Summary

Company: Tesla

Project: Engineered for - US Campaign

This campaign marked Tesla's first-ever advertising initiative designed specifically for promotional purposes. In the preceding three months, Tesla’s studio had relied on repurposed B-roll and footage created for non-advertising uses for their ads. This campaign, however, was crafted entirely with new, dedicated advertising content.

The ads were distributed across a variety of media channels in the United States, including YouTube, online TV, social media platforms, and native search engine display ads. The campaign had a significant impact, tripling the number of test drives and boosting web traffic in states such as Florida and California. This surge in engagement led to an immediate and noticeable improvement in sales performance.

‍

‍

What was the challenge and how we tackled it

The challenge was significant, as all eyes were on the performance of my team. We collaborated with the creative agency The Variable to develop concepts for this campaign, with the goal of showcasing the unique features that set Tesla apart and connecting with a broader audience beyond the early adopters who had previously been Tesla’s primary customers.

My team and I were deeply involved in the creative process, taking The Variable’s initial concepts and refining them into actionable ideas and storyboards that adhered to our budget and tight deadlines. Once the creative concepts received approval from all stakeholders, we executed the pre-production phase in just two weeks. Despite the campaign's U.S. launch, we conducted the shoot in the Netherlands. We meticulously selected neutral-looking locations and addressed details such as UI screens, American license plates, and Superchargers. Post-production and AI enhancements were used to give the footage a convincing Mid-Western American appearance.

The ads were distributed across various channels, including YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Meta, Instagram, LinkedIn, digital out-of-home (DOOH), digital display ads, and search engine native advertising. The campaign ran for approximately three months until the entire marketing team was laid off. At that time, the campaign was in the process of being localized for the UK, Germany, and France, where it was set to be launched across all channels as well.

‍

‍

What I did

1. Collaborated with my team to develop initial concepts and ensure they were feasible and executable as part of an integrated campaign.

2. Managed pre-production activities, including creating the project timeline, budgeting, casting, location scouting, and coordinating with both internal and external stakeholders.

3. Supervised the creative and production teams throughout the entire process.

4. Coordinated all stakeholders, including the internal film crew and external creative team.

5. Served as the primary point of contact for the Tesla management team.

6. Acted as the production lead, overseeing the entire team to ensure adherence to budget and brand guidelines throughout the project's development.

‍

‍

The outcome

As a result of the campaign, California experienced a significant increase in test drives and website visitors, with metrics doubling compared to previous figures. In Florida, the impact was even more pronounced, with test drives and website visits tripling.

After three months of the campaign being live, the overall rise in sales across the United States was attributed to a 25% increase.