Will Jaguar's Controversial Rebrand Drive Interest From a New Audience, or Is it a Misstep?
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With a new 30-second ad dominating headlines across the globe, it appears that British luxury vehicle company Jaguar's recent rebranding has achieved at least one indisputable milestone — garnering a great deal of attention.
The 30-second spot features a diverse group of models clad in colorful, futuristic-looking garments. A soft techno beat underscores the abstract action of the clip, with one model holding a hammer as text reading "break moulds" is overlaid. Another model wields a paintbrush and paints over a portion of the foreground as text reading "delete ordinary" is displayed.
Other messaging included in the ad reads "create exuberant" and "live vivid," while the ad closes with an ostensible promise from the automaker to "copy nothing," as the models then disperse.
Criticism Over Jaguar's Latest Ad Runs Rampant on Social Media
As Forbes detailed, the ad in question has drawn an immense amount of criticism on social media, with prominent critics such as Elon Musk and Nigel Farage weighing in to offer some harsh words for the automaker's most recent effort.
Taking to X, company chairman Elon Musk offered a cynical response to the ad, asking: "Do you sell cars?"
While there was no appearance of a Jaguar model in the ad, nor a vehicle at all, the automaker was quick to fire back with a response to Musk. "Yes. We'd love to show you. Join us for a cuppa in Miami on 2nd December? Warmest regards, Jaguar," the company's X account replied.
Musk's reply to the ad has attracted around 303,000 likes, while Jaguar's reply to Musk has received 13,000 so far.
According to Forbes, the negative reaction to the ad on social media was widespread. "Nearly all the top-liked Instagram comments on Jaguar’s post are critical, with the top comment, liked more than 13,000 times, claiming the company 'killed a British icon.'"
As of Nov. 21, the top comment on Jaguar's ad reveal on Instagram appears to now come from Aaron Fleming of Retro Garage. Fleming poked fun at the ad, comparing the models to nostalgic children's TV characters — Teletubbies — while wanting Jaguar to make "good, reliable cars again."
Another commenter stated, "You guys should go back to what made Jaguar great. Build classy British cars that are so unique and beautiful that no one cares they are unreliable. That’s the formula!"
Jaguar Responds to Online Negativity Surrounding Its Ad and Rebrand
Jaguar representatives so far appear to be stoic in the face of the online backlash surrounding its most recent ad, perhaps even leaning into the controversy created.
"Our brand relaunch for Jaguar is a bold and imaginative reinvention and as expected it has attracted attention and debate,” Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson Joseph Stauble told Forbes.
In a Nov. 18 press release, Jaguar spoke to the underpinning vision behind its ad and the continuing rebranding as a whole.
"To bring back such a globally renowned brand we had to be fearless. Jaguar was always at its best when challenging convention. That ethos is seen in our new brand identity today and will be further revealed over the coming months. This is a complete reset. Jaguar is transformed to reclaim its originality and inspire a new generation. I am excited for the world to finally see Jaguar," Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover wrote.
The company also indicated that it was planning to unveil the "physical manifestation" of its creative philosophy on Dec. 2 as part of Miami Art Week. The public installation will be delivered "through a series of meticulously curated gallery spaces over two locations," per the press release.
Jaguar Moves To Capture a New Demographic
According to a Newsweek report, pleasing its existing customer base wasn't the focus of the company's rebranding, focusing instead on a "design-minded" audience that is "cash rich, time poor." Before now, Jaguar has held a relatively "masculine brand image," with a reputation for targeting wealthy male drivers.
"We assume that 10 to 15 percent of our current Jaguar customers will follow us, so relatively few," Glover told Motor1 of the shift in marketing strategy, per Newsweek.
The automaker's head of brand strategy, and the "mastermind" behind the rebranding, as The Daily Mail detailed, is Santino Pietrosanti, who appeared to embrace a new path for the company during remarks made during an Attitude Awards event held in London last month.
Speaking out in support of diversity efforts — he indicated Jaguar had established over 15 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) groups as part of a "transformative journey" for the brand — Pietrosanti drew connections between the brand and greater "human potential" during his remarks.
"We're not just talking about new cars. We are talking about all new ways of thinking and embracing the full spectrum of human potential and creativity. Because Jaguar has always stood for fearless originality striving to be a copy of nothing. And we believe that every person has the potential to be something unique, something original, and that's what makes us strong," Pietrosanti said.
What Jaguar Was Doing Before Its Rebranding Wasn't Working
Despite Jaguar's long association with wealth and luxury, the iconic brand's actual sales numbers have been stagnant, as InsideEVs writer Kevin Williams underscored.
Throughout the entirety of 2023, Jaguar sold only 8,438 cars, according to InsideEVs, compared to competitor Genesis having moved 68,798 vehicles last year.
Suggesting that Jaguar was in dire need of a change regarding its product lineup and that search interest in Jaguar, regardless of intent, was skyrocketing, Williams offered a balanced but cautious take on the company's latest marketing efforts. "Whatever you feel, you can’t deny that it certainly got people talking about Jaguar in ways that its old cars never, ever did," he wrote. "Searches for Jaguar are up dramatically since it pulled this marketing stunt. Maybe Jaguar knows something we don’t, and it’ll pay off in the long run."
Williams added, "Jaguar’s next vehicle, which is likely a concept car, will be unveiled in early December. Is Jaguar's new direction misguided? Well, we'll just have to wait and see."
Jaguar's ad had attracted nearly 141 million views on X alone as of 7:41 p.m. ET on Nov. 21. Its latest concept car, seen only via a cryptic post shared to X, appears sleek and bears a sporty aesthetic.