24/03/26
Steve and Elon
Embodying his brand requires staying in character, without fail and until the very end.
The media charisma of certain founding fathers of companies makes them the face of the brand. Thus, they embody the company leader, both internally and among partners, and the figure whose symbol the brand represents, for the general public. In this second case, even more so than in the first, any form of public communication is official and must absolutely demonstrate solid identity coherence.
The first master of this approach is undoubtedly Steve Jobs, with his highly publicized launches of revolutionary products that changed the world. Subsequently, some leaders in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, like James Dyson, adopted the formula with considerable success. But, in all honesty, it’s difficult to compete with someone who, on this scale, offers you the opportunity to contribute to the vision of a more beautiful world.
Then Elon Musk comes : a visionary and brilliant entrepreneur with revolutionary product launches that changed the world. With Tesla, Hyperloop, and SpaceX, he combined technological leaps with ecological leaps in a world worried about climate change. The new generation and the media have found their new guide to a more beautiful world. It is interesting to question whether Elon Musk chose to embody this allegorical figure or whether the media assigned it to him. He seems to be enjoying it, and they are profiting from it.
In doing so, he cultivates a dazzling aura fueled by the technological prowess of his products. He becomes the allegorical figure of his brands, contributing to their image and success. For consumers and the general public, buying a Elon Musk Tesla is seen as contributing to SpaceX, the Hyperloop, and, more broadly, to ushering the world into a new era of technological and environmental achievements. Buying a Tesla is thus tantamount to adopting Elon Musk’s aura.
So, when Elon Musk displays other personal ambitions with X, Grok, and his political activism, that’s his prerogative, but it’s simply incompatible with embodying the allegorical figure of the aforementioned brands. For consumers and the general public, it represents a vision of an ideal that clashes with that of the allegorical figure of the previous brands. For the first time, due to its founder, a global brand has gone from splendor to turmoil, and its customers from pride to shame.
As a result, the brand value falls into negative territory. So, to sell products that now only have their own merits to offer, the company must cut back on margins.
