Musk has made the Tesla brand memorable for the wrong reasons

Us brand purists love to get on our high horse—debating the right and wrong way to build a brand. What does the science say? What’s the latest theory?

Well, Tesla’s troubles in 2025 might just be one of those classic “told you so” moments.

Elon Musk’s proudly anti-advertising stance—and his stubborn belief that he alone can be the voice of the brand—has always raised eyebrows among us in the industry. But forget the theory for a second. Look at the consequences in cold, hard consumer behaviour. Q1 2025 Sales are down 32% from the fourth quarter of 2024. The numbers don’t lie.

The bigger issue? The cultural tide has turned—and Tesla’s been left out to dry. The failure to separate founder from the brand has cost them dearly. Through ego, politics, flirtations with the far right, and a need to dominate the media narrative, Musk hasn’t just alienated audiences—he’s actively galvanised them against the brand.

Fake ads and viral memes now flood the internet, urging people to ditch their Teslas. Some drivers have even resorted to slapping on bumper stickers: “I bought this Tesla before Musk became a Nazi.” That’s not backlash—that’s reputational freefall.

Tesla was a beacon of modern automotive innovation. Battery tech. Self-parking. Netflix on the dash. Fart mode. Genuinely groundbreaking stuff. But now the car itself has become a symbol in a cultural war—used to protest a billionaire who seems more interested in control than customers.

Remember VW’s emissions scandal? One regulatory crisis cost them tens of billions—not because people instantly stopped buying, but because brand trust vanished. Perception drives value. And when perception tanks, so does everything else.

That’s where Tesla is now. Except this time, it’s not about the product. It’s about the person. And that’s much harder to fix.

VW apologised, paid the fines, and rebuilt. They launched a better product, repositioned through advertising, and got back to business.

But Tesla? There’s no product fix for this. No clever ad campaign can undo Musk. A brand pivot would be an admission he got it wrong. And let’s be honest—can you see that happening any time soon?