This article will explore how one of the most popular automobile industries, Tesla, has been successfully marketing their cars to the public without paying for advertisements. I will look specifically at the company’s use of Twitter and how they gain validation and credit through the storytelling of their users over social media. This article will take a closer look at how brands like Tesla become successful by creating a product that is easy to believe in and can market itself.
Tesla has cultivated a non-traditional marketing style that no other automobile company has done before. According to Statista, Hyundai spends $2,057 per vehicle for their advertisement costs. It means Hyundai car owners are spending an additional cost to the vehicle’s actual cost value. Tesla has instead invested all their finances into making reliable vehicles that people can trust without flashy ads. In doing so, they have been able to succeed in pulling in $24.6 billion in revenue in 2019 while spending $0 on advertisements.
Like Apple, Tesla always maintains a high level of secrecy surrounding new products. It encourages their followers to be interested and excited about each new reveal bringing up the product’s hype. For example, when Tesla opened up to the public that they were making a truck, their followers came up with different illustrations and concepts and shared ideas. It was not until November 2019 that Elon Musk revealed Tesla’s new Cybertruck blowing fans out of the water. After the reveal, their fans began sharing photos of the truck, making memes about the mishap during the reveal, and pre-ordering the vehicle. All Tesla did was host a reveal to bring the product to market, and the internet took care of all the advertising for them.
Tesla has a YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, but for me, their use of Twitter takes the cake! Tesla shares their entire story online with its users educating them on new innovations and their environmental mission. They also use a lot of humour in their tweets and ask their followers to post funny things like photos of their Tesla’s in boring places. In doing so, Tesla has created a culture of sharing that encourages people to promote their vehicles and share their own stories and experiences with their cars. Tesla’s Twitter page is dedicated to its fans, so there is a huge sense of brand loyalty on the platform from all of their followers.
Another key to Tesla’s success and the reason they do not need help marketing their products is that they have the influence of Elon Musk, one of the most innovative billionaires in the world. Elon Musk is known for developing companies that are so grand they create culture shifts. SpaceX and Neuralink are just a few of the many groundbreaking companies that Musk has founded. All the companies he has created are all working towards different sustainable goals. Due to his success, many people follow him online and trust in his companies (but maybe not in his choice of baby names). Having a CEO that can be transparent and open to their consumers is very beneficial to any company’s success.
Finally, Tesla is working towards a mission that people truly believe in. Their goal towards sustainable energy and a world of autonomous vehicles is something people can get behind and believe in. Tesla has proven that you do not need to spend a lot of money on advertisements to promote. Tesla vehicles are something people can believe in, and the company’s mission is to better society for the future of others. Tesla will never have to film a cheesy car commercial to sell their vehicles because their innovative use of technology and promise to remain sustainable are enough to keep their sales high without paying to advertise.
References:
https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/29/21113987/tesla-q4-2019-earnings-results-profit-revenue-model-3
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/business/media/the-magic-in-apples-devices-the-heart.html
https://www.postbeyond.com/blog/tesla-social-media-marketing/
