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Aptera Ads and Advertising / Marketing
The findings in this video could match aptera’s statements:
- 102 Replies
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Aptera Ads and Advertising / Marketing
updated 2 days, 12 hours ago 62 Members · 102 Replies -
Len’s response to the Chuckles topic brought in the sound of running water. That brought back to mind a chuckle I had when thinking about the Aptera left in a Tesla Charging center that flooded.
In my vision, there are 20 Tesla superchargers with five or six flooded Tesla’s, water lapping on the hoods, but still plugged to the charging stations and, of course, an Aptera. Seems this charging station was built in a flood plain and, of course, all the Tesla’s are underwater while the Aptera is floating, alone.
As this is a photo headlining an Aptera magazine ad. It’s headline is:
A) Aptera: A perfect car for an imperfect world
B) Aptera: Ready for climate change
C) Shouldn’t perfect cars float?
The accompanying video shows the Aptera driver entering the floating Aptera from a john boat who unplugs the Aptera, starts it and, with water flying, proceeds to ‘paddle its way’ out of the flooded parking lot. As it hits pavement the Aptera takes off laying three strips of rubber in its wake (visible since the camera is located just behind the Aptera as it exits the water.)
As the Aptera speeds into the horizon, on screen the following line pops:
Aptera: The perfect personal car will never let you down.
I’m now thinking of how Aptera can condense its safety into a magazine ad and 30 second TV spot. My first thought would be to remove the motors and battery and then put it in the Niagra River and let it fall off the falls with the notion that, like the barrel people who survived the plunge, so too can Aptera … but that may not be true 🙂 and the task of getting permissions is probably impossible.
Thoughts then flew back to “The Blue’s Brother” and I remember the Pinto Wagon being dropped from a helicopter – we never saw the Pinto after it hit terra firma. In this comparison, the Aptera and a handful of other cars are dropped like the Pinto or driven off a cliff (Think Thelma and Louise).
Of course all this is premature as there will be crash tests conducted by the IIHS. I do know that the one video of the Smart Car smashing into a fixed barrier at 70 mph was dramatic. I can’t help but wonder, though, if the Aptera will literally bounce, especially in the offset collision with a barrier… and wonder if that is necessarily bad.
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I heard of Curious George but ….Clever George!????
I think Aptera can use their great Aptera photos on the California coast and grow “our great lyrics”..
“From Sea to Shining Sea”… as in their global dream …they are not li mited to our shores
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Maybe too early for marketing dollars to be spent. The fan base is beyond amazing, and the judgement of crash tests, EPA ratings for how many miles/ MPGe is going to be a huge selling point. Just guessing but if more than 3% or 4% of the folks out there have heard of Aptera, if that. Meaning that once the production begins cranking them out, millions of people will twist their heads around when they first see it. Steve, at Aptera’s Owners Club, has done a yeoman’s job, but still many have never heard the name, or seen a drawing of it. Steve is getting number 17, from a man wanting to wait for the 1000 mile range. Believe me, I bet dollars to donuts, that Steve will be out there telling all he can about Aptera. The Automotive world, will write it up, as an upstart automatically gets press coverage. Sorry but spending money on marketing this product makes little sense to me. Like Sandy Monro said, when you see an Aptera on the road, you will not confuse it with a Honda, or Toyota or anything else. It’s so different, that until the order book shrinks below 10,000 waiting in line, why waste the money? Tesla is just starting to advertise, that tells me a great deal.
In any case the stuff we all know, will be there to market the vehicle and safety, plus efficiency will be enough of a story to get folks interested. Volvo and Saab used safety as a huge selling point, my guess is Aptera can too. Crash tests will be very important. Over 330/345 MPGe will get noticed and bring out the cheapest of the Prius owners. Taking a vehicle to the auto shows in Detroit, NYC, Los Angeles, Paris, Frankfort and others will suffice for a marketing effort for a few years.
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A proximity alarm. The Aptera will catch attention. Given this reality, an alarm system that plays a recorded message under various circumstance or touch saying. “Please be respectful. Please standback This is an all electric 1000 mile range Aptera. Information on me is available at aptera.us with plenty of video, information & close up pictures there.”
Turn the Aptera logo to a QRcode (or provide one below) that can also take them to an opening Aptera video, then info. & website.
Abbreviate or change but you get the idea. Why not the verbal recording first then an extreme intense screech after. Remote message to your phone or app with camera(s) providing a feed upon each warning/commercial.????
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I can see this as a promotional tool used on the Aptera Tour of Events. lol It could do the work for them while they were at lunch or taking a break.
The QR code could also give them your referral code to help you get that free car.
“Save $30 by scanning this code”
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I want my Aptera alarm system to function just like this: https://youtu.be/EYvrziE4feI
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I sent out an email to some from friends with the subject matter
“Ask your doctor if Aptera is right for you”, because let’s face it, Aptera almost sounds like a made up drug name.
