Venerable British car manufacturer Jaguar may be having a ‘Bud-Light moment after releasing a modernist rebranding advert with androgynous models and NO car.
The Bud-Light fiasco was probably the greatest marketing blunder in history, you know the one where they tried to reposition the brand to appeal to a broader demographic by using a transvestite (sorry transexual) model. The beer drinking frat-boys and middle America hated it and did not want to be seen drinking a ‘gay’ beer; sales for the brand tanked and the number one beer in Americaland is now almost history.
Bye-bye Dylan Mulvaney……….Bye-bye Bud Light!
Jaguar may now be facing their Bud-Light moment after a massive wave of derision greeted their attempt to reposition the brand and appeal to a younger Gen Z audience after the company released their most recent advert on its X account with the slogan “Copy Nothing”.
The advert featured men dressed as women in brightly coloured dresses and over the top pant suits along with other slogans such as “create exuberance”, “live vivid”, “delete ordinary” and break moulds”. What was missing from the advert, which is 30 seconds long, was any hint of a car, not even a fleeting glimpse of one.
Jaguar have a bit of a reputation of being for the older man, the man that has arrived at a certain time in his life when he wants comfort and serenity albeit packaged in a car that reflects his status in society. However, if you have ever been in one, and as long as you can get over the very distinctive whiff of old fart, they really are a joy to drive. The company has long been a producer of fine automobiles and since TATA bought them, they have steadfastly turned the company around.
But this rebranding may be far too much for their legions of loyal fans. The outcry on social media has been deafening with many threatening to take their business elsewhere. The advert probably has put them on to the wrong track.
In a press release the company stated that “the reimagined Jaguar begins its unveiling today with an all-new brand identity that establishes its unique character through a dramatic new visual language,” which is of course just spin.
Seriously? It looks like something I would do in woodwork class fifty years ago.
Forget the logo for a minute, the slogan does actually go to the core of Jaguar. Founded by Sir William Lyons who set out a company philosophy which dictated that “A jaguar should be a copy of nothing” so you could say they are only going back to their roots.
For me the brand and their logo were a little stale, a little bit of a reminder of the days of empire and a completely different world where men were men, but a tweak would have been better than the wholesale destruction of such a venerable automotive icon. Just how did the woke-crowd gain control of such a piece of automotive history, but make your own mind up and watch the advert below and let me know what you think.
