Jaguar finally realizes the fiasco!

Knowing how to reinvent oneself to last is a necessity, but certainly not an obvious one. Jaguar proves it with a disastrous rebranding.

In November 2024, Jaguar unveiled an ambitious rebranding campaign aimed at redefining its image as a 100% electric luxury brand by 2026. Say goodbye to the famous “growler” logo and hello to a minimalist “J”. The advertisements, meanwhile, no longer even featured cars, preferring flashy visuals and androgynous models sporting slogans like “Live Vivid” or “Delete Ordinary”. A bold strategy that, on paper, aimed to attract a younger, more global clientele.

But between ambition and disconnect, only a step separated them. The critics were swift and harsh: branded as “woke,” the campaign was deemed disconnected from Jaguar’s historic roots. Elon Musk himself, never shy about a jab, asked on X (ex-Twitter): “Are you selling cars?” Meanwhile, the brand’s traditional customers, lovers of British refinement and timeless elegance, turned away.

The consequences quickly became evident. Global Jaguar sales nearly halved in two years, dropping from 61,661 units in 2022 to just 33,320 in 2024. Even the used car market suffered from this strategy, with a 9% decline in sales. Meanwhile, other brands in the group, such as Range Rover and Defender, showed vigorous health, reinforcing the idea that the problem indeed lay with Jaguar.

The awakening of the dormant Jaguar?

Facing this disaster, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has decided, according to The Daily Mail, to part ways with its advertising agency, Accenture Song, and is seeking a new creative direction to get back on track. The manufacturer hopes to rediscover its DNA and restore customer trust, but the challenge is enormous. It’s important to remember that it wasn’t the advertising agency that designed the unlikely Type 00!

External obstacles don’t help: the 25% tariffs imposed by Donald Trump complicate shipments to the United States, and the luxury market experienced a global slowdown in 2024. Yet, this failure underscores an unavoidable truth: modernizing a brand should never come at the expense of its authenticity.

For Jaguar, the challenge will be to roar again, without losing sight of what has always made it strong: its heritage and legendary elegance.

TO BE CONTINUED: Jaguar gets lost in champagne vapors