Question

Integrated Marketing Communications

How integrated marketing communications can add value for Tesla customers. Considering your new target market and any modifications, new product line extensions or new products you may have developed to serve the new target market needs, create your 'Big Idea" to be the basis of the message strategy for all your marketing communications.

Answer 1

IMC is the process of developing, implementing and evaluating a series of communications where the design and execution matches the media and message; yet is inherently connected and similar (Keller, 2001). Reinold and Tropp (2010) propose these four pillars of IMC:

(1)Stakeholders: taking a stakeholder-centred perspective, this places a special focus on customers. (2)Content: using unique, relevant and consistent content. (3)Channels: strategically integrating all possible touch points that customers come in to contact with. (4)Results: the main goal is to produce positive and measurable results for the brand.

In order to ‘integrate’ their marketing, a brand must unite the messages conveyed across its ‘touch points’. A touchpoint is a physical or digital space in which consumers interact with a brand. Touch points must not only be integrated with one another, but in order to maximise their effectiveness, they must contain relevant and suitable messages and content for their particular medium. Touch points include: Advertising, Social Media, Point-of-Sale, Digital Platforms, Promotions and PR.

Advertising

Tesla are at the pinnacle of innovation in terms of their product and also of their marketing communications. Traditional ‘advertising’ does not feature at the forefront of their marketing strategy; they have not produced the typical plethora of television adverts usually associated with a new car. Rust and Oliver (1994) claimed even then that: ‘mass media advertising as we know it is on its deathbed’.

Social

Rather than advertise in a traditional sense, Tesla have fully embraced social media as a channel for creating dialogue, and disseminating messages to consumers. Tesla call their customers ‘enthusiasts’, and encourage the sharing of their ownership stories online. Some of the most popular content on the Tesla YouTube channel is devoted to a series named ‘customer stories’. In addition to this, there are several instructional or informational videos which seek to inform consumers of the various parts of a Tesla car and how they work. The aim of these is clearly to inspire consumer trust in electric cars. Features pro?led in depth include the autonomous driving feature ‘Autopilot’, and the car’s control system navigated by the large touchscreen in the dashboard. Tesla’s Facebook feed has a similar focus on their consumers rather than traditional marketing messages. The most recent posts on Tesla’s social Facebook page are two videos of young children using miniature Tesla Model S’s, and an article about how one man’s Tesla saved his life in an accident (as well as all the savings he makes driving an electric car). The Instagram feed of Tesla re?ects this community-focussed feel, with a softly persuasive undertone. A mix of staged photographs, stills from press or launch events and more customer stories are the mainstay of the Instagram feed. Consumers are told and shown the bene?ts of a Tesla without being subjected to a hard corporate sell.

At-a-Glance Social Pro?le

Facebook: 1.5m likes

Twitter: 1.04m followers

Instagram: 703,000 followers

LinkedIn: 684,906 followers

YouTube: 184,975 subscribers; 16.8m total views

Point-of-Sale

Matching their innovative and industry changing ethos, Tesla’s dealership network is unlike that of any other manufacturer. The retailing of these vehicles is much more akin to a technology store than traditional car showroom. Generally there is a small collection of complete vehicles, and one vehicles incomplete frame showing the batteries. These stores are staffed with ‘brand representatives’ who do not “sell” cars, but merely facilitate the creation of a customer’s vision or answers their questions. Tesla stores feature a minimal layout and copious use of large touch screens and interactive displays - something any Apple customer will be suitably familiar with. Owing to the small footprint of the average Tesla store, they have been able to establish a decent dealer network with little difficulty securing land and building showrooms; instead many Tesla stores are housed in existing retail centres.

Digital Platforms

Making good use of the modern digital platforms available to any brand is essential. A brand’s website and any official apps are a great way to connect with customers, and often serve as the main medium for serious enquiries and sales other than a store. The Tesla website is clean, simple and functional - even a technophobe could ?nd their way around. There is also an app through which customers can control and monitor several metrics about their vehicle. Information such as charge status and time, remote unlocking, pre-heating and cooling as well as tracking of the vehicle can be done through their app. These digital platforms focus on simplicity, ease of use and functionality. The digital platforms used by Tesla add value to the product and customer experience by making the user’s life easier and more convenient.

Promotion

Perhaps the most signi?cant and recent promotional activity performed by Tesla was the launch of the Model III. The Model III is Tesla’s foray in to a more affordable market segment in order to bolster sales ?gures and drive growth. The company launched their new model at a keynote event hosted by CEO, Elon Musk. Such an event, the norm with a tech launch not a car launch, created signi?cant buzz and online conversation among social commentators, bloggers and customers alike.

Even prior to this event, prior to the official reveal of the design of this new car, Tesla received nearly 200,000 preorders (WSJ, 2016). It is simply inconceivable that 200,000 people would order a car from any other manufacturer without seeing it ?rst!

The launch of the Model III went some way to repairing the ridicule received after the poor launch of the Model X, the brand’s SUV. CEO Elon Musk again hosted, but delivered a poor keynote and often stumbled on his words. In addition, the live stream, and subsequent recorded stream was rough and lacked any feeling of ?nesse. This hiccup hampered the slick and high tech image of Tesla for a short while. Despite this PR disaster, the company reiterated its position and brand message, through an Integrated Marketing Communications campaign, and is stronger than ever.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tesla is a great case for the effective use of IMC in an automotive context. Their marketing content, across all of their channels is integrated in style and approach; simple, professional and functional with no hard sell. Tesla believe that their product can speak for itself. Company branding and language is used across the board, and through the advent of their community focus they appear sincere and approachable. Through the use if IMC, Tesla have built a reputable brand focussing on innovation. The manner in which they market themselves as a brand through every channel is an innovation in the automotive industry; and therefore they have created an enviable brand image of dependability coupled with disruptive innovation.