𝙕𝙡𝙂𝙕𝘼𝙂 𝟘𝟙𝟠: Michael-mobility
⟿ Let them ride CAKE, VinFast, & Porsche 917 in the snow (true story)
⚑ After I left the car writing game in 2013, I did a few different things.
First, I worked in marketing at RM Auctions (now RM Sotheby’s), then was the managing editor of Petrolicious, before finally contracted as a copywriter for Bombardier Recreational Products, or BRP as it’s known. What did I write?
I launched its entire range of off-road vehicles.
Side-by-sides, to utility machines, and ATVs. For sport, recreation, and agriculture. A few years ago, things were really exciting—and its sales make me sad for the bonuses I’ll never get—but there is far more to a company than its product.
After going from contractor to employee I realized: there’s a massive gap in market perception between the products, service, and support dealer-based powersports companies actually deliver as an experience…versus what they think they’re delivering.
In short: CAKE has an opportunity to storm the powersports and agriculture market simultaneously because its recreation and features-focused competition isn’t set up to fight back in a meaningful way.
cont’d below…
If you catch me talking about Tesla, chances are I’ve unearthed a nugget beyond the mainstream blah blah blah.
Over the air updates are a theme these days, so I wanted to highlight how Tesla publicly pushes and markets its updates as new features worth being excited about—and in some cases, paying for.
While other manufacturers are catching flack for adding subscription prices to features nobody really asked for, Tesla drops a free update for thousands of customers (who own a 2022-and newer Model S or Model X).
When I say “drops”, the software went out…things were changed…Steam can be added…it’s done. GAMING in a Tesla is not a new thing, and yet customers—I checked—seemed to be really into this update.
If this was any other car company, one feature would be an entire marketing campaign spanning weeks—and probably include some sort of proprietary controller. I can see the pitch now on Steam integration:
It’s been a long drive. The kids and your partner were quiet until 20 minutes ago, when the all-too-familiar “low charge” warning bong’d and, one by one, they see you’re just pulling into the charger. They see the time and wish they’d stayed asleep…
~
Sunday night in December at 10pm, you connect the car, get the snacks out of the trunk—along with a wireless gaming controller.
~
“Who wants to play Cyberpunk 2077?!” and your family is immediately captivated, together, laughing on this brutally cold night far from home…
Or more accurately, as shared in a Jalopnik article about the best games to stream in a Tesla:
The Top 10 Steam Games to Play in Your Tesla :: Jalopnik
see also :: ❍ Your Tesla is Now a Gaming Rig • Tesla
“I wanted to know more, so I emailed the company’s U.S. public relations team and asked them to keep me posted if VinFast was planning any launch events in America. Two days later, the company invited me to Vietnam.”
Kevin Williams, writing for Jalopnik, describes his experience during a global press event for VinFast vehicles, with multiple waves of automotive writers, early customers, and influencers being shown a very good time…against the backdrop of some uncomfortable realizations about the cars and his hosts.
