Helping Oshkosh Truck compete in the world of robotics Oshkosh Truck has taken on the U.S. Department of Defense's challenge to develop driverless vehicles, an innovation that would save soldiers' lives. To spur competition among engineers and scientists to create an autonomous vehicle, the department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsors races, awarding a $2 million grand prize. In 2007, DARPA sponsored an Urban Challenge, in which the vehicles had to maneuver in a mock city setting - obeying traffic laws, merging into traffic and parking, all without a driver or remote control. Team Oshkosh's TerraMax was only the competitor whose design was based on a military vehicle, reflecting Oshkosh's commitment to its ultimate mission. To make sure TerraMax stood out from the nearly 90 other entries, Oshkosh recruited Padilla Speer Beardsley to create a high profile media campaign to match its high profile vehicle. Key messages focused on TerraMax's unique design, size and kit technology. The publicity campaign surpassed all objectives for Oshkosh, including a feature article with photos in the Associated Press, major highlights on Forbes.com, and a live shot segment with KTTV-FOX in Los Angeles. Total impressions reached 1.6 billion from 1,118 mentions in the news media; TerraMax key messages about soldier safety and the military application were part of every team profile. Also, more than 31,500 key military decision-makers and potential technology partners were exposed to TerraMax at the Army's Annual Meeting and AUVSI's Unmanned Vehicle Systems show. |
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