The internet is perplexed by Jaguar’s latest message due to its revolutionary rebranding effort. In contrast to earlier campaigns, the absence of a car in the new images led PR heavyweights and industry veterans to write off Jaguar’s PR efforts as a failure.
Fans who have followed Jaguar for years have enjoyed driving some of the cars, most admirably the F-Type. So, Jaguar’s new rebranding exercise certainly turned heads worldwide in the luxury car segment. People were curious to see what the rebranding was all about. The images created were colourful and vibrant, encompassing many models looking far too serious for what they were decked up in.
The press pack did not offer any new car images or a teaser. Jaguar fans were definitely eager to see the upcoming Jaguar concept car, which will be unveiled next month.
The first of Jaguar’s anticipated three ultra-luxury EVs will be displayed at Miami Art Basel next month. However, the first launch is not expected until 2026 — so it will not happen soon. Although the Miami event appears appropriate for this rebranding campaign, many wonder if it is the ideal setting for revealing a high-end vehicle of the future. I hope the Jaguar Design Vision Concept is more than just another strange piece of art.
With a history spanning more than a century, Jaguar abruptly concluded that the brand’s poor sales performance was due to its image. The British automaker threw out everything, including its ethos, logo, and typeface, to address its issues. It then startled everyone with an odd public relations effort. A graphic package that appears to mimic the fonts used by Smart in its emblem replaced the recognisable Jaguar logo, which has persisted since 1945.
The rebranding video that kicked off the campaign made things stranger. For most people, the Jaguar brand conveys elegance and sophistication tempered with its automobile heritage. However, the video served up shock therapy. Perhaps it was necessary to drum up the brand’s image, considering that the marque has fallen behind in sales and identity.
In 2023, Jaguar sold less than 67,000 vehicles globally, nearly half as much as it did during the 2019–2020 fiscal year, which included the pandemic lockups. By presenting a new brand image that would be more enticing to auto purchasers, the rebranding campaign seeks to reverse the situation.
However, this is by no means Jaguar’s most contentious action. In preparing for the total brand overhaul, new cars were taken off-sale more than a year ago — with only the upcoming new all-electric car to be unveiled at Art Basel that will only go on sale in 2026. This means Jaguar is ready to keep steady on their downward trend by not introducing newness into the brand and hedge all bets in the new PR move to regain market leadership.
The new Jaguar font style does not convey luxury but depicts minimalism. People questioned how the British marque would fend off competition from Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which are in the luxury segment.
The promo video features a Tilda Swinton-like model swinging a hammer with the caption “Break Moulds,” taking inspiration from the 1984 Apple Macintosh commercial that is still remembered well. Some Jaguar fans said portraying a stale company as imaginative and bold was a reasonable effort.
Naysayers of the rebranding campaign say the new logos are questionable. They say the campaign tried to build a new brand identity on the mantra of “copy nothing” while doing the exact opposite in a strange effort.
Lulu Cheng Meservey — co-founder of Rostra PR group — made clear the difficulty Jaguar faces by pointing out that sales in the US have decreased by 70% over the last five years. This problem puts the sale of automobiles at the top of any rebranding campaign, which should have emphasised demonstrating that Jaguar recognised the issues and the reasons behind the downturn. In addition to a perplexing market positioning, its new aesthetics are realised with antiquated technologies.
For a storied British automobile marque that’s going fully electric by 2026, there is still more to be seen how it all comes together when their new EVs are launched and whether all the visuals support their new DNA for EV design. But the proof is in the pudding if Jaguar fans will place orders or win converts.
For more on the latest in luxury automotive news and reads, click here.
