Debuting in 1907, the LA Auto Show is oldest Auto Show on the West Coast and — along with Chicago and New York — among the preeminent shows in the nation.
Los Angeles, California
Automotive & Technology
In a city renowned for Hollywood dazzle, the LA Auto Show is the biggest, longest-running yearly event in LA history. It routinely attracts hundreds of thousands of car and technology enthusiasts each year from Thanksgiving through early December at its 760,000-square-foot host venue, the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In 2014, the second in Big Honkin’ Ideas’ five-year partnership with LAAS, the client’s goal was to build on the success of our 2013 ad campaign and rebrand the event as both a car and technology expo.
How do you capture something as monumental as what’s taking place in the personal transportation industry, car culture and psyche — then express it in an exciting, memorable, and compelling way?
How do you capture the remarkable synthesis of automobile and technology that the LA Auto Show is putting on display?
Our approach was two-fold. Rebrand the business as a global destination for automotive enthusiasts and the trade industry. And create an iconic logo to pair with a theme line and visual to announce a true tipping point in technology. “Car or computer? Yes.”
Then BHI turned to three of the most powerful campaign tools in the marketing and advertising playbook: Simplicity of message, consistency of design and frequency of targeted media placement.
The logo, look, and language appeared in an array of media. From pole banners and billboards in commuter corridors, to business cards, press and trade brochures, trade show credentials and wayfinding signage, videos, social media, and a monster 300-foot vinyl on the LA Convention Center exterior in eyesight of the 10 and 101 freeways.
The last component in the multi-media effort? A targeted radio campaign broadcast in English and Spanish.
Brendan FlynnMarketing Director, LA Auto Show“In 2014, our marketing partner Big Honkin’ Ideas’ task was doubly daunting. First, rebrand LA Auto Show as the launch pad to the future. Second, deliver a knockout, multimedia ad campaign to drive car and tech enthusiasts through the turnstiles. And that’s just what they did.”
