Elon Musk shared Tesla’s advertising strategy on X recently.
Musk received some flak for his comments on interest rates during the latest earnings call. Analysts dropped their TSLA price targets a smidgen after hearing Musk and other Tesla executives’ concerns about Giga Mexico . A few Tesla bulls shared their thoughts on the subject and think advertising might help the company’s future in sales.
One such Tesla supporter, James Stephenson, shared his thoughts on the company’s products and the role awareness plays in its growth.
“Tesla’s ‘Master Plan’ since the beginning has been to make its cars more and more affordable over time, a strategy that has proven successful. But making products people love and reducing their prices can only drive buyer interest so far if awareness is low,” Stephenson wrote.
I said we would advertise. We are doing so at small scale and will do so at larger scale as we figure what works best.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 23, 2023
Elon Musk replied to Stephenson and shared that Tesla is actively advertising. However, Tesla plans to advertise in small doses until it determines the best strategies for large-scale advertisements.
During the Q3 2023 earnings call, Musk shared a different take on advertising than in the past.
“We are advertising. I think there is something to be gained on the advertising front,” Musk said.
In the past, Musk has been reluctant to release Tesla advertisements because he saw ads as deceptive. However, he has since changed his tune—it seems. In May 2023, Musk relented and announced Tesla would start launching advertisements for its products. Shortly after the announcement, Tesla released its first video ad featuring a Tesla Model 3 owner.
By June, Tesla released at least 18 Google ads. The company advertised its all-electric vehicles and energy products on Google. And earlier this month, an ad for the Tesla Model Y was spotted in an airport in Japan.
Musk’s thoughts on advertising have changed. However, he also believes Tesla should focus on making its vehicles more affordable.
“…informing people of a car that is great but they cannot afford doesn’t really help. So, that is really the thing that must be sold, is to make the car affordable, or the average person cannot buy it for any amount of money,” the Tesla CEO added.
The Tesla CEO discussed rising interest rates and their effects on the EV manufacturer’s future plans, including the impact on the construction of Gigafactory Mexico. Tesla’s next factory in Nuevo León is expected to produce the $25,000 next-generation car, a big step for the company.
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