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What's your idea for a Tesla commercial?

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I guess Tesla has to start marketing the Model S in the conventional ways as soon as the monthly production is larger then the monthly reservations. At least soon after this happens.

So what's your idea of a Tesla commercial?

I'll start:

A father and a young son is travelling on the highway in an ICE car. Suddenly they are passed by a Signature Red Tesla Model S. Not a sound. The young boy, with an astonishing look on his face, turns to his father and asks: "Daddy, what IS that?" The father, with a dreamy look on his face answers: " That, my son, is the future"

I am sure you can do better. Be creative.
 
Don't hold your breath. I don't see Tesla doing conventional advertising anytime soon. They're opening twenty-five more store locations this year in the U.S. and Canada, as well as expanding into Europe and Asia. With 10,000 Model S sedans on public roads by this summer, the car will virtually be selling itself.
 
My vision is a shot with an idyllic family inside a quiet Tesla S talking, playing, using the touch screen, the two littlest ones in the rear-facing jump seat playing and giggling while the car waits at a stop light. Up next to them pulls some loud smoking tuner with a punk kid with a smirk on his face reving the engine. When the light changes the tuner takes off, then the S blows by him, quietly, and the two cute kids in the rear facing jump seat wave and smile at the tuner-guy as they see his face out the rear window of the S.
 
My vision is a shot with an idyllic family inside a quiet Tesla S talking, playing, using the touch screen, the two littlest ones in the rear-facing jump seat playing and giggling while the car waits at a stop light. Up next to them pulls some loud smoking tuner with a punk kid with a smirk on his face reving the engine. When the light changes the tuner takes off, then the S blows by him, quietly, and the two cute kids in the rear facing jump seat wave and smile at the tuner-guy as they see his face out the rear window of the S.

+1e9 !!
 
Well now that I have my car I am totally against them advertising at the moment. If I see a TV ad I am going to cringe and think that could have been money towards a supercharger near me!

Right now with a good backlog of reservations I don't think advertising is a good idea. If they start to bleed their backlog dry then I might think otherwise.
 
My suggestion would be to do a fully crowdsourced campaign - ask Tesla buyers to send videos of themselves and their families on the road, then just mix it with some great music (cause without the auto noise, it'll be awfully quiet). Show how people love the cars they have, how they name them, and care for them, and how they actually just work great.
 
great question. here's what i would do if I were Elon...

ONE commercial. prime-time Superbowl ad space, maybe after the first series of the game. 30 seconds of images of the Model S driving around, with a white-out filter on. beautiful natural scenery in background (ocean, mountains, prairies). and ZERO sound the whole time. then fade to black with a Tesla logo.

seriously, there is so much NOISE on Superbowl Sunday... the game, the ads, the party you happen to be at... the silence would get people's attention more than any music or words could ever do. it also alludes to the silence of the car itself.

make it abstract and artful. no pics of plugging it in, no stats. just silence and video of the car driving.
 
Ok my last comment wasn't really relevant, or well put. Here it is better.

I think Tesla should advertise with big signs above Supercharger locations. That is my idea for advertising. Maybe have a little info pedestal at each location.

For a TV spot I have always thought something really really basic, in a super[bowl] prime spot would work wonders. Maybe a static image of a White Tesla logo on a black background, "www . teslamotors . com" below that, and "American, Electric, Cars" or something simple like that. And just play the static image for 30 seconds.

It wouldn't be rated the 'best' Superbowl ad. But it sure would get a TON of buzz.

I think in Europe they should sponsor a UCI cycling team. Give them free team cars, and try to give some of the big races cars for the officials No emmisions would really be a big talking point to give the riders a break.
 
I agree, no real commercials needed at this point. But fake commercials, sure!

Funny or Die Video Transcript

"Electric Vehicles" by Tesla Signature Owner SOP

[In the vein of a cheesy promo (1m45s)]

Cast:
Suburban housewife: Felicia Day
Policeman (in Jerk mode): Wil Wheaton
Guy on Side of the Road: Nathan Fillion

Set:
Suburban house, driveway
Tesla Model S Signature
Mirror hanger, Felecia Day photoshopped with Elon Musk

(Young woman pulls into driveway, kisses Elon [signifying another safe journey], gets out. Cop rolls up behind her.)

