By Dr Achilleas Boukis, Associate Professor in Marketing
Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham
Jaguar’s recent rebrand video got everyone talking. Their bold and dramatic rebranding move signalled the long-expected transition to an all-electric future as well as sparked shock, excitement and a heated debate among branding experts, celebrities and marketers. Many experts long argue that rebranding strategies should not wipe out all of the brand’s heritage and that Jaguar simply went too far in its attempt to be bold.
Was this rebranding a calculated risk to stay relevant, or has Jaguar veered off course and will soon be facing its own Bud Light moment? Would its audience (mostly high net worth customers) approve its new more “woke” positioning or are they steering to the pursuit of modernization, opening up to new customer segments?
Critics are up in arms labelling this as a commercial suicide while mostly focusing more on the short-term downsides of their new message. For instance, they hammer the campaign for the lack of any representation of Jaguar’s brand heritage or EV future, despite their huge amount of heritage in the locker. The disconnection between the British heritage and its new identity has also led to concerns about alienating its existing customer base and whether their owners will remain loyal to this new vision. However, what is the point of focusing on your existing clientele, if this is not profitable enough to keep the company afloat? Known for its quintessential British character, sleek design, and roaring performance, Jaguar has long been a symbol of sophistication, but, when was the last time though we saw something about them on LinkedIn?
Naturally, brave steps and repositioning come with high risks but if brands stop taking risks, they will run obsolete.
At the same time, these changes seem to be driven by the poor economic shape, with global sales figures declining for the Jaguar models, while their recent campaigns faced criticism for lacking innovation.
Naturally, brave steps and repositioning come with high risks but if brands stop taking risks, they will run obsolete. This ambitious transformation represents a fundamental shift in how Jaguar positions itself in the luxury market. While brands like Walmart and Toyota take a different stand in how they embrace ‘wokeness’ and diversity policies, Jaguar is a late entry into the world of diversity practices. Their departure from traditional automotive stereotypes could be interpreted through their aspiration to transit from an exclusive, elite luxury brand into a sustainable, tech-driven, avant-garde luxury provider. Nevertheless, their new message seems rooted in a clear strategic vision as their brand identity desperately needed an upgrade to mark their repositioning in the EV space as a luxury leader in a sustainable future and the complete transition to electric vehicles by 2026.
The new branding, centred around the concept of “Exuberant Modernism,” might be more appealing to a younger, progressive and more diverse audience miles away from ultra-luxury, notoriously discerning consumers. Despite its late entry in the sustainable luxury car market where competitors like Tesla have already established themselves as leaders, this new brand identity might prove as a viable alternative to the alt-right shift of Tesla’s brand image. What is certain, however, is that the company signals a departure from the opulence and raw power that have historically defined it and a clean break from its past.
If Jaguar’s aim was increasing coverage and salience, they’ve scored every point available. Even the BBC was covering the backlash as breaking news, and no recent EV model launch has received this amount of attention from media. Jaguar may be betting on a similar battle to Tesla’s Cybertruck, where short-term criticism was followed by a steep sales increase and the formulation of a strong oppositional loyalty resulting in now them pioneering the luxury EV space. In any case, Jaguar’s challenge will be to convince consumers that it deserves a premium price tag for its ultra-luxury electric vehicles.
Successful or not, Jaguar’s rebrand is already viewed as one of the most ambitious transformations among automotive brands. Jaguar is also gambling its future on a new identity as they have (unwillingly?) joined the culture wars, without however, knowing whether their new, aspirational target markets will see the rebranding as ‘woke-washing‘ or a refreshing evolution in the automotive industry.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Birmingham.
It’s not often we see a heritage brand completely rewrite their “corporate story”. For Jaguar the goal is likely clearer than the amorphous identity of its campaign. Splashing bright colours against decades of monochrome automotive marketing could yet be the perfect rebrand to mark an optimistically greener era, or possibly an act of “brandalism”. One interpretation is that Jaguar is positioning to maintain its reputation for being close to Rolls Royce in quality and experience, but (as rumour on pricing concurs) at about one third of the cost. And, as we know, there’s always content which takes the wind out of the creative originality sails, especially when a brand is simmering under the heat it has so strategically fuelled: https://e-vehicleinfo.com/jaguar-type-00-vs-rolls-royce-spectre-which-is-the-best-electric-car/