SpaceX – Elon-gated branding

Fractal Marketing - with Gerard Doyle

SUMMARY
This episode features Daniel McGowan and Louise Flynn, Growth Marketing Consultants for Fractal. They analyze space exploration, marketing’s final frontier, with SpaceX and the unconventional path they’re taking in reaching the stars. From appealing to B2B and stakeholders to a seamless brand marketing tied with Elon Musk, SpaceX is using its PR to win buy-in, expand its brand, and drive innovation on the world stage.
HIGHLIGHTS
02:37 SpaceX B2B marketing: Securing buy-in from governments and taxpayers
09:54 Founder marketing: SpaceX is Elon Musk
15:41 SpaceX PR: Taking people along the ride to space
19:48 Competition and brands attach themselves to Elon Musk
24:26 Cross-promotion gold with Tesla and SpaceX
QUOTES
06:59 “There’s this fine line I think they’re treading to. It’s like, how much can we go ahead, how much can we use the Uber model and just do things versus how much should we be working with the governments? And that really does reflect in their marketing.”
15:50 “These guys have done probably one of the best PR stunts in the last few years with launching a car into space. I mean that’s something that you only see with the biggest, boldest brands in the B2C space.”
16:40 “The wider stakeholder are prepared for mistakes. They’re okay with failure because they see guys being on the fringe of the next innovation wave, rather than trailing.”
23:47 “We see how far this brand can stretch and what opportunities don’t come because it’s all about the noise and the brand and the story, and maybe not enough of a focus on the way it’s sold, the way it’s serviced, the way it aligns with their customers.”