Elon Musk and TeslaProf. Dr. Henrik Sattler Explains How Politics Influences Branding

4 February 2025

Photo: Unsplash / Charlie Deets

In a recent article, ZEIT Online examined the impact of Elon Musk’s political statements on Tesla. Prof. Dr. Henrik Sattler speaks as a branding expert and Tesla driver.

A recent ZEIT Online article entitled “Ich will Herrn Musk ja nicht heiraten” focuses on how political statements of Tesla CEO Elon Musk against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s policies and the AfD have impacted the Tesla brand. In the article, Tesla drivers talk about their changing views on this car brand. For instance, brand expert Henrik Sattler, professor of marketing and branding and vice dean of the University of Hamburg Business School, also drives a Tesla driver: “Political statements always harbor the risk that a large number of people cannot identify with them,” says Sattler. Company bosses thus mostly refrain from making political statements in public, especially in Germany. But not Elon Musk. “He is the face of Tesla’s brand. His extreme statements will damage the brand in the short to medium term.

Read the article with the full statement (paywall).