A 1953 Jaguar C Type
Oscar Wilde once famously said "There is one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that's not being talked about."
So when it came to rebranding, Jaguar had nothing to lose. Because no one was talking about them.
They were not selling any cars, and the brand was slowly disappearing into oblivion. So to shake things up, they opted for a colorful teaser ad, depicting a quite colorful dancing and parading bunch, paired with empty slogans such as COPY NOTHING and BREAK THE MOULD - yawn. The brand that gave us legendary designs and some of my personal favorites, such as the Jaguar C Type and E Type, the XJ 220, XK SS, and who could ever forget Ian Ogilvy driving a white XJS in the Saint tv series, gone in a mere 20 seconds.
Bye bye cat. Hello JJ
They say COPY NOTHING. TESLA with the CYBERTRUCK was the first ever company to copy no one. Has the CYBERTRUCK been successful? Well, in comparison to the rest of the line up, of course not. And if Elon is having a hard time selling a $100K (polarizing designed) truck, I am not sure how a struggling Jaguar electric car priced at $125K will fare. Jaguar is a little too late to the party. They are literally dressed up in colorful gowns to a party where the lights are coming on and it's last call.
Was this a good business move? Only time will tell if this drastic departure from tradition will breathe new life into the fading legend or further tarnish its once-glorious image. One thing's for sure - TATA, the Indian conglomerate that owns Jaguar, will definitely survive, thanks to its hugely successful LAND ROVER brands. Hmm, hint - reviving the classic Defender. No hollow cliche promises, no men in dresses.
A teaser for the new EV by Jaguar with the new logo
So one must ask what drove this new brand direction? Apparently this specific teaser ad was made to coincide with the debut of the car at the Miami Design fair so they decided to go with something artistic and abstract. BAD BAD. You don't adjust your inital ever teaser ad to the public based on an art show. Even more so when you are debuting a global rebranding. So breaking it down further, the question beckoned to be answered, was this a genius move or was it simply driven by a woke mentality wanting to be totally inclusive, and this is what you get?
I mean, there is such a disconnect, that it's almost, completely denying the previous version of the brand ever existed. Erasing its history and esteemed heritage. But most of us older folk (GEN X) love history and heritage and we love products that endure the test of time.
But you will say well GEN Xers are not the target audience. Then if we are not, with a debut like that, who is? Perhaps you wanted to disassociate yourselves from the Jaguar of yore, with all its mechanical and quality issues. And it's a fair argument. I remember my dad driving a 1984 XJ 6 in racing green and tan interior and I still vividly remember that worn in leather smell (which I loved) and those signature SMITHS dials. I also remember the electrical windows working every other day. Or how about the joke about buying 2 Jags at a time, since one will always be in the repair shop.
Back to the unrolling of the new brand. Do I like the new direction? No.
Did the campaign grab my attention? Yes. Is it great for publicity? Yes.
All I have to say the car better be good. Really good.
Or else it will become another case study of how a botched rebranding campaign can completely eviscerate an iconic brand.