Abstract

This case study explores American multinational automotive and clean energy company Tesla Inc.’s ground breaking approach to marketing, where it defied traditional norms by relying on zero paid advertising, focusing on word-of-mouth, viral marketing, and CEO Elon Musk's personal brand. Tesla's innovative strategy leveraged customer advocacy, social media engagement, and product excellence to generate a global buzz. The case highlights how Tesla leveraged customer advocacy, product excellence, and its founder Musk’s clout following to generate global interest and create a loyal customer base.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand how non-traditional marketing channels can be used to drive brand awareness.
• Analyze brand advocacy as a growth tool
• Illustrate the impact of social media & leadership influence on the success of a brand
• Discuss how innovation can be used as a marketing tool

Keywords

Tesla; Zero Paid Advertising; Personal Branding; Viral Marketing; Customer Advocacy; Brand Advocacy; Social Media Engagement; Elon Musk; Customer Base; Leadership Influence; Non-traditional Marketing