Cop: Ma'am! I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to give you a ticket.
Woman: What for?
Cop: Not exceeding minimum noise requirements on the freeway.
Woman: I'm aware of a minimum _speed_, but minimum noise... (?)
Cop: Yes, we in the law enforcement field are very concerned that these "quiet cars" are running down old people, kids, [beat] wheelchair kids--willy-nilly, and we want it to stop.
Woman: I'm pretty sure there have been no documented cases of [interrupted]
Cop: Silence! My dream is for the government to require all "quiet cars" to have noise enhancers.

[Cut to scene of a Model S, Tesla Roadster, Nissan Leaf, and a Plug-in Prius pulling up to a four way stop. Each car has a grating sound, each more annoying than the last. Beep, Beep, Car Alarm, Foghorn, Slide whistle up and down. Guy on side of the road puts his hands to his ears. "Make it stop!". Falls down in a funny way.]

Back to main scene:
Cop: So this is one of them [with disdain] _electric_ vehicles? Don't you have to plug it in every 10 miles or so? [smug grin]
Woman: Actually, this particular model gets 265 miles or so to the charge, a bit more with these wheels [brief knowing look into camera - pan down to see non-existent aero wheels, mocks ups]. [inside joke]
Cop: [Annoyed] Really. Well, I heard on Fox News that these cars are going to overwhelm the electrical grid. Are you an eco-terrorist? [camera follows his hand slowly moving to taser on belt]
Woman: Actually, I charge at night, when electrical demand is lowest and power is cheapest.
Cop: [Annoyed] Well, you're still using the same dirty coal generated power that the rest of us are.
Woman: True, but it is easier to control emissions in one place rather than thousands of privately owned power sources.

[Pickup smoking horribly drives by, temporarily covering the policeman in smoke. Policeman coughs.]

Woman: And many EV owners actually have their own solar panels to supplement their power from the grid. As the grid gets greener, EVs look even better.
Cop: No storage, right? The batteries take up all the space? [very sure of himself]
[auto lift gate in rear]
Woman: Actually, this car has over 31 cubic feet of space.
Cop: So what ever possessed you to get this car now? [disappointed look]
Woman: Easy, it's the best car I've ever owned. Plus, 0 - 60 in 5.6 seconds. Top speed with this model is over 120. It's fun!

[Cop seen driving away. Camera pans back.]

Woman: [Opens "frunk". Throws ticket in. Turns around and starts walking back to the house. Calls to unseen person inside.] Honey, the shipment is here.

[Camera Pans Back and focuses on ticket on top. Front trunk is filled with clear bags with white powder.]

[Voiceover and Graphic] Tesla Model S: Great for hauling drugs.

[End]
Standard "The More You Know" Bumper
 
Dump truck backs up (you pick the location) and raises the truck bed. Out pours a bunch of junk, lots of noise and dust along with muffler, gas tank, transmission, engine, oil an, gas can along with the rest of the 1000 ICE parts that the Model S doesn't have.

Along comes a beautiful Model S in silence. You pick the message that displays on the screen.
 
My idea: I would to start the commercial off with images and video of the long gas lines of the 70's, then show slides of the raising cost of gas since those days. Afterwards I would fade to a video of the Model S charging in someone's garage (The shot will start with a tight view at the charging indicator and pan back to a full view of the "S") and end the commercial with the phrase"no more lines". My final shot would be the slogan "The Car Reinvented.... Tesla Model S"

- - - Updated - - -

Dump truck backs up (you pick the location) and raises the truck bed. Out pours a bunch of junk, lots of noise and dust along with muffler, gas tank, transmission, engine, oil an, gas can along with the rest of the 1000 ICE parts that the Model S doesn't have.

Along comes a beautiful Model S in silence. You pick the message that displays on the screen.

Now that is a pretty cool idea. Short and to the point. "The Car Reinvented... Tesla Model S"

- - - Updated - - -

I'll start:

A father and a young son is travelling on the highway in an ICE car. Suddenly they are passed by a Signature Red Tesla Model S. Not a sound. The young boy, with an astonishing look on his face, turns to his father and asks: "Daddy, what IS that?" The father, with a dreamy look on his face answers: " That, my son, is the future"

I am sure you can do better. Be creative.

