Rivian isn't visible enough in the Midwest

[Laserboy1054]

Just sharing an observation.
Took the dog out for a drive in the R1T today and stopped at a fruit stand to buy some peaches. Several people arrived shortly after us, riding electric bicycles. They immediately gravitated to the truck and we chatted. It was a repeat of a conversation I've had many times in the month that I've owned the truck:
"Is that electric?"
"Yup, 100%"
"So it's a Tesla?"
"No, it's a Rivian."
"Who makes it?"
"Rivian. And they're all made right here in Illinois--up in Normal."
I show them around, point out the gear tunnel and the dog comfortably in the cab (freaking out because she knows that humans all carry treats at all times!) with "pet comfort mode" on, etc. (RJ, I'll take my commission in a credit toward the next vehicle--no need to thank me.)

What's weird about this oft-repeated conversation is how much it shows a neglected potential market. Midwesterners love their trucks! They also love domestically-produced vehicles. How can citizens of Illinois _not_ know that one of only a tiny handful of EV trucks is home-grown? Will every farmer in Illinois rush out to buy a Rivian once they learn they can get an Illinois-produced vehicle? No way. But some will. Perhaps enough to move the needle. And they _won't_ be getting Cybertrucks--of that, I am confident.

I think Rivian is missing a big opportunity. I'm no ad-man, but it really seems that marketing to Midwesterners that there is a home-grown option could meaningfully boost sales. The almost complete invisibility of the brand in this region really baffles me.

Just sayin'.

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[BigE]

Agree. I no longer live in Wisconsin, but 100's of my relatives still do. And they are all very interested in a Rivian, but know nothing about them, and are surprised when I say, Rivian is an American Company, Manufactured in Normal, IL.

 

[ndmiller]

The only reason I know is from the Ewan McGregor and Charlie Bowman motorcycle trip. Been waiting ever since to buy one.

 

[blturner]

For quite a while they could sell everything they produced. No advertising needed. It is still mostly true. They also loose money on every truck. So I think they are focused on cost reduction more so than advertising. I have thought about putting a Made In USA sticker on the back of my truck. Most midwesterners assume anything they don't recognize is made overseas.

 

[R1Tims]

I see them all the time. But then I'm in Bloomington / Normal. However, It is probably more about the populous of the area. On trips to SC I've seen a few and passed a new R1S on the trip back on the hwy in IN. Outer banks, has them, Michigan I see them all the time as well. They are out there in the Mid-west. When I first received my truck my exchanges were just as you outlined. I even drove into a couple of the weekly car shows in NY. It was like a magnet to people. A few had them on order and were excited to see one in person. Every place I've gone its has been a positive response. Even now stopping at Tesla charges from Tesla owners. They all want to talk about the truck and like it. With the amount of visual / word of mouth marketing I've done I wish it had some traceability or credits. That aside, I love driving my truck. The reactions and discussion I still receive are just bonus.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Perhaps Rivian needs to take out ads reflecting this on right-wing news channels. Don't mention it's electric until the end of the ad. Something like "...And it's electric, so you get a ton of additional storage where engines used to go." as they open the front trunk.

 

[Redline]

They are everywhere in the Twin Cities.

 

[Laserboy1054]

I see them all the time. But then I'm in Bloomington / Normal.

Yeah, I think living in the same town as the factory is cheating a smidge! ?

 

[oskeei]

We are thier advertising.

 

[Doug]

I see very few to almost none in outstate MN. I live in SW MN and travel to Iowa some and see very few there as well. I was in Sioux City the other day and met another R1T owner and we gave each other a surprised wave as it is rare to see another Rivian.

 

[R1Thor]

Rivian, in general, is not a well known brand, period. I've owned mine for 16 months now, and the number of "what is that?" "Who makes it" questions HAS NOT CHANGED this entire time.

And the number of days I drive without seeing nary another Rivian on the road makes me sad. I'm excited because I'm unique, but I'm sad because others should be loving these vehicles too.

Any time I'm at any type of store, I tend to toss things in the frunk, and at least 30% of the time someone comes and asks if something is wrong (the hood is up = engine trouble) or with complete awe as to the fact that I can 'store things in there, but where's the engine?"

It's crazy.

 

[rklopp]

It seems like every 4th car is a Tesla in Silicon Valley, so stark contrast, it's not surprising that Rivians are all over the place here.

 

[C.R. Rivian]

Just sharing an observation.
Took the dog out for a drive in the R1T today and stopped at a fruit stand to buy some peaches. Several people arrived shortly after us, riding electric bicycles. They immediately gravitated to the truck and we chatted. It was a repeat of a conversation I've had many times in the month that I've owned the truck:
"Is that electric?"
"Yup, 100%"
"So it's a Tesla?"
"No, it's a Rivian."
"Who makes it?"
"Rivian. And they're all made right here in Illinois--up in Normal."
I show them around, point out the gear tunnel and the dog comfortably in the cab (freaking out because she knows that humans all carry treats at all times!) with "pet comfort mode" on, etc. (RJ, I'll take my commission in a credit toward the next vehicle--no need to thank me.)

What's weird about this oft-repeated conversation is how much it shows a neglected potential market. Midwesterners love their trucks! They also love domestically-produced vehicles. How can citizens of Illinois _not_ know that one of only a tiny handful of EV trucks is home-grown? Will every farmer in Illinois rush out to buy a Rivian once they learn they can get an Illinois-produced vehicle? No way. But some will. Perhaps enough to move the needle. And they _won't_ be getting Cybertrucks--of that, I am confident.

I think Rivian is missing a big opportunity. I'm no ad-man, but it really seems that marketing to Midwesterners that there is a home-grown option could meaningfully boost sales. The almost complete invisibility of the brand in this region really baffles me.

Just sayin'.

I've shown off my Rivian at a couple National Drive Electric Week events and some local clean air shows such as the upcoming Eco Fair & Art Festival — Good Shepherd Olympia (gsolympia.org). I even got in a classic car show last year. Check out your state, probably something like Upcoming Car Shows - Washington Car Culture. Yeah, it eats a day, but it's fun talking about something so cool.

 

[iansriv]

Was at a bbq on the 4th and most of the people there owned Teslas (not sure how/why) and they spent most of the night asking about the Rivian. I like anything American (Tesla/Rivian) so it was a nice conversation. I love talking cars vs politics so did not mind a bit being a Rivian spokesperson. We even got to the R2 and R3.

 

[Laserboy1054]

And the number of days I drive without seeing nary another Rivian on the road makes me sad. I'm excited because I'm unique, but I'm sad because others should be loving these vehicles too.

I agree entirely, but it goes beyond the "special vs. lonely" sort of model (I'm a Physicist--I know that model well! I'm confident I'm not the only nerd on this forum--we all know it.): we've all invested a considerable amount of money in acquiring these vehicles and a big chunk of their value will vanish if Rivian does not succeed as a company. (E.g., you can get a Fisker for $10k today, but if you didn't have a very specific reason for doing so, we'd all....let's just say "feel bad" for you!) If Rivian does succeed, there's really good reason to hope for more innovation of the sort that attracted us to these vehicles in the first place. We don't just want the company to succeed because we're emotionally invested (or not), we're all financially invested--whether or not we own RIVN stock.

So let's keep showing off our pretty vehicles! (I know: life is rough. )

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