Elon Musk secret marketing trick (Pratfall Effect)

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Pratfall Effect

On November 21, 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was set to reveal their first ever all-electric pickup ‘Cybertruck.’ It looked spectacular, as if it was straight out of a futuristic Sci-Fi movie or something that the DC billionaire Bruce Wayne would be rocking here and there. As he was discussing its features, Musk got particularly excited about the “bulletproof windows” which made him command his lead designer Franz von Holzhausen to test it.

The renowned von Holzhausen striked the alleged armor glass using a steel ball and embarrassed themselves upon its breakage. To prove themselves wrong, they hit the other window, but it shattered once more. Musk decided to conclude his presentation with him standing in front of his prototype with two broken windows.

Some other companies would probably conduct thorough damage control, formulating excuses as to why this happened – perhaps claiming that it was merely a prototype and the armor windows have not been installed yet for conservation’s sake. But Tesla, the most valuable automaker globally with about $450 billion net worth, did not see this occurrence as a problem but rather an opportunity. In fact, they even made “Cybertruck Bulletproof Tees” and sold these on their official website. This embarrassing moment was put to their advantage because, surprise, people loved it!

Tesla gained over 650,000 dollars’ worth of pre-order sales in just four weeks for an electric truck that is not to be released until 2021. Mind you, their pre-sale cost is just at $100 so imagine how many people actually availed the Cybertruck after the incident! Consequently, Musk gained more love from his wide audience. You must be wondering why this boosted Musk and his company, but it is not some complex scheme; there was not any hypnosis nor manipulation involved. It was plain psychology.

American psychologist Elliot Aronson published a study in 1966 regarding this popular social phenomenon which was later pegged as the “Pratfall Effect.” Apparently, it has been linked with interpersonal attractiveness in a way that people deem a “knowledgeable blunderer” or someone with high social status to be more likeable after they committed a mistake – as opposed to an average individual drawing excessive flak after even a single error.

This has been observed in the Cybertruck incident for which Elon Musk, an already relatable multimillionaire who constantly associates with YouTubers, Hollywood singers, and “ordinary people,” have become increasingly charismatic in the eyes of supporters after he became perceived as more “human” due to the shattering of his bulletproof glass.
If you had been wondering, the Pratfall Effect is also the reason why influencers are so popular – they are more like each of us in a way that they do not put themselves at such a high pedestal unlike Hollywood celebrities.

They show their most candid selves in their livestreams, do their own make-up, and pace the streets with no bodyguards swarming them. Whenever they receive criticisms, they get transparent – such as one of the beauty community’s biggest dramas, the James Charles vs. Tati Westbrook feud that swept the YouTube world in early 2019. Their apology videos gained millions of views and upon the vindication of the young James Charles (through the slowly unraveling “tea” about his enemies), he became even more popular now than he was back then.

Have you observed the Pratfall Effect recently? Comment your thoughts and experiences below!

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