Project
RIZON Trucks for Velocity EV
Introducing a Global Electric Truck Brand to North America
Project Type: Media Relations | Photo & Video Production | Dealer Marketing | Social Media Management
Location: North America
Client: RIZON USA – the Authorized U.S. Distributor of the RIZON Brand
Partner / OEM: Daimler Truck AG
Timeline: 2023-2025
Opportunity
In 2023, Daimler Truck AG — one of the world’s largest and most experienced commercial vehicle manufacturers — introduced RIZON, its all-electric medium-duty truck brand, to the North American market. Built for zero-emission urban pickup and delivery, RIZON’s Class 4 and Class 5 cabover trucks were designed to support fleet owners with a seamless shift to battery-electric transportation. RIZON USA (formerly Velocity EV), the exclusive U.S. distributor, led the launch – introducing the entirely new brand into a commercial EV segment with established competitors.
Working alongside RIZON USA and Daimler Truck AG, TRC facilitated launch communications across several workstreams: media outreach and interview coordination for the virtual and in-person launch events, earned media relations around key customer and dealer milestones, marketing resources for certified dealer partners, photography and videography production, and social media setup and content management.
Within six months of the launch, the new RIZON truck brand earned 252 million in media reach from national, business, automotive, and top trade journalists contributing to more than 50 unique articles.
Backed by Daimler Truck’s global engineering and quality standards, the RIZON lineup has since grown to four model variants — the e18L, e18M, e16L, and the e16M — delivering 75 to 160 miles of range and body configurations spanning box trucks, flatbeds, stake beds, and refrigerated units. After earning full U.S. homologation and expanding into Canada, RIZON has established itself as a serious contender in zero-emission city logistics.
Approach
Stage a Two-Part Brand Launch
TRC supported RIZON’s North American debut via two connected events held days apart. The first was a virtual press preview event produced by Daimler Truck AG that presented all four RIZON models, a full vehicle overview, and a live media Q&A. TRC curated a select list of automotive-focused reporters and managed all aspects of invites to the virtual launch event. Journalists from national outlets at the New York Times and Reuters and top trade editors from Automotive News and FreightWaves attended.
Days later, RIZON unveiled a vehicle in front of a live audience during a press conference at ACT Expo attended by hundreds of fleet operators, suppliers, and media. TRC managed event logistics, developed speaker talking points to reinforce the brand’s positioning and product strengths, coordinated onsite media interviews, and analyzed the resulting coverage to inform later campaigns.
Sustain Earned Media Through Product Milestones
In collaboration with Daimler Truck AG, TRC’s media relations program helped keep RIZON in the press after the two-part launch by tying outreach to concrete business milestones: eligibility for key funding programs, the start of commercial production, certified dealer partnerships, and fleet deployment announcements. Each milestone gave journalists a fresh reason to revisit the brand.
This approach secured interviews and feature articles in US News & World Report, Motor Trend, Electrek, Clean Trucking and other fleet-focused news outlets, extending RIZON’s visibility well beyond the initial launch.
Equip Certified Dealers to Sell
RIZON’s certified dealers needed consistent materials to promote the brand in their local markets. TRC built a multi-channel dealer marketing package: social media assets sized for each platform, branded event materials including banners, tents, and tablecloths, website content and imagery, a customized e-newsletter, a product video showing the truck’s ease of use, and a launch press release to generate early coverage.
The package gave every dealer a consistent look and format to present RIZON across digital channels, events, and dealer storefronts.
Build a Reusable Visual Library on Location
TRC produced a two-day photo and video shoot to give RIZON an owned library of brand imagery. The shoot captured multiple truck body configurations against urban backdrops across Southern California, demonstrating both the vehicles’ application features and range of body styles.
The resulting photography and footage now appear across RIZON’s marketing platforms, from the website to dealer materials to social channels, giving the brand a consistent visual identity built from real vehicles on U.S. roads.
Grow RIZON US LinkedIn Presence
TRC managed the launch of RIZON’s North America LinkedIn page, creating a detailed content calendar and a variety of video and image assets to highlight the new brand, its truck features, company milestones, and media coverage. The effort was designed to increase market penetration and keep RIZON in front of commercial fleet audiences in North America.
To turn reach into qualified interest, TRC developed and executed targeted LinkedIn ad campaigns aimed at fleets operating Class 4 and 5 vehicles in the Southern California area, designed to educate them on RIZON models, features, and available incentives. The program paired video warm-up ads with static image ads built for website clicks, moving cold audiences from first exposure to action. The video creative reached a 36.76% view rate, above the 29.67% benchmark. The results pointed toward a video-first approach for future awareness campaigns, since video drew initial interest more effectively than static formats among cold fleet audiences.
ACT News Cross-Promotion
RIZON’s launch was amplified by a sponsored content campaign on ACT-News.com, TRC’s media platform reaching commercial fleet operators. The campaign placed RIZON in front of a qualified buyer audience through editorial-style content and paid distribution. It included:
- Advertorials and on-camera interviews introducing RIZON’s leadership and product story to fleet decision-makers
- An ACT News Talks Tech interview with Velocity EV’s Alexander Voets
- A paid LinkedIn campaign that reached 19,432 impressions at a 65.46% view-through rate, more than double the 29.5% benchmark
- A branded email campaign of 18,579 messages with a 37.5% average open rate, above the 15 to 25% benchmark
Results
RIZON entered the North American market as a new brand and within six months became a recognized name in Class 4 and 5 electric trucking. Together, a two-part launch, milestone-driven media relations, dealer enablement, and original social media content gave RIZON measurable momentum in its first six months on the market.
252M+
Earned media reach within six months of launch
50+
Unique earned media articles within six months of launch
36.7%
LinkedIn ad view-through rate, within the benchmark of 20%-40%
37.5%
Dedicated ACT News email open rate, above the 15 to 25% industry benchmark
Contact
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