Tesla has been actively advertising its latest models. While this may be normal for most companies, it’s big news for the electric car brand.
Elon Musk has always been averse to advertising. “I hate advertising,” he tweeted in 2019, relying instead on word-of-mouth endorsements from early adopters and happy customers.
However this stance has gradually shifted as Tesla fans and car websites have spotted more ads popping up on social media.
A video ad campaign has been running on Facebook, Instagram and Musk’s own platform X (formerly Twitter).
Take delivery of a new Model Y by 3/31 & get 5k free Supercharging miles. Prices increase on 4/1
— Tesla (@Tesla) March 21, 2024
At Tesla’s most recent annual shareholder meeting, Musk did hint about experimenting with advertising.
The electric car brand hasn’t been totally against advertising, and last year invested in digital ads in the U.S.
And Tesla has been experimented with buying ads on websites in recent years, according to ad-tracking companies that have sold slots to the car brand.
But the millions it reportedly spent are miniscule compared to the billions of dollars spent by rival carmakers like General Motors and Toyota.
Video ads
The bulk of Tesla’s ad spending has gone to YouTube, followed by video ads on Facebook and Instagram (owned by Meta) and X.
Musk has previously attacked Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with the two billionaires due to spar physically.
In March, a new page affiliated with Tesla began buying targeted video ads across Meta’s platforms, according to data from Meta’s Ad Library.
Tesla has also been using Google search ads to promote its cars and other products such as solar panels, according to Google’s Ads Transparency Center.
The advertising dollars may continue to flow.
