It’s certainly eye-catching: A group of multiracial, gender-bending models emerge from an elevator in cutting-edge makeup and bright-colored clothing to a techno-industrial beat into an austere, prismatic landscape.
But one thing is missing from the storied British carmaker Jaguar’s new rebrand: cars.
The spot has drawn some reactions online that range from puzzled to dismayed, with several commentators comparing the potential fallout to Bud Light’s use of a trans influencer in straying far afield from its core demographic.
One communications professional on X called the advertisement “disastrous” for being overly focused on branding and not on the product itself.
“Jaguar should be saying … some version of ‘our cars are engineered to the gills and go very very fast,'” wrote Lulu Cheng Meservey, co-founder of Rostra PR group. “Art school grads simply aren’t associated with elite engineering ability, I’m sorry.”
In a press release accompanying its rebrand, Jaguar’s chief creative officer, Sir Gerry McGovern, explained the thinking behind the rollout.
“New Jaguar is a brand built around exuberant modernism,” he said. “It is imaginative, bold and artistic at every touchpoint. It is unique and fearless.”
Jaguar sold fewer than 67,000 cars in the entire world last year, approximately half the number it sold in the fiscal year incorporating the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today there are just 122 Jaguar dealerships in the U.S., down from a peak of around 200, according to Car and Driver magazine.
The revamp is designed to turn things around, in part by introducing new emblems that will be featured on future Jaguar vehicles.
In the lead-up to the campaign’s debut, Jaguar announced it was discontinuing five models with “close to zero profitability,” CEO Adrian Mardell told investors this year, as it developed three new ultra-luxury electric vehicles, one of which is set to be unveiled at Miami’s Art Basel event next month.
In response to other X users asking why the ad didn’t feature any cars, Jaguar’s X account responded, “The story is unfolding. Stay tuned,” and “Think of this as a declaration of intent.”
A spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover, today a unit of India-based Tata Motors, did not respond to a request for comment.
“To bring back such a globally renowned brand we had to be fearless,” Rawdon Glober, Jaguar’s managing director, said in the release. “Jaguar was always at its best when challenging convention. That ethos is seen in our new brand identity today and will be further revealed over the coming months. This is a complete reset. Jaguar is transformed to reclaim its originality and inspire a new generation. I am excited for the world to finally see Jaguar.”