Head of Growth Marketing Departure

[BSheppard]

#lucidmotors #compromisenothing #nextplay #newcarsmellnomusk | Bryson Shellito | 74 comments

My time at Lucid Motors has officially come to a close, and I'm leaving incredibly proud of what we built. When I joined, the growth marketing program was a blank canvas. What followed was some of the most challenging and rewarding work of my career. Launching "Compromise Nothing," a campaign...

www.linkedin.com

Another departure, this one in marketing. Brand awareness is a massive weakness for Lucid, which I still feel has no real identity established in the market, despite how good the cars perform. The whole Timothy C campaign and NBA player engagements have been a huge whiff. Not sure there's been anything positive from the Compromise Nothing tagline either, as we all are experiencing many compromises in software to enjoy the great hardware and driving experience. Time for new marketing ahead of Cosmos.

I am of the opinion that Lucid marketing were / are living in a bubble, never understood how Timothy Chalamet added to brand awareness and my experience is that far to many people do not know who or what Lucid is. On Oscar night the tag line was "What is this thing." Hopefully new leadership in the marketing department will improve how the product is marketed. I believe they have great products (with a few bugs) and they need to focus on brand awareness. Winning accolades across the industry does not help much if know one is aware of who you are or what you offer. Lucid is a great alternative to some of the bland EV's on the market today.

 

[Bus Driver]

I had someone not too long ago ask if it was one of those new Vietnamese EVs ....

Ugh. The deservedly dreaded Vinfast.

 

[illopp00]

All the more reason to put the cars in every major city auto show and also attempt to put the cars in all the major malls in the country which is something they still have not done. According to your statement that would help considerably as you equate name recognition with seeing cars in person which I don't disagree with.

They can't even sell cars directly to consumers in over half the states, why waste money on showing them? I think all the EV makers, Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, and the Chinese EV startups would argue that their sales are all easily taking customers from German brands. It's not that difficult and they are all outselling the Germans in the respective competitive classes.

 

[Spaceship]

Butts in seats and presence. I've commented before on the lack of showrooms in the southeast. They just converted the SC in GA to be part showroom and ummm...it feels half baked. Tesla has like 5 showrooms + several service centers and Rivian now has 2 showrooms and 2 service centers - in the ATL area alone. For Rivian, they put the showrooms in high traffic areas like Ponce City Market in the city and the Avalon in the suburbs. This was a good move. You can stumble into these locations and learn more about the cars. The Lucid "showroom" for comparison is not on a main street or area with pedestrians with only one small sign saying Lucid on the side. It is a blink and miss situation.

Is there negativity here? Sure, there should be. Its frustrating to see a brand make a great product but make questionable decisions on showing it off. By all metrics, the sales should be better. As others have mentioned, the Air is on paper the best sedan. The Gravity can also argue for the title on the SUV front. Lucid cannot settle for "good enough" sales when they are still ramping things up and trying to stay solvent.

To be clear, it sounds like a lot of love Lucid and what they are doing and want them to succeed. We just can't fathom why they have had such a hard time and we are just making conjectures. No need to take it personal or an attack on the brand. We just want them to do better. I think we can all agree to that?

 

[Need4Sleep]

Butts in seats and presence. I've commented before on the lack of showrooms in the southeast. They just converted the SC in GA to be part showroom and ummm...it feels half baked. Tesla has like 5 showrooms + several service centers and Rivian now has 2 showrooms and 2 service centers - in the ATL area alone. For Rivian, they put the showrooms in high traffic areas like Ponce City Market in the city and the Avalon in the suburbs. This was a good move. You can stumble into these locations and learn more about the cars. The Lucid "showroom" for comparison is not on a main street or area with pedestrians with only one small sign saying Lucid on the side. It is a blink and miss situation.

Is there negativity here? Sure, there should be. Its frustrating to see a brand make a great product but make questionable decisions on showing it off. By all metrics, the sales should be better. As others have mentioned, the Air is on paper the best sedan. The Gravity can also argue for the title on the SUV front. Lucid cannot settle for "good enough" sales when they are still ramping things up and trying to stay solvent.

To be clear, it sounds like a lot of love Lucid and what they are doing and want them to succeed. We just can't fathom why they have had such a hard time and we are just making conjectures. No need to take it personal or an attack on the brand. We just want them to do better. I think we can all agree to that?

Feels like they're between a rock and a hard place in terms of placing stores. Ideally yes they should be getting more locations but that will take time to build out and construct. On top of that, they'll be competing with other non-car luxury brands that would likely have more capital to bid for the retail spot.

I can say from what I've seen in Toronto, they only have one showroom but it is prominently by one of the main entrances and subway access points of one of the largest malls in the area. They've also been a regular appearance at the Canadian International Car Show and at exotic car events around the city.

 

[socktucker]

I’d like to think they’re focusing on getting their existing network fixed instead of spreading themselves even thinner.

 

[illopp00]

Having the most size and space is nice and all but if that was the biggest driver of sales then minivans would have been out selling 3-row SUVs for years. How often do you hear that people don't want to be seen driving that uncool minivan. How much of a problem is it that many people see the Gravity and think it's some minivan? All because Lucid compromised something to hit the efficiency target they were aiming for. And it sounds like they're making that same compromise for the Cosmos.

Many people buy cars, in large part, because the cars they buy conform to their identity. Some people just need to be in a German luxury brand no matter what. Some families only buy F150s. Their neighbors only buy Silverados. The dude down the street with 10 DUIs can only afford Rams. And none of them would ever buy that Japanese pickup. And they will all defend their choices to the death.

Or they conform their identity to their new car. Whatever they buy is the best, even if all evidence is to the contrary.

Lucid's brand identity is practically nonexistent. Not only that but marketing to the customer of a 100k vehicle is completely different than marketing to the buyer in the 50k market.

