I truly don’t care about cars. Horsepower, the number of “v”s, the model year… nope. These do nothing for me.
But ask anyone who knows me well how I feel about Tesla and you will be instantly greeted with a shake of the head or a roll of the eyes. I’ll admit it: I have a problem. I’m in love, okay maybe I have more of a stalker-esque obsession, with the Tesla brand.
Every time I see a sleek Model-S driving down the road (which in the affluent and liberal DC area is quite often) I can’t help but let out a squeal of delight. But it’s more than just their thoughtful design and impressive innovation that fuels my passion, it’s their communication strategy is perhaps the company’s most valuable asset and the true subject of my admiration.
The startup all-electric car company is breaking into perhaps the toughest market in the world: the high-end automobile industry in the United States. Dominated by big names with decades of brand building and billions of advertising budgets, many laughed at Tesla’s initial attempt to break into the market.
So Tesla decided not to try and beat the big boys at their own game – rather, they changed the game. With an on-paper advertising budget of $0, they focused all of their dollars and energy on gaining earned media attention for their new brand and innovative products. With extensive media coverage happening regularly over the last few years, Tesla’s next step was to focus on its consumer word-of-mouth and rave product reviews. By encouraging free, unlimited, no-obligation test drives at all Tesla stores and creating a website where prospective buyers and enthusiasts can virtually build their custom Model-S, Model-X, or Roadster. Tesla became a nationally recognized brand almost overnight, with a value many of their gas-fueled competitors took years longer to build.
Now Tesla has achieved what many brands would kill to have, which is what I like to call national-cult status. The aura and special feel of a cult with the recognition of a national icon. All with an advertising budget of $0. This is a bit ironic since Tesla is many advertisers’ dream client (cough, cough, me!) In fact, many young innovators are so passionate about the brand that they have been making videos for Tesla free of charge, and many have gotten national attention and gone viral.
It will be especially interesting to see how Tesla’s communication strategy and brand adapts to the recent announcement of their Model III, the much anticipated, more affordable version of the Model S. With a whole new target market, should Tesla reevaluate their brand positioning or stick with what has shown to be an effective approach?
Those are the questions I’ll be pondering until the Model III’s estimated release in 2017!
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