SLATE x Crayola partnership - Wrap Colors, Slatelets, Decals

[CorvusCorvax]

This is one of the reasons I balk at using the term "marketing" so expansively. Marketing and messaging are not synonyms. While I may agree that marketing is a subset of messaging, I just won't agree that everything a marketing department touches automatically becomes marketing by the mere fact they touch it.

I was a chemist for 35 years, and I can tell you for a fact that not everything that passed through my hands for exterior consumption was chemistry. Nor everything communicated to the outside world via telephone/email.

I keep thinking about the owner's manual. I can see that it might have the company name, plus the model name(s) on there, and those things are certainly marketing materials, developed carefully for that purpose. But the product has already been purchased, and that manual will only be seen by the owner and his/her family. Really, when was a time you have ever heard "hey, Company X makes a fantastic owners manual - best I've ever read!"? Or the converse "Company Y is super-crap about their owners manual. Don't buy their product!"?

You don't, nor does anyone, say much of anything about the design/font/content of a window sticker. Sure, marketing may actually just be rubber-stamping a ton of stuff because there's nothing there that is patently "off-brand." Saying that is "marketing" is a GIANT stretch. Just as much a me signing a P.O. for printer paper is "chemistry."

 

[pauly]

There was an outfit that was trying to do that.....20 years ago? I dont think it worked very well because I cant find them any more. :/

Yes that's probably where I thought of it, I was looking into it back then. Maybe Slate could reanimate it? Bezos certainly has enough business connections and it could help small business or maybe we would be a good target market for being part time amazon delivery like what Uber drivers would do

 

[Daemoch]

This is one of the reasons I balk at using the term "marketing" so expansively. Marketing and messaging are not synonyms. While I may agree that marketing is a subset of messaging, I just won't agree that everything a marketing department touches automatically becomes marketing by the mere fact they touch it.

I was a chemist for 35 years, and I can tell you for a fact that not everything that passed through my hands for exterior consumption was chemistry. Nor everything communicated to the outside world via telephone/email.

I keep thinking about the owner's manual. I can see that it might have the company name, plus the model name(s) on there, and those things are certainly marketing materials, developed carefully for that purpose. But the product has already been purchased, and that manual will only be seen by the owner and his/her family. Really, when was a time you have ever heard "hey, Company X makes a fantastic owners manual - best I've ever read!"? Or the converse "Company Y is super-crap about their owners manual. Don't buy their product!"?

You don't, nor does anyone, say much of anything about the design/font/content of a window sticker. Sure, marketing may actually just be rubber-stamping a ton of stuff because there's nothing there that is patently "off-brand." Saying that is "marketing" is a GIANT stretch. Just as much a me signing a P.O. for printer paper is "chemistry."

I'm gonna say I'm going to politely agree to disagree. I can lead a horse to water, but I can't make it drink.

You say you've never worked in marketing but want to tell me what it is and isnt and how it does and doesn't work. Ok. I'm not sore about it, but I am rolling my eyes.

 

[CorvusCorvax]

I'm gonna say I'm going to politely agree to disagree. I can lead a horse to water, but I can't make it drink.

You say you've never worked in marketing but want to tell me what it is and isnt and how it does and doesn't work. Ok. I'm not sore about it, but I am rolling my eyes.

I'm using the actual definition of the word, not some imaginary one. Roll your eyes at the dictionary all you like, it doesn't care.

 

[KevinRS]

The main issue I see here is some seem to want to take offense to marketing that isn't targeted at them. Slate IS going to spread out who they target with their marketing. Most trucks have a lot of marketing that Slate won't go for though, the tough guy off-roading type ads with a truck ploughing through the top of a sand dune or towing a long RV trailer or similar. It just isn't that kind of truck.
Expect to see lots of ads doing city things, hauling furniture home, stuff like that.

Right now it's pretty basic just trying to get the idea of the truck out there. Each ad or bit of marketing is putting out one little bit of the truck being different from others on the market.
The crayola collab is just pointing out that you can make it whatever color you want, using crayola because crayola has lots of bright colors you don't see on cars much, and then if you are going to use crayola, you've pretty much got to involve kids.

Closer to and probably after they start shipping, expect to see longer form ads, breaking down price and TCO etc.

 

[im_a_dirty_dirty_slate]

I do not believe you read my story with sufficient comprehension. My wife resisted the minivan female-focused marketing. I, a male, ignored the female-focused marketing. My wife was *rejecting* the mommy-based image of the minivan, even though she was exactly the target market. I was ALSO rejected the mommy-based marketing, viewing the vehicle as a very practical solution to the transport of people and gear. Only much later did she agree that I was correct in my assessment of our vehicle choices. It goes to show you that marketing can only do so much, and only have so much effect on how people view product purchase.

No amount of good marketing makes a bad product survive in the marketplace. Sure, you might get a bunch of initial sales, but as soon as people find out it was all fluff, pretty soon the *real* marketing take over - word-of-mouth. Jeep is the one thing I can think of where an objectively-crap product seems to live, and live, and live. I mean, there are exceptions to every rule.

But other than that marketing really doesn't affect me, as I said. Your pedantry about the secondary effects of successful and unsuccessful marketing attempts is really meaningless, as those sorts of effects exist for pretty much everybody, everywhere, and are tangential to this particular discussion.

