Why That Worked – Presented by StoryBrand.ai

Episode #37: Slate—Why This $20K Truck Is Getting All the Attention (RE-RELEASE)
Hosts: Donald Miller and Kyle Reed
Date: September 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Donald Miller and Kyle Reed dissect the viral launch of Slate—a bare-bones, highly customizable electric pickup truck making waves with its sub-$20,000 price point and fun, anti-luxury positioning. Using Slate as a case study, the hosts explore how brands can stand out—even in a saturated market like electric vehicles—by focusing on customer pain points, clear messaging, and framing. They break down Slate’s product launch video and translate its winning messaging approaches into actionable takeaways for any marketer.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market

• Focus on Customers, Not Competitors
  • Donald Miller shares the common but misguided obsession with competitors among business owners.
    • “You’re spending your time looking the wrong direction. … What you really should be doing is ignoring the competition. And just look at the market. … We are not competitor focused. We are customer focused." (01:00)
  • Relates Jeff Bezos’ philosophy at Amazon: always act on customer needs, not on what competitors are doing.
  • Miller emphasizes he’s "never once looked at a competitor's website"—his dominance comes from relentless improvement on serving the customer. (02:30)

2. Slate’s Viral Product Launch Video: A Playbook for Brand Messaging

• Affordable, Fun, and Customizable
  • Miller and Reed play and break down Slate's low-budget, charismatic product introduction.
  • The messaging centers around three main pillars:
    • Cheap: Explicitly positioned "against expensive cars" — "Chris thinks new cars are too expensive and too complicated." (05:36)
    • Fun: The video uses humor, playful music, and direct toy analogies, e.g., Mr. Potato Head, to establish the truck as a customizable “toy.” (06:18)
    • Yours: Users can personalize their truck extensively—“We built it, you make it.” (06:28)
  • Like Dollar Shave Club, Slate’s video uses humor and anti-establishment positioning: “The mission is, we are solving the problem of—new cars are too expensive.” (07:47)
  • By focusing on the absence of unnecessary features (like “automatic cup holders”), they reinforce value with what’s left out.

Timestamps for the Slate Video Breakdown

• Video introduction and framing: 04:55–06:41
• Messaging pillars (cheap, fun, yours): 07:03–09:38
• Handling consumer objections: 12:10–13:12

3. The Power of Positioning Against an Industry

• Effective Use of Contrast and Villains:
  • Brands can gain traction by positioning themselves against what customers hate about the category.
  • For Slate, that’s expensive, overdesigned, overcomplicated vehicles.
  • Miller: “If you're positioning yourself as against an industry, you may only need to say, ‘We’re not like them.’” (15:56)
• Importance of Clearly Naming the Differentiator:
  • Even if competitors technically offer customization, if they’re not saying it, you can own that messaging in the market. (26:05)

4. What Slate Leaves Out is as Important as What They Say

• Message Discipline:
  • Slate doesn’t mention specs like range, torque, or even Jeff Bezos’ involvement in the main video — all deliberate choices to keep the message focused.
  • Miller: "You can’t hand the customer too many slippery bowling balls. ... As soon as you get into torque, it’s a bowling ball covered in Vaseline—it’s slippery.” (22:09)
  • Don’t overload a message; stick to three core points.
• Supporting Information is Provided Elsewhere:
  • Range and technical details are answered on the website—don’t try to say everything in every piece of content. (21:25)

Memorable Analogy

• “Every piece of information that you hand a customer … is a bowling ball. ... People can’t hold any more than three.” (23:09)

5. The Triangle of Messaging: Curiosity, Enlightenment, Commitment

• Three Phases in a Messaging Campaign:
  1. Curiosity: The opening hook, driven by survival (e.g., affordable over expensive).
  2. Enlightenment: Explanation of how the brand/product fulfills the promise.
  3. Commitment: The call to action (e.g., put down a deposit).
• Miller details the psychological journey customers take, likening it to moving from the front steps to the porch to inside the house.
  • “The front steps are the curiosity phase. ... The only thing that piques a customer's curiosity is survival. That’s it.” (27:52)

6. Translating Lessons to Other Industries

• Example: Pool Cleaning Services
  • Identify what customers hate (e.g., unpredictability, having to call for service), and make it a differentiator (“You never have to call us. We keep your pool clean, period.”)
  • If no one’s saying what you do—even if others offer it—you can own it.
  • “It’s not what they're doing. It’s whether or not they're saying what they're doing.” (26:05)
• Fight the Urge for Feature Overload:
  • Don’t try to stuff all benefits or information in one message. Give each piece of communication a single “bowling ball.” (23:09)

7. The Impact of the Name “Slate”

• Strategic Naming:
  • “Slate” invokes “starting with a blank slate”—perfectly embodying their customization message.
  • Reed: “Even the name itself embodies what I think is what you’ve hit on the very beginning—having a thing you’re against... the problem you are solving.” (32:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ignoring Competitors:
  • Donald Miller: “I have never once looked at a competitor's website and tried to figure out what they’re doing.” (02:30)
• On Messaging Focus:
  • Donald Miller: “If you are against something that is causing the consumer pain, they are very interested.” (09:54)
• On Controlling the Message:
  • Donald Miller: “You can't hand the customer too many slippery bowling balls.” (22:09)
• On Humor as a Brand Tool:
  • Kyle Reed: “Luxury brands never use humor. … Discount brands use humor.” (10:00)
• On Exploiting Market Discontent:
  • Donald Miller: “If you can find that in your marketing and advertising, you need to exploit it.” (24:27)
• On Differentiation:
  • Donald Miller: “If they haven’t said it, they don’t own it. And you have a chance to own it.” (32:47)

Takeaways for Marketers

• Don’t get stuck watching the competition. Real advantage comes from truly serving customer needs.
• Keep your messaging ruthlessly focused. Don’t create feature soup—one message, three “bowling balls” at most.
• State what you’re against. Articulate the key market pain, and set your product as the solution.
• Say it, don’t just do it. If you offer something—customization, reliability, an all-inclusive service—make sure you say it in your marketing.
• Craft a psychological journey. Use the triangle: hook with curiosity (a problem you solve), clarify the solution, then drive commitment.

Useful Timestamps

• 00:44 – Miller on customer focus vs. competitor obsession
• 05:21 – Slate launch video audio
• 07:03 – Dissecting the three pillars of Slate's messaging
• 10:00 – The strategic use of humor and branding
• 13:29 – How listing options solves reliability objections
• 20:00 – Why the video leaves out specs like range/horsepower
• 22:09 – “Bowling ball” analogy for message focus
• 27:52 – Triangle of curiosity, enlightenment, commitment
• 32:34 – Insights on the name “Slate” and owning the message

Final Thoughts

Slate’s launch is a masterclass in focused, customer-centered, anti-luxury positioning—an object lesson in how being clear, playful, and pain-point-driven cuts through the noise, even in a saturated, high-tech category.
As Donald Miller concludes:

“If you’re not saying it, your customers don’t know it’s true.” (34:02)

For listeners and marketers alike, the Slate case shows: focus on what your customers hate, message the solution clearly, let your brand’s “villain” drive contrast, and don’t shy away from playfulness—because that’s Why That Worked.