People are wrong about Jaguar.
Jaguar is everywhere right now, at least if you pay attention to branding news. The news is overwhelmingly bad, but I think most people are missing the point.
Whenever a company elects to rebrand, it must decide whether to evolve the brand or start over… EVOLUTION or REVOLUTION. Jaguar clearly chose revolution.
I get it; people don’t like the look of the rebrand, and it makes people uncomfortable when things are different from their experiences, but consider this:
Jaguar has decided to go all-electric
No one (basically) is currently buying Jaguars, even if they are aware of the brand
The brand is unlikely to ship ANY new cars anytime soon
The point is that what you see on your screen and what most people comment on is only PART of the brand’s new positioning. If I were guessing (with no inside information), I’d assume that Jaguar is thinking:
The idea of Jaguar highlights power – which could mean power in terms of acceleration and electricity.
As owners of the Land Rover brand, Jaguar’s success in cars (as opposed to SUVs) makes sense as the focus area (Tata Motors owns Jaguar & Land Rover brands)
Appeal to likely younger consumers who value individuality but have higher income – people who are likely less aware of, or have opinions about, Jaguars
This premium brand would go head-to-head with Tesla, and the new brand strategy almost repositions Tesla as a conformist car.
There is an added benefit—even if this is the “worst rebrand of all time,” as some call it—that for a company that hasn’t been relevant recently, it is sure generating a lot of buzz based on a preview of its new positioning.
While only time will tell if the brand is successful, it seems to be leaning toward connecting with its specific audience! In Brand Strategy, the key isn’t about reaching everyone; it’s about identifying the people who truly resonate with what you offer and becoming their one and only solution. This approach is valuable no matter the market or the size of the business!
Check out more at https://www.jaguarusa.com/copy-nothing/index.html
So what do you think? Did they reach you?