Electric car firm Tesla runs pop-up display marketing drive ahead of local launch
Electric car manufacturer Tesla will run a third pop-up ‘showroom’ in Sydney as it continues preparations for a major launch into the local market.
The US brand has already staged pop-up displays at Bondi Junction and in Pitt Street in Sydney’s CBD – where a car was hoisted up to the sixth level of Westfield Shopping Centre – and will next week move to Macquarie Centre in Macquarie Park. Visitors will be talked through the specifications of the car and can book a test drive.
The launch of Telsa in Australia marks the next expansion stage of the company which was founded by South African-born business magnate and PayPal co-founder Elon Musk in 2003.
No above the line traditional advertising will be launched with the brand continuing its preferred strategy of driving marketing through digital and social channels. It will handle its media spend in-house with no plans to appoint external agencies.
It will open what is calls ‘service centre plus’ showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne and is also in talks over opening retail stores in shopping centres. No timeline has been given for the openings.
Australia marketing and communications manager Heath Walker, who landed the role in September having been digital marketing director of Nissan Australia for more than three years, told Mumbrella it was already attracting significant interest in Australia with 35,000 views on YouTube video of a vehicle being hoisted up the Westfield Shopping Centre.
“We have had a super positive reaction in Australia. Our vehicle at the pop-up displays have attracted a lot of interest,” he said. “You show someone there is no engine at the front of the car, show them there is no engine at the back and it leads to so many questions about its speed, range and generally how it works.”
Walker described Tesla as a technology company as much as an auto firm, with its electric powered vehicles a conversation point which leads to word-of-mouth marketing.
“People are fascinated and that is some of the best marketing you can have. It is a conversation point,” he said. “We want to drive social engagement and create a community.”
The cars have a range of up to 500km, after which the battery much be charged, with the fastest vehicle type doing zero to 100kmh in 3.4 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxGxIrf4AMo
Steve Jones
Saw the Tesla at WBJ – uber sexy – hints of the AM DB6 about it – finally a car that is about the environment that doesn’t look like the back end of a bus. Well done guys. Oh and by the way the range on this car is unbelievable. check it out!
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Car dealers must be shitting themselves.
As must a few luxury brands.
Just need to get a few more charge points up and running.
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http://vimeo.com/46985148
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Saw the Tesla at WBJ too. Very nice. The next week Suzuki had a couple of cars there, was quite a let down (hard act to follow!)
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Wake me up when a couple of cars have been sold.
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@Another Agency
There have been at least 200 pre-orders including mine that was built last week and arrives in December.
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“We don’t need an agency, we’ll just copy what everyone else is doing”
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I’d own a Tesla tomorrow if I had the folding stuff to do so.
I own a Nissan LEAF (100% electric) and it’s the smoothest, nicest car I’ve ever owned. Yes, I’ve heard all the “geez, you need a long extension cord” jokes – but the jokes on all of you as I drive past the petrol stations with you throwing $50 bills into the tank to prop up an Arab sheik.
Mine costs me about $5 to fill up at home (I just plug it in at night every 3 or 4 days) and that gets me plenty of commuting to work (the LEAF is the perfect commuter car) and running around at weekends.
Nissan’s biggest mistake is how they have (not!!!) marketed the car.
I wish Tesla all the best in Australia – it can only help with the electric car market.
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A basic information is missing: when is it going to be shown in Macquarie Centre?
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