Jaguar, a renowned British luxury-car brand, has been at the center of a heated debate after the release of its latest ad campaign. The campaign, which features models in colorful, modern clothing but no cars, has drawn both praise and criticism from various quarters.

Unveiling Jaguar's New Branding Era

Backlash and Criticism

The backlash against Jaguar's ad campaign began earlier this week when the brand unveiled its all-electric launch strategy. The iconic 90-year-old company, known for its association with British royalty and prime ministers, debuted a modernized typeface for its logo and a new leaping-jaguar mark. However, the video ad that accompanied the rebrand showed models engaged in activities like painting a wall, holding a sledgehammer, and gathering in a pink desert without any cars in sight. This led to a rash of criticism on social media, with some right-leaning personalities accusing the company of abandoning its history and pushing into "woke" politics. For example, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote, "Do you sell cars?" in response to the video posted on X. Nick Freitas, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, also commented, referring to the backlash to a Bud Light ad in 2023. Some critics even went as far as to say they would boycott the brand based on their assumption that it had gone "woke."

Defense and Intent

Jaguar's managing director, Rawdon Glover, has been defending the rebranding campaign. In an interview with the Financial Times, he said the campaign's intended message was lost "in a blaze of intolerance." He added that the controversial promotional video was not meant to be a "woke" statement. Glover emphasized that Jag's intent was to be different from other automakers and move away from traditional automotive stereotypes. He said, "If we play in the same way that everybody else does, we'll just get drowned out. So we shouldn't turn up like an auto brand. We need to reestablish our brand and at a completely different price point, so we need to act differently."

New Logo and Upmarket Positioning

Jaguar released a redesigned logo this week as part of the brand's positioning. The newly announced Jags are expected to be significantly more upmarket than the ones being phased out. According to Car and Driver, a Range Rover from the brand's corporate cousin that costs about $400,000 is where the brand wants to be. (Most 2024 Jaguar models have list prices of about $50,000 to $80,000.) Jaguar, which is part of the Jaguar Land Rover group and owned by India's Tata Motors, announced earlier this fall that it would end production of all its current models this year before debuting its new all-electric lineup.

Future Plans and Expectations

Jaguar said it would announce more details about its new branding strategy in December. It's not clear whether that will include specifics about any of its forthcoming electric vehicles. Without commenting specifically on the backlash, Jaguar said in a statement to Business Insider, "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."