of Automotive News dedicated to the milestone anniversary.

Peter Moceri, owner of Madison Heights, Michigan-based distributor Creative Specialties Co., Inc. (UPIC: CSCI) slid into the driver’s seat of the promotion for Automotive News, hoping to sell 30 pages of ad space and generate $300,000 of incremental income.

“We wanted to grab the attention of 350 ad buyers by bringing Toyota’s story of incredible 50-year growth in the United States to life,” he says. “To do this, we needed engaging collectible items that would remind potential clients to advertise in the special issue.”

Moceri selected a miniature, pewter replica of the 1958 Toyopet—the first Toyota vehicle sold in the U.S.—and a genuine View-Master® with customized slides that charted Toyota’s U.S. growth with 50 years of actual Automotive News headlines.

“We used the Toyopet as the symbol of Toyota’s humble start and meteoric rise,” says Moceri. “Because these were often given to recipients familiar with Toyota, we worked closely with the curator of the Toyota Museum in California to make sure the details of the replica were accurate.

“The View-Master® instantly transported viewers back to the 1950s—the height of its popularity and Toyota’s U.S. beginning,” he continues. “By using actual headlines from Automotive News, we showcased five decades of Toyota’s growth while validating Automotive News’s position as the industry’s main source for news and information.”

Twelve weeks before the advertising deadline, sales reps mailed or delivered promotional literature to the target audience of automobile manufacturers, media companies and dealer vendors. They followed it up four weeks later with the Toyopet replicas and wrapped up the campaign with the distribution of View-Masters® one month before the deadline.

Automotive News zipped past its goal of 30 ad pages, selling 106 pages and generating more than $1 million in revenue. “The promotional items quickly told the story and set the time frame of the 1950s,” says Moceri. “They were engaging, cut through the clutter, got the recipients’ attention and opened the door for sales staff.”