• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 12, 2025

Walking out of my local Trader Joe's, I quickly eye a round, red-and-white sticker on the back of a car with the name “Elon” --a sticker designed with his name heavily crossed out amid a thick white line.

I’m focusing on it so heavily as I walk by that I don’t realize this car just isn’t any car. It’s a Tesla.

Mixed messaging? Or some tongue-in-cheek brand loyalty gone wild?

No matter. The now infamous EV (electric vehicle) car brand needs much more.

Maybe it’s time -- well past the time actually -- for Tesla to start a real, significant large-scale TV advertising campaign. You know, like most car companies.

Why now? One major sign is the cratering of the company’s stock, which in the early part of this week was down 15%. Tesla stock price is now at a five-year low.

Now analysts are calling the company a “meme” stock. For many investors, it means Tesla is not traded on foundational financial metrics but on the whims, observations, social media comments of users or other followers of the company.

For sure, market dynamics have changed for the company as well. EV competition in the space has been heating up among all U.S. and among globally based car companies, including cars made in China.

And now the long-time EV leader is suffering from boycotts, protests and other disturbances at Tesla locations and showrooms -- all because of Elon Musk’s high-profile, controversial association with the Trump Administration and Musk's efforts to foster more "governmental efficiency."

This has resulted in massive Federal employee layoffs everywhere -- even among existing workload-strapped agencies when it comes to staffing. Those affected have included both Republican and Democrat-leaning federal workers.

For years, Tesla didn’t need TV advertising. Word-of mouth and cool messaging worked well and the slick looking and now very identifiable vehicles meant plenty of out-of-home advertising/promotion for the company, which was slowly building a devoted clientele.

Perhaps Tesla could jump-start a TV campaign by doing selective media schedules on must-have connected TV -- Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Hulu -- via special live events (sports, awards shows, or otherwise) or top-of-mind streaming TV shows like “The Bear,” “The White Lotus” or “Only Murders in the Building.”

Maybe Apple TV+'s “Severance”? (There's a hint for you!)

Hey, the President is already helping out -- in a way. Trump continues to support Musk, and even just bought a Tesla, as well as saying the boycotts against Tesla are “illegal.”

Then again, if you're driving a Tesla with some contrarian stickers on it, maybe you are just rolling around, getting comfortable in a new world order mix of provocative messaging. Might that sell some cars?

Can’t wait to see a TV spot featuring those real-world Tesla haters -- and lovers -- speaking out of both sides of their mouths. Finally some long-lasting, less gaseous brand engagement!

This story has been updated.