I like your idea. I have included mine as well.

- - - Updated - - -

My vision is a shot with an idyllic family inside a quiet Tesla S talking, playing, using the touch screen, the two littlest ones in the rear-facing jump seat playing and giggling while the car waits at a stop light. Up next to them pulls some loud smoking tuner with a punk kid with a smirk on his face reving the engine. When the light changes the tuner takes off, then the S blows by him, quietly, and the two cute kids in the rear facing jump seat wave and smile at the tuner-guy as they see his face out the rear window of the S.

Lol...yeah I can see this one already.
 
Last edited:
Here's mine.

The scene opens with a close-up of a bunch of noisy battery operated toys. You know, the Duracell Bunny, the flipping Dog, the monkey with the cymbals, those little robots. They are all noisily doing their thing when out of nowhere, a 21 inch wheel slowly drives over them crushing them all. The scene goes quiet and stays quiet as the camera pans out and the Model S drives off.
The tag line would be something like "battery operated devices don't have to spoil the silence"
 
I like the crowd sourced / user generated content based idea. It is innovative in the automotive space, has lower cost, is more authentic and more on brand as a disrupter of the norm. I would stay away from TV and other traditional channels (but I'm a digital guy, so there is that) and go full digital, social and mobile. Put out an app that ICE owners can have that basically measures their cost and carbon footprint and then gives them an idea of what a Tesla would provide. Have a YouTube brand channel of owner experiences and comparing to various ICEs, testimonials about quality, cost efficiency, etc.

Also, I'd get these cars on the road and SuperChargers out there in public where people ask, "what is that?" Public test drives also are a great way to drive the addiction to the Tesla experience.

Using the passionate owners as advocates is also a way to change the sales model. Even if it was a minimal incentive (low cost) for referrals, something like badging, based on this forum alone, I bet there would be some serious sales funnel filling going on.

Come to think of it, I think Tesla needs a passionate digital marketing agency partner, perhaps headquartered in Calgary, but with a broad US footprint, who has automotive and luxury experience... I might even know a guy who is a senior leader there who has a Tesla and would love to run that business... Ok I need to stop, I'm just getting stupid giddy and have work to do.

Then again, it sure would be nice to get paid for all this passion... ((day dreaming))
 
Here's the Model S tagline I'd like to see. Maybe subtle, but no one could claim it but Tesla!

TeslaTagline.jpg
 
I like the spirit of it, but we have examples constantly of omissions in the vehicle.

Let me rephrase: I'd like for this to be the tagline, and for it to be true! [Other than for the omission of an ICE drivetrain, of course.]

Once Tesla adds parking guides, proximity sensors, adaptive cruise control, rear-seat cupholders, spare tire, all-wheel drive, power adapter with jumper cables for jump-starting conventional cars (how cool would that be?), a built-in fridge, a grappling hook, and surface-to-air missiles, THEN they can use it :cool:
 
The scene begins with a noisy, busy day on the streets of Manhattan, cars and taxis honking, people rushing on the saidewalk, sewer steams, and smoke exuast etc. Than, complete silence, we se a Model S goinng down the streat, everybody stops, total silence, heads are turning as the Tesla is going by. Screen turns to black, "No half measures, 100% electric car". We sea Tesla again, turn to the interior, the driver is using the touchscreen, again we see people in the street, still looking in silence as the Model S drives away. Fade to black screen. "The future here" "Model S" "by Tesla" with a big logo.
 
The scene begins with a noisy, busy day on the streets of Manhattan, cars and taxis honking, people rushing on the saidewalk, sewer steams, and smoke exuast etc. Than, complete silence, we se a Model S goinng down the streat, everybody stops, total silence, heads are turning as the Tesla is going by. Screen turns to black, "No half measures, 100% electric car". We sea Tesla again, turn to the interior, the driver is using the touchscreen, again we see people in the street, still looking in silence as the Model S drives away. Fade to black screen. "The future here" "Model S" "by Tesla" with a big logo.

Welcome to this friendly forum. I like your idea, but maybe a commercial like that and when the Tesla appears at the scene, absolutely no sound and the punchline: Tesla- the sound of silence.