Tesla signs Korean olympian to be first brand ambassador

Tesla has made an interesting move by signing Korean Olympic Shooter Kim Ye-ji as its first-ever brand ambassador.

Kim said in a press release announcing the partnership that she hopes to “convey a positive message together with Tesla” and that she is “very excited” to work with the automaker.

However, from a standpoint that many might agree with, it is a somewhat out-of-character move by Tesla, which has long been against a devoted advertising campaign. This includes brand ambassadors which have not been a part of the company’s strategy in the past.

Tesla has gotten a lot of publicity from celebrities choosing to own the company’s EVs under their own fruition. Rapper Snoop Dogg once was told by CEO Elon Musk that “everyone pays full price for a Tesla, including me.”

The automaker seems to draw parallels between Kim and its opportunity to promote sustainability using a well-known personality. According to a report by Business Korea, the agency that put the partnership together said the collaboration would be “a meaningful activity linking a sustainable future with sports.”

Kim went viral during the Paris Olympics, where she won the silver medal in the women’s shooting competition. She has landed a role as an assassin in an upcoming Korean film, and has gathered a healthy social media following.

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A post shared by 김예지 (Kim ye ji) (@k_yeji92)

However, it is very interesting to see Tesla make this kind of partnership, especially as it has been so hellbent on putting money into research and development instead of running ads.

Tesla dabbled with ads in the past, running a variety of promotional videos and campaigns on websites.

Tesla starts advertising campaign on Cars.com

At Tesla we’ve never spent any money on advertising, we put all the money into R&D, manufacturing and design to try to make the car as good as possible,” Musk said in the past. Things are seemingly trending in a slightly different direction, but we still wouldn’t expect the company to launch any Super Bowl ads anytime soon.

Other companies have given Tesla publicity during the big game in the past, only for it to backfire on competitors.

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Author: Joey Klender