Why ‘radical’ Jaguar rebrand is following in Apple’s footsteps
Jaguar’s controversial rebrand has not been far from the headlines in the last few days, with online commentators slating the move as a “disaster”.
The criticism came after the British manufacturer, which is part of the wider Jaguar Land Rover group, unveiled marketing slogans such as “delete ordinary”, “live vivid” and “copy nothing” earlier this week.
A video posted by the company on X, formerly Twitter, featuring people wearing brightly coloured clothes making synchronised movements – but no cars – received a number of critical replies.
The likes of Elon Musk, who is the largest individual shareholder in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, asked “Do you sell cars?”, to which Jaguar replied “Yes”, with an invitation to an event in Miami, in the US, next month.
Broadcaster Andrew Neil said the video suggests the company sells “daft clothes”, adding that the marketing campaign has “the smell of disaster”.
Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who has led a vocal campaign against transgender athletes being able to compete in women’s sport, said the rebrand will “alienate their core customers”.
Gabor Schreier, chief creative officer at branding and design agency Saffron Brand Consultants, said he was “a bit shocked” when he watched the video.
In response to the criticism, a spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover said: ““Our brand relaunch for Jaguar is a bold and imaginative reinvention and as expected it has attracted attention and debate.
“As proud custodians at such a remarkable point in Jaguar’s history we have preserved iconic symbols while taking a dramatic leap forward.
“The brand reveal is only the first step in this exciting new era and we look forward to sharing more on Jaguar’s transformation in the coming days and weeks.”
But Stuart Williamson, consulting partner at Sullivan & Stanley, has put forward an alternative view point – one that argues that Jaguar’s move is a “radical approach” that harks back to a similar move by Apple in the 1990s.
‘Have faith in Jaguar’s master plan’
Williamson said: “This new direction from Jaguar is a radical approach.
“So it would be remiss to assume that the car manufacturer didn’t anticipate a degree of emotional backlash from loyal fans.
“In fact, the degree of reaction is a bit of a gift in the dark art of change management as the awareness levels are probably beyond what JLR could have anticipated.
“With Jaguar being one brand of the four in the house of brands, the real change is what Jaguar will do next.
“Therefore, people should hold fire on judgement. We have to have faith in the master plan.
“Because this is what it is – we haven’t even seen the new vehicles yet but they’ve got the entire internet chatting about Jaguar again. And raising awareness and anticipation for when the new vehicles are eventually launched.
“What’s more, there’s a plethora of other brands that initially relaunched with a change in direction and were originally critiqued. In the late 1990s, Apple was struggling with a limited product line and declining market share.
“The introduction of the ‘Think Different’ campaign, along with innovative products like the iMac, marked a significant rebranding effort.
“Despite initial scepticism, Apple’s focus on design and user experience led to its emergence as a leader in the technology industry.
“In some ways, this new direction from Jaguar is what change is all about. Sometimes businesses need to step out of their comfort zone and challenge the status quo. In such a saturated automotive market, we should embrace something different.
“It’s also important to acknowledge that all this judgement is based on individuals’ own interpretation of the change – before any data or concrete results.
“It’s a bold move from Jaguar and I applaud this radical approach. So let’s give it a chance to play out before we call it a write off just yet.”