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In my view, Aptera is not for everyone, because not all of us are that cool, or adventurous, or have a vision that changes the 100 year old automotive paradigm. Tesla is just a car with electric motors instead of an internal combustion engine. the other electrics from Porsche- ford are even less interesting. 1/4 the power consumed per mile as Tesla, thus 4x the range on the same battery pack. no need to plug in for the typical commute. coolest looking vehicle on the planet. Count me in.
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I come from a racing background. I really enjoy the performance numbers including the range. The base model is not too far off of entry car range, but nothing for the price can match the performance or the mileage. One of the things I’m looking at is an all-wheel drive 250 mile range model to have as my speed demon and race around vehicle. I like the idea of attracting young buyers and racing enthusiasts, I think it makes for a great future.
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I don’t really think Aptera should invest much in advertising this early in the game. When they have a few thousand vehicles on the road I think they will get swamped with orders. It is not good to make people wait too long after seeing an ad for something before they can own it.
That being said; The words I have heard Chris say a number of times now, and that I believe needs to be said until it sinks in is ” If you start with the equation – you end up with this.” In what shape do you transport two people, sitting comfortably upright, side by side in the most efficient manner possible. Aptera – the shape of things to come. ( And maybe just for spite – have it drive past a dilapidated, cobweb covered and dirty Exxon station with the sign hanging from one bolt holding the corner up.)
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“Imagine FREE Fuel” APTERA Driving past Fuel Cost Signs
“Carbon-Free Fuel” APTERA Parked by Pretty Flowers
“New Motoring Sounds” Cockpit View (at Speed) of Beautiful Place/National Park, Luciano Pavarotti Track “VINCERO”
“Leave No Trace” APTERA passing by at Speed
“Late Arriving” Two Clips – One of Noisy Car, Date Gets out, Lights Come on…APTERA arriving, Kiss Good Night, No Lights Come on
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I think they should be funny and really focus on the range aspect of things.
Like the Toyota Prius commercials where they just go on and on and don’t run out of gas.
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Hi, John. Looks like you stirred up the hornet’s nest — in a good way!
I tend to agree that doing a TV-worthy commercial this early in the game is not a good idea. I’ve been brainstorming Aptera advertising slogans for some time. Others have as well. My personal favorite so far is this one that popped into my brain the other day: “Aptera — The Cure for the Common Car”. I envision this on a one page flyer with text that emphasizes the unique aspects of the vehicle and how an owner will stand out from the crowd. There’s a real trend toward personalization of vehicles these days = vehicle wraps, special wheels, unique colors. I’m reminded of Apple Computer’s “Think Different” campaign from years ago. Many of us like the idea of taking a different path from the herd.
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The marketing needs to embrace the strengths of the car from a practical “jobs to be done” standpoint which I believe are:
1) Practical charging freedom
2) Long distance capable
3) More efficient than almost anything else out there
The polarizing design is consumer obvious, so it should not be the focus. You love it or hate it. The focus should be, in my opinion, function over form. You can experience having an EV now without all the charging headaches others out there experience.
1) You can easily use 120V to car your car. No fancy installations necessary at home.
2) If you don’t have a home and need to park in an apartment lot, no worries. The sun will keep you going until getting to a charger. The efficiency should virtually eliminate the need to have charging capacity at home.
3) Aptera will charge fast! Not only will DC fast charging be available, but you get more miles on the same charge reducing the time needed to get you on the road (numbers can be figured out here).
4) This is the first affordable long distance car at the larger battery sizes. You can drive across the country for the whole day and charge overnight. You may not need to stop and wait for the car to charge. Can’t do that on virtually any other car (maybe the Lucid is on the edge). This could be a major game changer for those who like to travel by car. The first distance freedom car!
5) For the environmentally conscious, efficiency matters. Go further on less. Costs and consumes less mile for mile than any comparable options. This is already a big point Steve focuses on, but I think it has a limited reach. I personally think this is a great selling point for us geeks, but for the broader audience, I’d focus on how it would change their lives. Less charging issues, farther distances, costs less. The only major functional drawback is that it is a 2 seater . If this was a 4 seater, it would revolutionize the mid tier EV industry.
Second: This is the first true
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Aptera’s design is it’s selling point. Polarizing is good, it’s fine if 99% of the public don’t like it just as long as 1% love it. This is a very niche car and that’s also good because going forward there is no room for another mainstream American car company. Tesla is the first new American car company in a hundred years, the last was Dodge, to achieve mass volumes. They will also be the last. There will be Chinese mass market companies that enter the market, after they’ve established themselves at home, but there won’t be another American company. Aptera needs to carve out a niche that’s big enough to be profitable but not so big as to attract the attentions of a big player. Ultimately their success or failure will depend on how well the car performs, it will have to come close to their efficiency promises and it will also have to perform well as a car. If it performs like it looks they won’t have to do much to attract enough buyers, if it doesn’t there is no amount of marketing money that will save them.
