QOTD: Does Tesla Need to Advertise?

We mentioned yesterday that Tesla is going to advertise more. But does the company really need to?

Tesla is in a unique position. It's gotten a lot of press over the past 10-15 years, a lot more than most startups. Most people know that Tesla is an automaker that sells upscale EVs.

Of course, most people know that Ford and GM and most other legacy automakers exist. But legacy makes continue to advertise so that the general public knows what new models are out. They also advertise deals to try and get buyers in showrooms while also trying to undercut rivals. There's more to it, of course, and I'm simplifying things for the sake of brevity, but the point is that even well-known legacy automakers have a reason to spend massive sums on advertising.

But Tesla has had a fair amount of success with just word-of-mouth and with its customers serving, in some cases, as unpaid brand ambassadors on Twitter.

Hype around Tesla boss Elon Musk has played a part in that, of course.

On the other hand, critics might argue that Tesla needs to advertise to overcome negative criticism that has been directed at Musk and his actions -- both as boss of Tesla and of Twitter -- and to overcome concerns about the reliability of the brand's cars.

There's also the fact that Tesla plans to someday launch the Cybertruck and a new Roadster. Given how delayed the Cybertruck's launch has been, perhaps some advertising will be necessary to overcome consumer skepticism.

So, what do you think? Does Tesla have enough positive buzz that it doesn't need to advertise? Is even the negative publicity good for the brand, in a way (all publicity is good publicity, et cetera)? Or does the brand need to advertise, if not for brand awareness, then to rebuild any goodwill that has been lost over the years?

Sound off below.

[Image: Tesla]

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