ai / autonomous vehicles

OVERVIEW AND CHALLENGES

Locomation’s top-notch team of technical experts had developed a unique and disruptive autonomous driving technology to help the trucking industry deal with growing demand and increasing driver shortages. By linking two trucks together using proprietary AI technology, their Relay solution provides a needed stop-gap before full autonomy. Faced with bigger and better-funded competitors like TuSimple and Google’s Waymo, Locomation needed focused messaging and an effective media strategy.

PR STRATEGY

Founders Cetin and Tekin Mericli turned to Rally Point to help Locomotion define its premise and build a messaging framework designed to communicate its unique positioning as the only human-guided, two-truck solution. While the giants were out-front about getting autonomous trucks on the road as soon as possible, Locomation was focused on the incremental steps needed to get there. Rally Point set upon arranging meetings for Cetin with business and tech journalists as well as analysts covering autonomous vehicles, trucking, supply chain, and sustainability, ramping up the moment when Locomation is ready to invite media to experience the technology for themselves. Rally Point leveraged the prestige of the founders’ alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, to spotlight the impressive technical capabilities of the Locomation team, and successfully newsjacked coverage of the autonomous space.

RESULTS

TechCrunch, Forbes, and Venturebeat ran multiple influential feature stories about Locomation. With a 165% increase in website traffic this year, and ongoing coverage in outlets like Technical.ly, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Forbes along with consistent trade coverage, Locomotion is poised to put its tech on the road in 2023. As a testament to its premise, Locomation is the first autonomous trucking company to sign deals with high-profile trucking partners, now with several multi-year contracts in place.

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  • One of media’s “go-to” autonomous trucking companies
  • First to sign actual deals
  • Website traffic +165% in 2022
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