Lucid did a fantastic engineering job, they have the lightest most efficient drive units of anyone and the best range. But their big problem is that they set out to build an electric S Class, which they’ve done. Unfortunately for them Mercedes also set out to do the same. They had to be hoping that Mercedes would half ass it, which was not an unreasonable assumption, but they didn’t. The EQS is a terrific vehicle, it’s less efficient than the Lucid Air and has less range but it’s range is over 300 miles which is good enough. As a true S Class the EQS hits the mark which is going to make Lucid’s life very difficult. That’s why Lucid is running an old fashion marketing campaign, they need to convince customers to come to them, they can’t happen on that happening organically.
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Tread lightly. Without compromise.
or
Range anxiety is a thing of the past.
or
With 1,000 miles of available range, access to a nationwide network of fast chargers, a base price under $27,000, and jaw-dropping performance, Aptera is the electric vehicle for people who didn’t know they wanted an electric vehicle.
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Let’s get a little playful here…”Aptera – the exhilarating cure for Range Anxiety! Leaving you free to concentrate on all of those other pesky anxiety- producing issues!”
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LESS weight, LESS drag, LESS money, LESS energy. MORE excitement, MORE fun and
MORE FREEDOM!!!
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I think that grassroots & social media, as is being done now, is the way to go until they get the numbers up ie. preorders into substantial production levels.
Word of mouth along with actual “presence of product” will help huge.
Timing is everything!!
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Aptera already has enough preorders to last 18 months. Aptera now has to build the brand and look to the future where they deliver a 4/5 seater, a pickup, a van…. all designed for efficiency. The Aptera roadster is already a collectors vehicle. An add that shows Aptera morfing into future designs focusing on efficiency.
In a hurry, out of gas, all charge points taken, Aptera keeps going on sunshine.
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Agree with both Ronster and David…no need to advertise outside of current WOM by Ambassadors/Reservation holders. Hype now would backfire if unable to meet demand, especially given small scale manufacturing. Time to advertise would be after current orders fulfilled and additional manufacturing sites secured!
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Lol check this out – Aptera childrens book video 🙂
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Pretty cute product propaganda. Kudos to the writers and video creation team!
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Very cute. How about a little field trip to the San Diego Zoo to demo the “strong enough to support two elephants on the roof”? 😂
A demo like this would remind me a bit of the early (1990-91) Lexus commercials. Remember the pyramid of wine glasses on the hood? The ball bearing rolling along the body panel gaps?
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Hi there! LOL, Thomas this is a great idea and gave me a chuckle. 😂 I was at the Zoo the other day. Maybe I’ll see what kind of strings I can pull. 😉And thank you everyone for the kind words about our video! We’re very proud of it and had a lot of fun including the kids. 🙂
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Aptera’s marketing has put the vehicle’s impressive 0-60 mph times (est. 3.5 seconds to 5.5 seconds depending upon FWD or AWD and battery size) in the back row while the “solar revolution” and “good for climate change” angle is up on the main stage with a full orchestra.
This article from Road and Track got me thinking about the appeal of performance:
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a39714528/2023-toyota-gr-corolla-orders-demand/
If, as the article suggests, folks will be lining up to drop $32K+ on something that is anticipated to deliver a 5 second 0-60 time (haven’t seen final road test figures for a U.S. model yet), why aren’t we making more noise about the performance of the upcoming Aptera models? Even the slowest Aptera model is supposed to do 5.5 seconds for a 0-60.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m one of those guys who was recycling before it was hip. I’ve got solar panels on my roof, my primary vehicle is a hybrid, and I’m frequently shaming my wife about how many paper towels she uses in the kitchen. Yet, I get a kick out of blasting down a freeway on-ramp once in a while. Forgive me, I have sinned;)
My point is that there’s a significant market segment out there in transportation land that is attracted to the kind of performance that an Aptera can deliver. Yes, whenever there’s a ride-along youtube video, there’s comments from the passenger seat about how quick it is, yet I’m not hearing much about Aptera performance in all the official marketing noise. Aptera feeds both sides of my psyche: efficiency and performance. Strikes me as a missed opportunity for Aptera to stay mum about the cheap thrills I believe an Aptera can deliver.
That’s my two cents.
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I AGREE!
In discussions at the few EV related events I have attended, those that are interested in the Aptera are impressed with its performance, especially when taken in the context of its efficiency. Among my work colleagues, engineers and business people in an EV product organization, I get teased about the Aptera being the Miata of the EV world. Not a bad analogy. All reluctantly admit that the performance is awesome, especially considering the vehicle’s efficiency. Many drive expensive ICE performance cars and reluctantly acknowledge that even the two wheel drive Aptera could beat them in a 0-60 race. These are mature, responsible, people that are concerned about the environment, but know that buying an efficient vehicle will not go far to solving the big problems of environmental damage caused by industry and government neglect.
The Aptera has insane performance at such a low price, a great value proposition on top of efficiency. I would like to see Aptera leverage the performance feature at least as much as the environment pitch.
