Tesla dissolves its PR department

Post by rsynnott » Tue, Oct 06, 2020, 4:33 PM UTC

dougmwne wrote: post #45

logicOnly wrote: post #29

"There are obviously still people arranging test-drive promotions for YouTubers but their role isn’t in a traditional public relations capacity." Remember when people used to say Tesla doesn't do marketing? The last few years of Tesla has been quite sobering for myself as I had my worldview flipped upside down. With Elon/Tesla, as more information has come out with time, it's been disenchanting. I was sold a capitali…

I get that Elon is controversial and puts a lot of bull out there. And yet, without him, electric cars would still be in their infancy and rockets would not be landing themselves. These technologies do not develop themselves and market niches do not magically get filled. Many things happen in the world because a single wealthy person wants them to happen. My recommendation is not put too much stock in the future prom…

Post by gamblor956 » Tue, Oct 06, 2020, 4:47 PM UTC

rsynnott wrote: post #91

dougmwne wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get that Elon is controversial and puts a lot of bull out there. And yet, without him, electric cars would still be in their infancy and rockets would not be landing themselves. These technologies do not develop themselves and market niches do not magically get filled. Many things happen in the world because a single wealthy person wants them to happen. My recommendation is not put too much stock in the future prom…

> And yet, without him, electric cars would still be in their infancy and rockets would not be landing themselves This seems... dubious? The chronology is: Smart EQ: 2007 (in tiny numbers; niche non-mass-market product) Tesla Roadster: 2008 (in tiny numbers; niche non-mass-market product) Nissan Leaf: 2010 Renault Zoe: 2012 Tesla Model S: 2012 The Leaf was a big seller, and the Zoe outsells Tesla's entire line-up in…

Post by modeless » Tue, Oct 06, 2020, 4:58 PM UTC

sosborn wrote: post #90

modeless wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why, so they can put out a limply worded two sentence denial for every news outlet in the country to dunk on? Bad press happens. I'm sure journalists love it when companies engage directly with them but I'm not sure that it results in more favorable coverage on average. They still have a blog and a Twitter account. If they want to make statements they can tell the public directly instead of favoring specific journali…

> If they want to make statements they can tell the public directly instead of favoring specific journalists with private communications. Who is going to do that when you get rid of the PR department? I mean sure, someone can do it, but then they are doing PR work on top of whatever other work is on their plate.

Post by rsynnott » Tue, Oct 06, 2020, 5:01 PM UTC

gamblor956 wrote: post #93

rsynnott wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And yet, without him, electric cars would still be in their infancy and rockets would not be landing themselves This seems... dubious? The chronology is: Smart EQ: 2007 (in tiny numbers; niche non-mass-market product) Tesla Roadster: 2008 (in tiny numbers; niche non-mass-market product) Nissan Leaf: 2010 Renault Zoe: 2012 Tesla Model S: 2012 The Leaf was a big seller, and the Zoe outsells Tesla's entire line-up in…

Mitsubishi's iMiev (2009) was the first EV to sell more than 10,000 units. Toyota RAV4 EV was released in 2003 though it was only available for lease (leasors could buy the vehicle at the end of the lease). Indeed, the RAV4 EV 2nd Generation is the reason Tesla exists as a going concern today; without Toyota's cash infusion, Tesla would just be another Faraday Motors in car history. Ford released an EV truck in 1998…

Post by snowwrestler » Tue, Oct 06, 2020, 5:03 PM UTC

xiphias2 wrote: post #10

xphilter wrote: post #2

Can someone with experience with this help me understand the point of a PR team to talk to press? As an outsider, it just looks like another form of marketing—-never confirm or deny anything and just put out press releases that are filled with business jargon. And when it’s actual a sticky situation, any communication is going to be drafted by legal or execs. Maybe I’m wrong though.

It's great to talk to a press if the press has goals aligned with the company: make people more aware of a product / service. As an example my girlfriend wrote a book, she talked to the press about it, which made interesting content for the newspaper and the radio, and got some recognition in return for free. But as Tesla doesn't pay for advertising (unlike its ICE competitors), the incentives are not aligned, so Tes…