Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s first electric pickup truck at an event in Los Angeles in 2019. The event included an on-stage demo to showcase the bulletproof capabilities of the electric pickup truck. During the promotional event, Elon Musk addressed the general public directly to announce Tesla’s intentions to compete against Ford’s F Series and Chevrolet’s Silverado with its innovative new model. The CEO employed multiple channels to communicate to the audience during the event, including a live face-to-face presentation, live streaming of the discussion, and a recorded video. The aim of this paper is to analyze Musk’s message, evaluate the effectiveness of the channels, and discuss the potential for feedback.
The main message that Elon Musk passed to the audient is that Tesla’s first pickup truck is a futuristic pickup that stands out from all the competitors in the market. The all-electric pickup dubbed the ‘Cybertruck’ is the sixth vehicle model since the inception of Tesla in 2003. Elon Musk used the company’s signature promotional event to showcase the positive attributes of the truck, including its unique design, self-driving capabilities, and driver-assist features. The channels of communication adopted during the event were quite effective in meeting the goals that the organization had in mind. For instance, the on-stage demos were effective in demonstrating to the audience how much of a beating the pickup truck could take. The design leader used a sledgehammer and a metal ball to demonstrate the robust design of the truck. The promotional event was also streamed online on various platforms to reach a wider audience around the world (Owen & Humphrey, 2009). Musk also showed a recorded video to take a dig at its main competitor Ford. The video showed a tug-of-war between the Cybertruck and the F-150.
Tesla’s promotional event was designed to maximize feedback from the audience of potential customers and the general public. The live face-to-face discussion on the features of the new electric truck was useful in providing immediate feedback. The reaction of the audience during the unveiling, including the applause and non-verbal language, help Tesla gauge their feedback. Besides, members of the audience were offered the opportunity to ask questions and share their opinions on the new product with company officials (Lazarević-Moravčević, 2019). The open discussion between the audience and the company officials during the promotional event enabled Tesla to collect much-needed feedback. Besides, the live streaming of the event and media coverage sparked conversation on various social media platforms, which provided valuable feedback.
Elon Musk’s message is an effective example of leadership. The communication habits of leaders tend to demonstrate passion and engagement with the subject matter (Miller & Barbour, 2014). Throughout the live presentation, Musk speaks passionately about the outstanding features of the new electric truck, which helps engage the audience. Unlike managers who strive to avoid controversy in their communication, Elon Must thrives in it. He capitalized on the presentation to aim a dig at Tesla’s competitors and to underline the superior qualities of the Cybertruck. I believe that a manager should use the same channels of communication as Elon Musk to relay a message. However, a manager’s communication will tend to be more general to avoid causing offense and attracting blame.
In conclusion, Elon Musk held a successful event that enabled him to communicate effectively with the audience. During the event, the CEO unveiled the long-awaited Tesla’s first electric pickup truck, which features a futuristic design and bulletproof glass. The channels of communication adopted, including live discussion, recorded video, and live streaming, was effective in relaying the message to the target audience.
References
Lazarević-Moravčević, M. (2019). Characteristics of the marketing communication strategy of a small enterprise. Economic Analysis, 52(2), 104-112.
Miller, K., & Barbour, J. (2014). Organizational communication: Approaches and processes. Cengage Learning.
Owen, R., & Humphrey, P. (2009). The structure of online marketing communication channels. Journal of Management and Marketing Research, pp. 2, 1.
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