Talking Tesla: The Creative Car Ninja

How does an automobile company roll out its ‘labour of love’ to the world without making any noise?  No celebratory hoots or self-appreciating applause or tall loops of praises are heard– well then that’s Tesla. Its ‘Zero policy’ that says no to advertising or offers or even protecting its patents at that, rarely says hello to the media with its announcements or launches or anything at all. And what an interesting culture to dwell in, where everything is marked by pure faith – generating the good business model in a dog-eat-dog industry and mostly on autopilot (pun intended).

The rare marketing model falls far from the usual, but falls quite like an asteroid, impact intact – a game changer that is taking the motor giant in a league of its own. Looks like money is not quite on Big Boss Musk’s mind, but hey lets ask questions like: Aren’t electric cars a difficult domain? Doesn’t that bother them?  Well they say Tesla is ‘a tech company that happens to make cars’. Don’t we already love their lack of regard for conventions. It’s better to generate thoughts than to put them into the customer mind, isn’t it Tesla?

Creativity they say is lead by thinking out of the box and here they don’t fit in one making it a model, rather novel game plan. Its interesting how their work does the talking – with the company constantly revamping their technology by the month. Its first car, the Roadster broke the norms saying “Hello! I am a car, and not a golf cart”. It took away the rather awkward looking designs that had become characteristic to Electric cars. Then they rolled out the Model S, competing fairly well with their gasoline friends who have ruled the roost since a long time now. It’s nice to anticipate when it comes to Tesla – two more to come and many more to count.

Here is to the most creative marketing and customer strategy that does little to justify ‘marketing’ and ‘strategy’, and more to be just to you and stand for ‘just you’.

Hello there! Yes, you Mr. Customer!

The core to their service is the conversations they have with their customers keeping every third party out and avoiding a loop.

I’m Sorry! I made a mistake.

They try and they fail, but they admit and eradicate. Yes, that’s what they do – experiment and better themselves by the day and better their cars in every way. Let’s applaud the safest car on the street.

No fuel station? We’ll build them for you Sir.

What does the customer look for after all? Great service. They make a sweeter deal. You don’t pay. You just drive.

Ah! Now that’s where they’ve got us. The no plan was a great plan after all. Its interesting how the ‘we don’t talk much’ makes for great curiosity and mystery. Innovation sure does lead the way, but quick innovation is always bonus and Tesla has maneuvered the market to believe in theirs.

As the Indian markets warm up to their warm handshake, Tesla has been making history since it was born. This is not just because they were good but because they made a good plan, put on their thinking caps and approached the markets as a creative automobile solution. In a market that lacks thought, Tesla chose to curate and reach the masses directly. How do you make a car that says ‘electric’ look so good and perform that well too? Lets leave that to your imagination.

Illustration : Hasmukh Makwana