Elon Musk & Puerto Rico

Elon Musk: a marketing mastermind. His tweet to Puerto Rico had everyone talking-or tweeting-as the move was more than just one for public relations. He purposed a plan to rebuild the fractured electrical grid of Puerto Rico, teaming with Tesla. Tesla has successfully installed solar panels on smaller islands to establish their electrical grids, and as there is no size restriction on how this plan can be executed, Musk and Tesla plan to apply this concept to Puerto Rico. For example, in Ta'u  American Samoa Tesla installed a solar grid which can power the entire island and store enough electricity for three days without any sun, as a source from The Verge states. Despite some controversy over the fact that Musk may not follow through with his plan, this could bring him even greater publicity and open up even more work opportunities for him. This solution tweeted out by Musk not only has legitimacy, it is something new.

Tesla Solar Panels in Ta'u American Samoa
via Business Insider

Musk purposed an action to a imminent problem. Analyzing Musk's actions, an article on Inc.com relates that since he made a connection, not just an attention stunt, his message stuck with people. This is a fascinating moment in branding; Musk's tweet saw farther reach than some millions spent on advertising could see for a brand. The article contiues to relate that "The more that people want to...connect with you in order to connect with other people, the greater your brand's value." Musk definitely created connections by creating news. (Photo top right: Elon Musk via Inc)

Musk isn't the first to test this method out. Donald Trump creates news virtually everyday, through tweeting as well. The controversy that may arise over a tweet of his makes news, and the publicity gained to the topic or issue the tweet focused on helps gain support for the Trump brand. As a candidate, his tweeting gained him the initial publicity he needed for his purposed plans to combat global issues. As president, this allows him to advance his agenda for plans such as "the wall." Prior to Trump, Barack Obama made headlines as the first African-American President of the United States. As a result, his presidency was associated with sentiments of change and reform, as a new barrier in history was broken. Obama was then able to use this as the leverage for his own agenda.

Through the examples of Musk, Trump and Obama, marketing oneself as a connector and communicator is key to gaining publicity. Establishing themselves as game changers, Musk, Trump, and Obama's active solutions to problems is what makes them stand out as leaders in today's world.