Developments in the automotive industry are constant, but rarely make headlines. However, in November 2024, renowned British car manufacturer Jaguar caused international stir when they announced a total rebranding. Publicised by the boxy “Type 00” concept car and a viral advertisement best described as “abstract” (among other, less polite words), Jaguar promised that all their upcoming cars will be powered by electricity only, and that they’ll be styled in accordance with “exuberant modernism.” This is in stark contrast to Jaguar’s previous image, which had become synonymous for their petrol-powered engines and masculine, old-money luxury ethos.
The general consensus of Jaguar’s rebrand has been overwhelmingly negative, with many accusing the company of succumbing to the clutches of “wokeism.” This is a perfectly reasonable view of the Jaguar situation, especially given the content of the aforementioned advertisement. The 30-second clip features models of all ages and races prancing about a colourful studio in objectively silly clothing, but most notably, not a single car was in sight – not even a reference.
But what is often overlooked is the dire state of Jaguar before the rebrand. The weeks prior to the announcement was the first time since 1948 in which no Jaguar was in production. Jaguar also fell abysmally short of their sales targets, and they haven’t been consistently profitable for decades. Motoring journalist Ollie Kew summarizes: “CEOs come and go. Parent brands change. And Jaguar changes tack… but it never makes money.” Hence, drastic measures were required.
And didn’t Jaguar take that message to heart. Their rebrand campaign has been intentionally provocative, which has worked so effectively to the extent that the company was on the lips of the world for a time. It became trendy to hate and criticise Jaguar, an environment which was arguably engineered by Jaguar themselves. This gained the brand the most publicity since their legendary E-Type sports car of the 1960s.
This leads us to the age-old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity. From a Catholic standpoint, we obviously know that promoting a definitively woke narrative is wrong, but big businesses regularly play by their own rules, and hence will exploit any method possible in the pursuit of attention. In Jaguar’s case, evoking strong emotions through a woke display was their method. It captivated millions of people who knew nothing about Jaguar to suddenly start becoming interested in what the company was doing. This all means that their upcoming electric production car, scheduled to arrive later this year, is guaranteed to have millions around the world keen on its unveiling.
And herein lies the genius of the Jaguar rebrand. In the past, they’ve produced exceptionally well-crafted SUV’s, sportscars, grand tourers, and even economy cars, yet they never reached prolonged financial stability. Appealing to wealthy, progressive liberals is simply their latest switch-up, but this time, they’ve opted to double down by creating one of the most memorable promotional campaigns in history. As a self-confessed petrolhead, the current state of Jaguar does break my heart. But at the end of the day, Jaguar is a business, and the bills aren’t going to pay themselves.
