During Tesla’s 2023 annual meeting of shareholders, CEO Elon Musk announced that the company would venture into advertising, a departure from its longstanding practice of eschewing traditional marketing methods. Tesla has relied on alternative strategies such as email campaigns, referral programs, and Musk’s prolific tweeting to generate popularity and awareness.
In 2017, Tesla even embraced homemade ads created by its loyal customers through an advertising contest initiated by a supporter’s young daughter. The initiative, named Project Loveday, crowned YouTuber and tech reviewer Marques Brownlee as the winner.
Back in 2010, Advertising Age recognized Tesla as one of “America’s hottest brands,” attributing its success to the quality of its products and word-of-mouth promotion by early adopters. Musk acknowledged this organic approach, stating, “Our owners become our ambassadors.”
However, Tesla now aims to promote new car features and emphasize the affordability of its vehicles. Musk expressed openness to exploring advertising as a means to achieve these objectives during a discussion with Kevin Paffrath, a Youtuber and financial analyst. Paffrath suggested highlighting features like over-the-air updates and debunking the misconception that Teslas are prohibitively expensive.
