7 ms·

Do you consider all marketing to be a waste of time? Because that's what the flamethrowers are. And they're fantastic.

iancmceachern 4y ago
They aren't marketing. They don't sell cars. It's easy to just call everything marketing, but show me hard data on how fossil fueled flamethrowers sell more electric cars and I'll bow out immediately.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- kube-system 4y ago
  Academically, it would fall under “guerrilla marketing”. It is a high risk, high reward technique. If it pays off, you can get quite a lot of attention for very little money.
- koonsolo 4y ago
  PR is marketing, and Elon Musk 100% nailed PR. Tesla doesn't do advertising. You know why? Because they 100% nail PR. Some people claim tesla doesn't do marketing because they don't do advertising, but that is completely wrong. PR is marketing. Shooting a Tesla into orbit was just brilliant PR. Every news outlet covered it. And for them, because they both have SpaceX and Tesla, it was both unique, and very doable. And the flamethrower the same thing. We are talking about it now, right? Elon Musk remains at the top of the news pages. Incredible how he can pull that off. If you think PR is easy, try doing PR. I tried doing PR, and I can tell you it's fucking hard.
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    Yes, we're talking about it, but I don't and won't own a Tesla product. I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. What's incredible is the work product of the engineers and technicians they work for him. Not a man baby making sharp pointy things that burn down the house. That doesn't take vision or knowledge, just no one to tell you "no".
    - koonsolo 4y ago
      > I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. I'll give you $5000 if you can get my product rpgplayground.com on top of the mainstream media. If you find it easy, I will be happy to pay you the $5k.
      - koonsolo 4y ago
        Getting downvoted here. Putting your money where your mouth is doesn't seem to be appreciated here on HN. Anyway, anybody selling a product will tell you that building the product is the easy part. But of course, if you never ran a company, it's easy to think that the engineering is the hardest part.
      - iancmceachern 4y ago
        It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. It would be like me saying it's easy to design a 3d printed box, given I have solidworks and the skillset. It doesn't mean it's hard just because someone else may not have those resources. It's still easy.
        eric_cc 4y ago
        > a man baby > It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. How did he get those resources? Start there. Do what he did to get those resources.. Or don't. Just post online like a hater instead.
        greycol 4y ago
        Leaving alone whether or not people pointing out definicies in Musk are doing so from a place of uninformed jealousy you seem either uninformed on Musk or in a rather out of touch priveleged position. Start at being born to an emerald mine owner (or equivalent) and use that capital for your first business is not advice that many people can follow, regardless of Musk executing the steps after that to the point that he was richest man in the world.
  - prawn 4y ago
    Previously the stunts were smart. Now, I'm not so sure. He's in the news cycle at the moment for consistently negative reasons. It's deterred me from buying a Tesla. He might get some traction with a new set of customers by playing the culture wars, but I'd guess he's alienating a number of people who would've otherwise been very interested. Creates a great opportunity for rival manufacturers as they (slowly) bring products to market.
iancmceachern 4y ago
No, but I consider these specific things a waste of time.

They aren't marketing. They don't sell cars. It's easy to just call everything marketing, but show me hard data on how fossil fueled flamethrowers sell more electric cars and I'll bow out immediately.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
kube-system 4y ago
Academically, it would fall under “guerrilla marketing”. It is a high risk, high reward technique. If it pays off, you can get quite a lot of attention for very little money.
koonsolo 4y ago
PR is marketing, and Elon Musk 100% nailed PR. Tesla doesn't do advertising. You know why? Because they 100% nail PR. Some people claim tesla doesn't do marketing because they don't do advertising, but that is completely wrong. PR is marketing. Shooting a Tesla into orbit was just brilliant PR. Every news outlet covered it. And for them, because they both have SpaceX and Tesla, it was both unique, and very doable. And the flamethrower the same thing. We are talking about it now, right? Elon Musk remains at the top of the news pages. Incredible how he can pull that off. If you think PR is easy, try doing PR. I tried doing PR, and I can tell you it's fucking hard.
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  Yes, we're talking about it, but I don't and won't own a Tesla product. I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. What's incredible is the work product of the engineers and technicians they work for him. Not a man baby making sharp pointy things that burn down the house. That doesn't take vision or knowledge, just no one to tell you "no".
  - koonsolo 4y ago
    > I don't think it's incredible, it's easy. I'll give you $5000 if you can get my product rpgplayground.com on top of the mainstream media. If you find it easy, I will be happy to pay you the $5k.
    - koonsolo 4y ago
      Getting downvoted here. Putting your money where your mouth is doesn't seem to be appreciated here on HN. Anyway, anybody selling a product will tell you that building the product is the easy part. But of course, if you never ran a company, it's easy to think that the engineering is the hardest part.
    - iancmceachern 4y ago
      It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. It would be like me saying it's easy to design a 3d printed box, given I have solidworks and the skillset. It doesn't mean it's hard just because someone else may not have those resources. It's still easy.
      - eric_cc 4y ago
        > a man baby > It would be easy given his resources (publicist, etc.) I don't have those same resources. How did he get those resources? Start there. Do what he did to get those resources.. Or don't. Just post online like a hater instead.
        greycol 4y ago
        Leaving alone whether or not people pointing out definicies in Musk are doing so from a place of uninformed jealousy you seem either uninformed on Musk or in a rather out of touch priveleged position. Start at being born to an emerald mine owner (or equivalent) and use that capital for your first business is not advice that many people can follow, regardless of Musk executing the steps after that to the point that he was richest man in the world.
- prawn 4y ago
  Previously the stunts were smart. Now, I'm not so sure. He's in the news cycle at the moment for consistently negative reasons. It's deterred me from buying a Tesla. He might get some traction with a new set of customers by playing the culture wars, but I'd guess he's alienating a number of people who would've otherwise been very interested. Creates a great opportunity for rival manufacturers as they (slowly) bring products to market.

iancmceachern 4y ago

No, but I consider these specific things a waste of time.