Jaguar’s ‘Disastrous’ Rebrand Is Exactly What the Company Needs. Here’s Why.
Key Takeaways:
Jaguar rolled out a new rebrand to the ire of the internet.
Because its US market share is only 0.05%, it had a lot of blue sky in a complete rebrand.
Jaguar’s future appears to be autonomous, electric, and global.
“Getting attention in today’s world is not always easy… We’re delighted to have your attention.” – Gerry McGovern, Chief Creative Officer at Jaguar
In late November, Jaguar rolled out a colorful, diverse, and contemporary (and notably car-less) rebranded image, which was immediately met by the wrath of online commentary. The overwhelmingly negative reaction referred to the brand’s “woke” redesign as a “weird way to announce bankruptcy,” “the most colorful funeral” ever seen, and called Jaguar’s pronouns “Was/Were” — among countless other insults. Anyone reading these reactions might think that Jaguar just shot itself in the foot, alienating its customer base in exchange for a 22nd-century avant-garde look. Here’s why that view is shortsighted.
Jaguar’s sales history speaks volumes.
Founded in 1922, Jaguar quickly positioned itself as a symbol of luxury and performance. Its iconic vehicles, like the E-Type and the XJ series, have defined automotive elegance and innovation throughout the 20th century. By 1990, the company’s ownership moved across the pond to Ford and remained an American company until 2008, when it was sold to Tata Motors, an automotive conglomerate based in Mumbai.
Although the company’s brand continuously aligned to its British origins, sales didn’t reflect that decision. Its US market share has steadily declined, falling from a tiny 0.18% in 2005 to a minuscule 0.05% in 2023. That means only 1 out of every 2,000 cars sold in the US last year were a Jaguar. For comparison, Mercedes-Benz touts a 2023 US market share of 2.2% or 44X that of Jaguar. Whatever original British racing history brand equity the company had was spent, and sales figures reflect that.
In case of an emergency, unplug your brand and try again.
Jaguar’s brand was in the shitter. Its legacy buyers had since moved on to Porsche, BMW, or other brands, and it hadn’t replaced that aging customer base with a new cohort. Also facing environmental regulations to electrify its fleet and increasing R&D costs, the Jaguar team faced extreme headwinds. This could be why it made sense to ‘completely’ scrap how the company looked and re-emerge as who it wanted to be: a brand of the future for future generations. While this new look may not be for anyone born in the 1900s (me included), it is for a driverless, electric, and always-connected audience.
Driverless electric cars are weird, so should be the leading brand.
Living in cities like SF and LA has its perks, one of which was early access to Waymo’s self-driving vehicles. Since 2021, San Franciscans have likely seen these weird little cars with a flying saucer on top and huge-looking side mirrors (sometimes) successfully navigating its steep, narrow streets. These sensors allow the self-driving car company to train its models and continuously roll out a self-driving fleet. You may not have known that the vehicles are modified electric Jaguar I-PACE models.
I believe this is Jaguar's future: an autonomous, electric vehicle company first. If you enjoy the experience in its taxi version, you can rent or purchase other models. Enticing people to try something new requires some razzle-dazzle, and that’s what this rebrand did.
It has the ingredients to become a social media sensation. Hailing a driverless Waymo, being picked up in a pastel-colored electric Jaguar, and being among the first to share the unique experience with your followers. This social media gold can translate into repeat customers because we know younger generations are buying fewer and fewer vehicles. They need to get from point A to B and beyond, so why not do it with them? It’s not your parents’ Jag — and that’s the point.
Jag’s brand relaunch is one example of how a brand change supports future business goals. Let’s use audience insights to evolve your brand together.