jrmckinley

I follow Elon Musk on Twitter and am a fan of his. I know there are lots of people on here who aren't fans of him and/or Tesla and I understand their perspectives, but I don't think anyone can argue with one thing he does that I think is unique and brilliant. Earlier this week he posted on Twitter to ask his followers for feedback and ideas on features to put into a pickup truck. He replies to a decent number of responses - sometimes agreeing, other times asking for more detail, and often times telling people their idea will likely be implemented. But the point is he's asking his potential customer base what they need, what they want, and what other manufacturers are missing on a social media platform where he has 22 million followers. I've seen him do this multiple times over the last 2 years I've followed him.

Across all industries, what other leaders of companies do that? I'm certainly not aware of many. How often do you look at a product or service and think "how did this make it to market - did they even survey anyone before launching/producing this?" I love that Musk does this - he builds what people want, but equally as important is how he connects with his potential audience which is very difficult to do as a billionaire CEO of a potentially controversial company. Things like this build excitement and loyalty to an individual and their company.

Anyone have a counter-point?

mmarshall

Well, given this monstrosity, he could start by making a dash that actually LOOKS like a dash.



He could also find a way to deliver reasonably well-built new vehicles, in a reasonable amount of time. Some of his customers have been waiting for the better part of two years.

jrmckinley

^^ Aware of everyone's thoughts on production (Model 3 customers knew there would be a wait when they put their deposits down- and they're not currently waiting 2 years beyond when they were promised considering the car was just produced a few months ago- but that's a different topic). Also aware that not everyone likes the look of the dash, but that's subjective. And also not what I'm asking.

I'm asking if anyone has counter-point on his approach to soliciting feedback from followers and potential customers. I view it as a big positive, and for all the people who dislike Musk and find fault in everything he does, I'm wondering if they see anything positive out of him doing this..?

mmarshall

I agree wth you on that...but, once asked, he will have to be willing to listen. Too many automotive CEO's don't.

Toys4RJill

jrmckinley

Or Musk can just get that exact same info from people on Twitter who can include pictures, videos, and specific feedback. Which is exactly what happened. I read through tons of responses and it was very specific about hauling, bed design, towing, trailer designs, etc. You're suggesting a focus group which is narrow by design. I'm sure that happens at some point, but Musk is casting a wide net to get features and functions that the broad audience wants and then will narrow the scope as they get into design and concept building.

And how is asking people what they want "not accurate" from a research perspective? To me, it's the exact opposite. As I said, I read tons of responses and they were very specific - including some back and forth dialog directly with Musk diving deeper into the requests. How much more accurate can you get? And don't forget - it's early in the process - so again you're casting a wide net to get ideas to incorporate into the design.

Toys4RJill

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i also see it more as PR than actual marketing research. plus i don't think musk trusts anyone and is probably a micro manager so feels he needs to go directly to the public.
but he keeps 'defenders of the flame' motivated.

some questions i have for tesla:
- why don't you offer leases?
- why do you think it's ok to make consumers look at a giant screen in the MIDDLE of the car for everything?
- why do you add features like 'ludicrous mode' which are just flat dangerous?
- why did you call your driving assistance features 'autopilot' and dangerously mislead consumers when it was anything but?

Toys4RJill

arentz07

1) It's not that bad. Took me a couple of minutes to adjust. Now, granted, I didn't fiddle with the stereo or climate controls once we got rolling, but looking over there to check speed wasn't a problem.
2) It's mostly just dangerous in terms of whiplash for passengers. When I drove a Model X P100D, I got to stomp the gas a coupe of times. You really have to warn the people in the back. It was crazy fast. But, if you know what you are doing, it's fun. That falls more under the heading of "this is why we can't have nice things".

Sulu

That is what Marketing and Product Development department(s) do. They are the people responsible for determining what their buyers want and need, what buyers are willing to pay for, balanced with what the manufacturer is able to offer, technically, and cost and price-wise. They go about their jobs with commitment, and they do it responsibly and formally, not in an informal "Hey, what do you want in the next Camry?" tweet.

Focus groups are one method, as well as studies and research, and keeping on top of technologies and buyers' response to technologies.

LeX2K

Cheap way to do market research, basically free. And you can steal peoples ideas with impunity.

mmarshall

I hadn't really thought of it that way, but you may have a point. And I'm not impressed with what the actual market researchers often come up with....what they say the actual potential "market" is is often not the case. GM, for example, after 2000, ruined Saturn with pi**-poor marketing, management, and research. Cadillac, Infiniti, and Acura have also been poorly-managed in recent years. Ford may also join the club with its ill-fated decision to drop all of its American-market sedans.

LeX2K

GM ruined Saturn because they couldn't leave well enough alone, had to meddle with the company. As for Musk I don't understand the vitriol running a successful car company is very difficult. 10x that when you are a start up pile on a few more levels of difficulty when you're making electric cars from scratch.

IMO Musk should not be running Tesla, or at least he needs his power dialed back. I've said this before the man reminds me very much of Steve Jobs, both with grand ideas and want to realize them before the tech is ready to make it reasonably happen. Musk made a horrible mistake thinking he could reinvent mass production. BTW the claims that he made his factory unsafe by using red instead of yellow is true I looked at vids and images of the Tesla factory the red does not stand out nearly enough. This is a decision done for vanity not for efficiency and safety. A manager intimately familiar with production lines would have never allowed this.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I agree with Marshall. People want that?! (pic below)