Opinion / Tesla’s S3XY shorts prove Elon Musk’s storytelling genius – sold out in minutes, the sexy satirical sportswear is a luxury marketing masterclass from Kanye West’s bestie
With a simple pair of shorts – and a keen and irreverent wit – the SpaceX founder and Kanye West friend and supporter offers object lesson in luxury brand-building
This story is part of STYLE's Inside Luxury column.
A luxury brand’s value is not only decided by the quality of its products or their price tags, but by the storytelling around the brand.
One of the best storytellers alive is Elon Musk. Tesla’s ascent to become the world’s most valuable car company is not only driven by its continuously increasing lead in creating electric cars, but also by some of the best storytelling of any brand.
Tesla’s ambition is to accelerate sustainable transport – this makes it the only larger car brand focused on this single purpose, while other brands talk about sustainability as one of several objectives. As long as other car companies are still invested in fossil fuel engines, they can’t compete with this purity of focus. Tesla’s message is much simpler and more powerful than if a traditional brand says, “we believe in sustainability and have the objective to sell 80 per cent of our cars as electric versions by 2030.” Tesla can say “we are electric”, versus “we would like to be electric but aren’t yet – please bear with us.”
The more straightforward a story is, the more value is created. Now Tesla is more valuable than Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW combined. This should be a wake-up call for incumbent car companies to change from lip service and PR stunts towards action and dramatically improved brand storytelling. If the story is not simple, they will lose relevance and as no one likes a story they’ve heard before, copying is not an option.