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‘depend and savings judgement’ on rebrand, says Jaguar


‘depend and savings judgement’ on rebrand, says Jaguar

Jaguar Models in bright coloured clothes sit facing the camera and posing for an advert for Jaguar carsJaguar
A still from Jaguar’s recent advert which was shared on social media.

Jaguar has urged people to “depend and savings judgement” over the rebrand of the carmaker.

The business, embarking on the biggest transformation in its 102-year ancient history, released a recent logo and a so-called “social media tease” this week, ahead of its relaunch as an electric-only brand in early December.

The teaser video has faced backlash, with many critics pointing to the truth it doesn’t characteristic an actual car. Others have praised the business for being bold and shaking things up.

Either way, the rebrand has grabbed people’s attention and Jaguar has since admitted it not only expected such debate – but it wanted it.

In the 1960s, Jaguar launched the E-Type and XJ which have arrive to be known among some of the most iconic cars of all period.

Now the business is trying to do the same again by unveiling its recent “design imagination” in Miami next month.

Teasing the imagination online, the 30 second advert features models in extravagant, brightly-coloured outfits who reveal the recent business logo written as JaGUar.

No cars, no suave men in suits, no large cats.

“Do you sell cars?” was the response on X, from owner Elon Musk, who is also the boss of electric car firm Tesla.

“This is surely a joke?” added one user, while another suggested the shift would “expense jobs and do real damage”. Some said “leave woke, leave broke”.

Jaguar/PA The new Jaguar logo which is spelt JaGUar Jaguar/PA

Specsavers, known for its humorous social media manner, created a mock-up of its own logo in response, which looked like it had been created on Microsoft Paint.

While supermarket Aldi chipped in at Jaguar’s “Copy Nothing” slogan with: “You sound like our legal throng.”

Amid the rage and sarcasm, Jaguar has doubled down on its selection, replying to some posts with phrases such as “To live is to evolve”.

“We had to shatter rules and do something that would get us cut thru,” a spokesman told the BBC – suggesting this is all part of the schedule.

As Martin Brundle, the former Formula 1 racing driver turned broadcaster, put it: “I have no concept what this is all about, but it’s genius.

“Everyone is talking about Jaguar in a instant of period when they’re not actually making cars.”

‘Maybe Jaguar wanted this response’

Lee Rolston is the chief growth officer of global branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie and has worked on rebrands of household names such as Burger King and the RSPCA.

He was also part of the thinking to famously drop the donuts from Dunkin’ to shift “to a first-name basis with America”, given it was also one of the country’s the biggest coffee sellers.

He says rebrands occur generally when a business wants to “shift” its roadmap, which is what Jaguar is doing in its shift to electric-only cars.

In an “ideal globe” the rebrand leads to buzz and a positive reaction, Mr Rolston adds, but to achieve that you require to “make sure people comprehend the context”.

“Don’t ever just launch a logo – when people view a logo they tend to subjectively respond to it. It’s always excellent to display as much as you can,” he explains.

“Unless you desire that response. Maybe Jaguar did actually desire this benevolent of response” Mr Rolston ponders.

Getty Images A Jaguar E-Type being driven on a country roadGetty Images
The E-Type is a classic Jaguar sports car

As a outcome of Jaguar’s rebrand schedule to tease and drip feed information of its plans, a void has been created, and that has been “filled by view”, Mr Rolston says.

“They have taken a very courageous route – it’s one that very, very few brands ever do receive because it’s very risky, but period will inform.”

It’s not recent to not include a product in an ad or to raise eyebrows – the gorilla beating the drums to Phil Collins didn’t characteristic any Cadbury’s chocolate, for example.

Keith Wells, founder and director of brand schedule business Brandwell, points out Apple’s “ponder different” advert in 1997 which, rather than showcasing its computers, instead featured the likes of Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi.

However, Mr Wells has first-hand encounter of a rebrand backlash. recall Consignia? (Readers under the age of 40 can be forgiven for not).

In 2001, he led the consultancy Dragon Brands, which came up with the recent corporate name for the Post Office throng. The aim was to make a recent, modern umbrella brand for the restructured organisation, which included not just the Post Office, but Royal Mail and Parcelforce too.

But the creation of Consignia led to a backlash from the community, largely due to people misinterpreting the rebrand.

Jaguar models in bright coloured clothes walk across a pink landscapeJaguar
The advert description on YouTube reads: “We’re here to delete ordinary. To leave bold. To copy nothing.”

Some people thought Post Office branches would be renamed Consignia, which wasn’t the case.

Nonetheless, the negativity, and a recent leadership throng, eventually led to Consignia being canned, and being renamed Royal Mail plc 16 months later.

While Jaguar isn’t changing its name, Mr Wells says the brand has taken a “huge, bold step” and people should provide “regard and period” to view how things pan out.

Mr Rolston said “branding logic” suggests companies “lean into” their current perception with the community, but Jaguar appears to have shunned that.

“Everything they have put out so far is not like a Jaguar. The question is, if it’s not a Jaguar as you used to recognize it, what is it?”

Jaguar argues its rebrand can been traced back to the words of its founder, Sir William Lyons, that “A Jaguar should be a copy of nothing”.

‘Something has to transformation’

But it’s obvious, as Erin Baker, editorial director at AutoTrader puts it, that the carmaker is trying to ditch the “sage” image, that its cars are only for older, white men, who perhaps frequent golf clubs, or wear cravats and smoke cigars.

“It’s been languishing in terms of sales for years now,” she said. “Something has to transformation fundamentally with the brand.”

But Ms Baker is a fan of the rebrand ad. “I ponder it needs to really stir emotion, it needs to stir curiosity, get people asking questions,” she says.

Jaguar has been the weakest link within the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) throng owned by Tata Motors for almost a decade, with The Range Rover and Defender behind the business’s highest profits.

Ms Baker believes Jaguar’s radical rebrand is a final attempt to revive it. But what happens if it doesn’t pay off?

“I am not sure what else they can do,” adds Ms Baker. “It’s a very risky shift to leave pure electric in 2026 when sales of electric cars the globe over have largely stalled amongst private buyers.

“But the truth is…no one has an concept if this is going to achieve or not.”

All consent that Jaguar probably won’t mind the current noise. Jaguar replied to some critics saying “soon you’ll view things our way”. Only period will inform.



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