Investigating the Rhetorical Strategies in Tesla's Zero-Dollar Social Media Marketing

Methodology

Research Design

The current study employed the qualitative research design given the interpretive nature of the investigation (Cohen et al., 2000; Williams, 2007). Crotty (1998) claims that qualitative research is subjective; the researcher derives meaning from their interpretation of the data collected. Similarly, according to Creswell (2009), qualitative researchers make interpretations of what they observe, hear, and understand. This study adopts a content analysis design, appropriate for exploring patterns of meaning and rhetorical strategies within textual or multimedia data. The analysis follows a directed content analysis approach, in which existing theory guides the initial coding framework (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). Aristotle’s rhetorical theory, ethos, pathos, and logos, served as the conceptual lens for coding, while Moore’s (2020) categories provided operational definitions and subcategories for each rhetorical appeal.

Data Source and Data Collection

The data source for this study was Tesla's official YouTube channel, and the Unit of analysis for this study is the transcript auto-generated from Tesla's YouTube videos. According to Creswell (2009), the procedures involved in data collection in qualitative research include observation, interviews, documents, and audiovisual materials. To identify the rhetorical elements, i.e., ethos, pathos, and logos, that characterize these video advertisements, a total of three videos were selected based on their recency, marketing relevance, and thematic alignment with the study's focus on persuasive communication. Auto-generated transcripts from each video were extracted and served as the textual data for coding and analysis. Hence, I refer to the auto-generated, analyzed video transcripts as Texts. The selected videos include: “Model S Track Pack,” “Model Y - Engineering from First Principles,” “Extreme Heat Testing -Tesla Model S, 3, X and Y.”

These videos were published in 2023; each video showcases a specific model or product feature and contains clear rhetorical messaging aimed at building brand identity, promoting innovation, and engaging viewers emotionally. The videos also have high view counts, user interaction (likes/comments), and narrative structure, making them ideal for applying a rhetorical analysis framework.

Tesla’s YouTube Channel

Tesla YouTube videos have been created for engaging and informative content, making it a way to connect with people. It has 2.6 million subscribers and 259,519,218 views. It has published 324 videos since its creation in 2006. "Through these videos, viewers get a closer look at Tesla’s innovative products and features, as well as a behind-the-scenes peek into the company’s operations” (Cezim, 2023). A video focusing on the cyber-truck that was recently launched has about 1.2 million views in one day and about 5,000 viewers' engagement. This shows how the company uses captivating, compelling content to talk about its products.

Data Analysis Procedures

A qualitative content analysis was used to analyze sample YouTube videos. The transcripts extracted from the videos were first examined and coded to determine whether a video applied Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. The coding was done using the coding categories proposed by Moore (2020) in the table below (see Table 1) to identify appeals for each element. The subcategories used to measure logic include efficiency, productivity, quality, utility, facts, statistics, and surveys. For ethos, appeals to credibility include trustworthiness, competence, honesty, respect, expertise, and association with celebrities and public figures. For pathos, appeals to emotion, including love, happiness, passion, nostalgia, motivation, sadness, and humor, were identified. 

Logos (Logic)	Ethos (Credibility)	Pathos (Emotion)
Efficiency	Trustworthiness	Love
Productivity	Competence	Happiness
Quality	Honesty	Passion
Utility	Respect	Nostalgia
Facts	Expertise	Motivation
Statistics	Celebrities	Sadness
Surveys	Public figures	Humor