Not only does Lucid have to attract the potential buyer of the new midsize EVs from the Euro brands who want the prestige of a legacy luxury brand but being only a couple grand more than a fully loaded RAV4 means they also have to find a way to sell the Cosmos to buyers looking for the most rock solid reliable form of utilitarian transportation.

Seeing their recent investors day presentation tells me that they have no idea how they're going to market their midsize offerings.

I know they are strapped right now for resources, I still think they should do a Gravity Sapphire as a styling exercise anyways. I think a little bit of beefier fender flares would help it's styling immensely. The base black wheels are also not helping. Also standard ride height for Gravity is 7.0 inches which is the exact same as a Toyota Sienna. So either let it run slightly lower or slightly higher.

 

[Need4Sleep]

I know they are strapped right now for resources, I still think they should do a Gravity Sapphire as a styling exercise anyways. I think a little bit of beefier fender flares would help it's styling immensely. The base black wheels are also not helping. Also standard ride height for Gravity is 7.0 inches which is the exact same as a Toyota Sienna. So either let it run slightly lower or slightly higher.

If I recall they got good reception to the Gravity X concept. If there were any plans to put it into production, I'm not sure if we'll see it before Cosmos is in full production

 

[billy]

and dont get me started on those wimpy black and white tinted car photos on the website. what color is this thing exactly..boring bronze or boring green? is stealth gunmetal or black? is ojai gray? studio photos please not renditions.... and tom hanks not timmy

 

[prgarg]

#lucidmotors #compromisenothing #nextplay #newcarsmellnomusk | Bryson Shellito | 74 comments

My time at Lucid Motors has officially come to a close, and I'm leaving incredibly proud of what we built. When I joined, the growth marketing program was a blank canvas. What followed was some of the most challenging and rewarding work of my career. Launching "Compromise Nothing," a campaign...

www.linkedin.com

Another departure, this one in marketing. Brand awareness is a massive weakness for Lucid, which I still feel has no real identity established in the market, despite how good the cars perform. The whole Timothy C campaign and NBA player engagements have been a huge whiff. Not sure there's been anything positive from the Compromise Nothing tagline either, as we all are experiencing many compromises in software to enjoy the great hardware and driving experience. Time for new marketing ahead of Cosmos.

He's going to YouTube btw, so it looks like he's leaving on his own terms

 

[brianysus]

Not sure why we think people require marketing so much. When’s the last time you saw a Tesla add? Sure it can help, but I think if they just make a great car it will sell.

 

[WildRide47]

Auto show = Car people. They have put the car in many malls. That, in fact, has kind of been their strategy....

Not in the state of Oregon. No car show, No cars in the major mall here in Portland.

 

[Spaceship]

If I recall they got good reception to the Gravity X concept. If there were any plans to put it into production, I'm not sure if we'll see it before Cosmos is in full production

I'd place my order immediately if the Gravity X becomes available. IMO this should be a trim option and would probably be a popular one at that. It fixes a lot of my issues with the Gravity visually as it adds more visual interest in the exterior and interior.

 

[WildRide47]

They can't even sell cars directly to consumers in over half the states, why waste money on showing them? I think all the EV makers, Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, and the Chinese EV startups would argue that their sales are all easily taking customers from German brands. It's not that difficult and they are all outselling the Germans in the respective competitive classes.

That's a ridiculous argument. I live in Oregon. In 2022 I bought an AGT. A lot of people asked me what kind of car I'm driving and were interested in what I had. If the car was shown at the auto shows or in the malls, it would definitely spark interest and sales. How you could say it would waste money on showing them is beyond me. That doesn't even make any sense.

 

[eelpout]

After five years, still no Lucid at the Portland Auto show.

After six years, still no Lucid at no San Francisco Auto show.

 

[Need4Sleep]

I'd place my order immediately if the Gravity X becomes available. IMO this should be a trim option and would probably be a popular one at that. It fixes a lot of my issues with the Gravity visually as it adds more visual interest in the exterior and interior.

yeah, I think a Gravity X trim is more viable than a sapphire trim

 

[illopp00]

Auto

That's a ridiculous argument. I live in Oregon. In 2022 I bought an AGT. A lot of people asked me what kind of car I'm driving and were interested in what I had. If the car was shown at the auto shows or in the malls, it would definitely spark interest and sales. How you could say it would waste money on showing them is beyond me. That doesn't even make any sense.

Oregon allows direct to consumer sales. You are misrepresenting my arguement, try it again in a state with no direct sales. Then what, show a car and then direct them to go get it 400 miles away?

 

[RajD]

If I recall they got good reception to the Gravity X concept. If there were any plans to put it into production, I'm not sure if we'll see it before Cosmos is in full production

They got more positive buzz out of that Gravity X concept than any of their other models. Telling.

 

[drb3333]

Not sure why we think people require marketing so much. When’s the last time you saw a Tesla add? Sure it can help, but I think if they just make a great car it will sell.

Tesla used to have beautiful advertisements and commercials which cemented the brand in the public view.

Elon, in a moment of pique at the press for unfavorable coverage, famously fired his entire PR department in 2020.

Things were okay for a few years, but quietly in 2024 reversed that position according to this:

Tesla may be quietly rebooting its press team years after it was dissolved

Tesla appears to be quietly rebooting its press team, as a new media job listing can now be seen on the company’s website. After Tesla made headlines for dissolving its public relations and media team just over four years ago, the company now seems to be restarting its media relations efforts...

www.teslarati.com

It turns out that cars do not actually "sell themselves" and this might be a response to slowing sales.

 

[gaskiller]

He's going to YouTube btw, so it looks like he's leaving on his own terms

Why is he proud of how he marketed Lucid, it was a lousy job?