How to Tank Your Brand

First, we had Jaguar. Now Tesla’s taken the baton – and somehow made Jaguar look like a hero. If you think customers don’t care about your values, Tesla’s epic nosedive says otherwise.

Not long ago, driving a Tesla was like having a reserved seat at the cool kids’ table. It was a status symbol – not just because it screamed success, but because it said, “Hey, I care about the planet.” Pulling up in a Tesla meant you were ahead of the curve – smart, successful, and maybe even a little bit smug.

Now? Owning a Tesla is starting to feel like wearing Crocs to a black-tie event – a bit embarrassing and hard to justify.

From Icon to Ick

The worldwide numbers don’t lie.

• Sales are down.
• Stock price? Tanking faster than my motivation after a 3-hour Team meeting.
• And the latest trend? Tesla owners are slapping on “I bought this before Elon went crazy” stickers. That’s brand loyalty evaporating in real-time.

So, what happened? Did the cars suddenly stop working? Did the battery life tank? Did the price double overnight?

Nope. The product didn’t change (though BYD is giving them nightmares). The brand did.

When the Brand Becomes the Problem

Here’s the fact – people didn’t fall out of love with Tesla because of the car. They bailed because of the bloke behind the brand.

Elon Musk went from “genius billionaire with a vision” to “Twitter troll with too much time on his hands” – and it didn’t sit well with Tesla’s core customer base. Suddenly, driving a Tesla wasn’t about making a smart, eco-friendly choice. It became a political statement – and not the kind most Tesla drivers and fans wanted to make.

Brand affinity is fragile. One minute you’re the golden child of the sustainability movement; the next, you’re the symbol of everything wrong with billionaire culture.

When people feel like a brand no longer reflects their values, they walk. And they don’t just quietly slip away – they rage-quit. Publicly. On social media. With receipts.

The Harsh Truth About Values

This isn’t just a Tesla problem. It’s a warning for every brand out there. And every public-facing CEOs representing their brands.

You can’t slap “we care about the planet” on your website and expect customers to believe it when your CEO is out there platforming... you know, stuff. If your values aren’t showing up in your decisions and actions, people will notice – and they will punish you for it.

And here’s the thing – it’s often the most loyal customers who will lead the charge against you when you stuff it up. They’re the ones emotionally invested in your brand. When they feel betrayed, they don’t just leave – they campaign.

Learnings from Tesla (or X, for that matter)

Look, I’m not saying you need to be perfect – no brand is. But if you want to avoid a Tesla-level disaster, here’s the playbook:

?? Live your values. If you say you care about sustainability, maybe don’t align yourself with someone who’s pushing anti-environment rhetoric.

?? Don’t underestimate your customers. People are smart – they know when they’re being sold a lie.

?? Respond when things go south. Coke recovered from New Coke by listening to customers and fixing the problem. Tesla (in this case Elon)? Just doubling down on the chaos.

?? Don’t make it political (unless you’re prepared for the fallout). Nike backed Colin Kaepernick and knew they’d alienate part of their audience – but they stuck to their values and gained more loyalty in the end.

Now What?

Tesla didn’t fall because their cars got worse (well, there are falling parts and self-driving safety issues at the time of this piece as reported in the news and by independent YouTubers like Mark Rober). It fell because the brand stopped reflecting the values of its customers and they don't agree with what Elon is representing anymore.

Moral of the story? If you want to keep your customers, staff, or investors, don’t make them choose between supporting your brand and staying true to their own values. They’ll walk – and trust me, they’ll tell everyone why.

So, what’s your brand values standing for these days? And more importantly – are your customers still standing with you?

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are solely mine and do not reflect the sanity or coherence of any companies unfortunate enough to associate with me.