How Musk reinvented branding

by K Dorai Raja, Managing Editor, ET

4 May

Love him or loathe him, you have to hand it to Elon Musk for his ability to stay relevant.

Having mastered the art of turning controversy into a powerful marketing tool, he thrives in the spotlight it inevitably brings. Sure, people are vandalising and burning TESLA cars of late. But his brand will almost certainly endure, if past adversities he has encountered are a guide.

Like his boss, one President Donald Trump, in a media environment inundated by political correctness, Musk appreciates the importance of sounding authentic and human. Having chucked the rulebooks that most media-trained CEOs abide by,

he constantly wages battles with his critics, completely unhinged and in an often-polarising way.

And his brand benefits because let’s face it – even half the market is sizable enough, especially when they are impassioned about the Musk brand and believe in all that he is doing.

But while he may come across as every self-respecting PR person’s nightmare, there is a method to his madness. His antics in the public sphere are often calculated for business benefits.

Consider this: unlike his competitors, Tesla and SpaceX, Musk spends very little on paid advertising. Instead, they rely on organic hype and word-of-mouth. Tesla cars, for example, are marketed primarily through customer enthusiasm and the media coverage that his larger-than-life personality generates.

Let’s also not overlook the fact that his products are highly customer-centric innovations, addressing real world problems that the world has been grappling with - Tesla for sustainability, Starlink for global internet access, SpaceX for reusable

rockets, Neuralink to help people with neurological conditions like paralysis etc. His companies and product strategies often pivot based on direct customer feedback, fostering strong community engagement.

These days, Musk is in the news for DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) mostly. Long an advocate of Dogecoin, one wonders about his motivations for styling this department in this manner. Well, there are a few ways in which it could impact Dogecoin’s future:

Legitimacy – Given Musk’s newfound influence, Dogecoin could gain more credibility, potentially being recognized as a government-endorsed digital currency.
Government transactions – By legitimising Dogecoin, Musk could advocate for its use in government transactions in some limited capacity.
Integration with X (formerly Twitter) – Musk’s company X has plans to launch X Money, and if Dogecoin is integrated into this platform, it could significantly boost its adoption and value costs while still ensuring high engagement and customer interest.

Musk is living proof to many PR practitioners that in the game of branding, being disruptive isn’t a flaw – it’s the strategy.