To say Jaguar’s recent relaunch has gone down like a proverbial lead balloon would be an understatement.
My LinkedIn feed has been swamped by comments of disbelief, as flabbergasted critics look on aghast by what they have seen. Parodies poking fun at the situation. Brand experts weighing in with their two pennies worth.
I must admit, I gave the new teaser some side eye too. It’s not a step change from where Jaguar were, but more of a giant leap across a canyon with impending doom directly below if they misstep just one inch.
But despite the ridicule and sheer disbelief I’ve been reading in my own personal echo chamber, and the initial temptation to join in, I actually thought about it some more.
Yes it’s drastic and shocking, overly aesthetic and unapologetically alienating to its past audiences. But actually, to get to this point, a lot of strategic thinking has happened.
None of it is an accident. And every part will have been considered at the highest level, pored over meticulously, benchmarked against company objectives and aspirations, and (you better hope) stress tested, before it’s even been allowed to infiltrate our feeds.
Jaguar has faced up to its future, armed with the knowledge that year-on-year, its car sales are going down. That its traditional target audience is ageing out of the game. That if they do nothing, they will have nothing.
So love it or hate it, the Jaguar brand reset is actually a brave and necessary move. The fact that the once heralded brand has had the balls to kick its heritage to the curb, and reinvent itself for a new generation is actually something we should be applauding.
It’s not a flippant decision.
It’s not as tone-deaf as some might suggest.
It’s actually a vital act of survival. An investment into a brand which could be as extinct as Jeremy, the newly retired chairman of such-and-such company, who has been buying Jags since he rose up the ranks of his career, when he departs this world.
Jaguar had to do this. And only time will tell if they did it right. Will the reimagined product align with the brand's outward vision? Can it reignite a passion in wealthy car enthusiasts? Will its car sales improve?
There is so much more to be revealed, and I’ve got the popcorn and I’m invested.