Oh, I read your story, and what you highlight exactly proves my point. Minivans market to women. Your woman reject minivans. Slate markets to women. Women more likely to reject Slate. The Crayola campaign is crap cute marketing. I wasn't talking about you in particular, and I wasn't targeting every piece of Slate marketing. I ordered my slate because it's a small EV pickup. Maybe I can take off the back panel and add the commercial shell to make it a small EV van or camper. I care about the product, but I notice the marketing.

Lots of terrible products survive and even thrive in the marketplace. Are you kidding? Women are spending 100k+ to get their perfect open-air International Scouts so they can pose on Instagram. Scout didn't die because they had great products. Also, not a feminine vehicle.

The main issue I see here is some seem to want to take offense to marketing that isn't targeted at them. Slate IS going to spread out who they target with their marketing. Most trucks have a lot of marketing that Slate won't go for though, the tough guy off-roading type ads with a truck ploughing through the top of a sand dune or towing a long RV trailer or similar. It just isn't that kind of truck.
Expect to see lots of ads doing city things, hauling furniture home, stuff like that.

Right now it's pretty basic just trying to get the idea of the truck out there. Each ad or bit of marketing is putting out one little bit of the truck being different from others on the market.
The crayola collab is just pointing out that you can make it whatever color you want, using crayola because crayola has lots of bright colors you don't see on cars much, and then if you are going to use crayola, you've pretty much got to involve kids.

Closer to and probably after they start shipping, expect to see longer form ads, breaking down price and TCO etc.

I don't care if the marketing is targeted at me. No marketing is universal. I care if the marketing is going to undermine the brand of a vehicle I plan on buying. So 10k+ real orders a month ago? No idea what the orders are now. That's not going to be enough to sustain a company that plans on building 150,000 cars starting in 2027.

 

[KevinRS]

Oh, I read your story, and what you highlight exactly proves my point. Minivans market to women. Your woman reject minivans. Slate markets to women. Women more likely to reject Slate. The Crayola campaign is crap cute marketing. I wasn't talking about you in particular, and I wasn't targeting every piece of Slate marketing. I ordered my slate because it's a small EV pickup. Maybe I can take off the back panel and add the commercial shell to make it a small EV van or camper. I care about the product, but I notice the marketing.

Lots of terrible products survive and even thrive in the marketplace. Are you kidding? Women are spending 100k+ to get their perfect open-air International Scouts so they can pose on Instagram. Scout didn't die because they had great products. Also, not a feminine vehicle.



I don't care if the marketing is targeted at me. No marketing is universal. I care if the marketing is going to undermine the brand of a vehicle I plan on buying. So 10k+ real orders a month ago? No idea what the orders are now. That's not going to be enough to sustain a company that plans on building 150,000 cars starting in 2027.

That 10k was something like in the first hour. Yes they haven't been giving updates all the time on order numbers. No one does that.

 

[AZFox]

The main issue I see here is some seem to want to take offense to marketing that isn't targeted at them.

Maybe, but that's not what my beef is with marketing the $1,500 Crayola collab at the second showing after the price announcement. I just thought it was too soon.

Right now it's pretty basic just trying to get the idea of the truck out there. Each ad or bit of marketing is putting out one little bit of the truck being different from others on the market.
The crayola collab is just pointing out that you can make it whatever color you want, using crayola because crayola has lots of bright colors you don't see on cars much, and then if you are going to use crayola, you've pretty much got to involve kids.

You only get one chance to make a first impression.

I think Slate Auto should be known for accomplishing their core mission from their Re:Build beginning, which is creating USA-made vehicles that are affordable, safe, reliable, repairable, configurable, and designed with a lot of simplicity built in.

I, as an internet rando with no marketing qualifications but lots of opinions, believe the crayon collab could eventually be a good idea, but having it appear so soon wasn't a good idea.

 

[pauly]

Maybe, but that's not what my beef is with marketing the $1,500 Crayola collab at the second showing after the price announcement. I just thought it was too soon.



You only get one chance to make a first impression.

I think Slate Auto should be known for accomplishing their core mission from their Re:Build beginning, which is creating USA-made vehicles that are affordable, safe, reliable, repairable, configurable, and designed with a lot of simplicity built in.

I, as an internet rando with no marketing qualifications but lots of opinions, believe the crayon collab could eventually be a good idea, but having it appear so soon wasn't a good idea.

I didn't read this whole thread but I thought the crayola collab was a little cheesy myself.

 

[im_a_dirty_dirty_slate]

That 10k was something like in the first hour. Yes they haven't been giving updates all the time on order numbers. No one does that.

It's been a month. If they had great numbers, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops. I ordered. I look forward to my truck. I think it's wishful thinking to believe that this is a megahit right now. This forum has how many active users? Honestly, I'm surprised when anything I like becomes popular.

I didn't read this whole thread but I thought the crayola collab was a little cheesy myself.

Waxy.

 

[pauly]

It's been a month. If they had great numbers, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops. I ordered. I look forward to my truck. I think it's wishful thinking to believe that this is a megahit right now. This forum has how many active users? Honestly, I'm surprised when anything I like becomes popular.



Waxy.

First thing to do with your Slate...lick it...I triple dog dare you 😁

 

[im_a_dirty_dirty_slate]

First thing to do with your Slate...lick it...I triple dog dare you 😁

I know what you refer to, but I was thinking this: