News
Industry veterans weigh in on Tesla advertising strategies and their potential
The shift in Elon Musk’s stance on advertisements has caught the attention of veterans in the advertising sector. As per recent comments from several industry veterans, Tesla’s advertising strategies moving forward — especially at this stage in the EV transition — could hold significant potential for the automaker.
For years, Musk has been staunchly anti-advertisement, arguing that Tesla would rather spend the money it would allocate for ads on improving its products. While this strategy had worked in the past when Tesla was just a budding automaker, things are different now that the EV sector is becoming more populated and Tesla is already the largest player in the field.
Tesla has noted that there is no such thing as an “EV market.” There’s only the auto market. And with Tesla now producing over a million vehicles per year, the company needs to attract as many customers as possible, including those that are completely unaware of the advantages of electric cars. Tal Jacobson, incoming CEO at advertising technology company Perion Network, told Reuters that Tesla would probably adopt a unique approach for its advertising strategies.
“Tesla has not been like every other car company, and it’s not going to start now, so expect breakthrough creative that speaks to Tesla’s disruptive technology and personality. His ability to use the media to amplify his brand and his company’s brands is an art form,” Jacobson said.
In a comment following the 2023 Cyber Roundup, Musk shared with CNBC that he does not really have a fully formed strategy for Tesla’s advertisements just yet. However, he noted that the company’s ads have to be “informative about a product” and “aesthetically pleasing.” “It should have some artistic element to it. And it should be something that you don’t regret watching after it’s done,” Musk said.
Bob Gruters, chief revenue officer at streaming platform Loop Media, noted that Tesla would probably not spend excessively on a brand mosaic similar to what Apple did with its iconic 1984-inspired Macintosh commercial that aired during Super Bowl XVIII. “I don’t think Musk would spend elaborately on a brand mosaic like Apple did, but… a minimalistic yet futuristic approach is what I’d see him taking,” Gruters said.
Kimberly Whitler, a professor at the University of Virginia’s business school, also stated that while Musk is effectively the face of Tesla, the CEO’s polarizing persona might not be a good fit for an advertising campaign. “Is he an effective ambassador? My guess is that there is a less polarizing, more motivating and compelling way to communicate the brand’s benefits than using Musk as a spokesperson,” Whitler said.
-
Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments, shared his optimism about Tesla’s new direction. “Obviously, they’re going to have to focus on what’s good for the environment and also that it is a car of the future as opposed to your father’s Oldsmobile,” Martin said.
Advertising intelligence firm Vivvix estimated that Tesla spent roughly $151,947 on advertising in the United States last year. Ford, on the other hand, spent $370 million, Toyota spent $1.1 billion, and General Motors (GM) spent about $1.35 billion on US ads. Globally, GM is estimated to have spent $4 billion on advertising and promotions last year. This was nearly twice as much as Ford, which is estimated to have spent $2.2 billion last year.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads-up.
Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.
As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.
Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:
New Animation Screen for 3/Y
Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.
The new animation screen on Model 3/Y with the 2026 Summer Update
Apparently color will also be customizable: pic.twitter.com/wSdwggtG3S
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 27, 2026
Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.
Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Grok Improvements
Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:
@Tesla‘s AI assistant (Grok) with its new vehicle commands in action.
Set the climate, your destination and vehicle settings all in one go! pic.twitter.com/0bBTqaAk6G
— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) July 28, 2026
You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.
This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.
Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.
Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.
This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.
However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.
Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?
While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.
AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.
This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.
Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.
Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.
But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:
Tesla has finally turned off the blinker/turn signal noises in their Model Y Robotaxis.
This is a small update, but will definitely be noticeable for riders. It didn’t really make much sense to leave the turn signal sound on when it’s Unsupervised. pic.twitter.com/ITwx60PAMO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2026
However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.
Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.
I kind of like it being on, threw me off when riding with Zoox who has had it disabled
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) July 27, 2026
Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.
The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
Tesla briefly offered this Robotaxi part for your personal car
