- Jaguar unveiled its new branding, and people are mocking it online — including Tesla’s Elon Musk.
- And some conservative personalities are calling out the company’s new video ad for being too “woke.”
- Jaguar is preparing for the launch of its all-electric fleet expected sometime in 2026.
British luxury carmaker Jaguar unveiled new branding this week ahead of its all-electric vehicle launch — and some people on social media, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, were quick to pounce.
The revamp of the iconic brand — and chosen vehicle of Britain’s royal family and prime ministers — includes an updated typeface for its “Jaguar” logo, a redesign of the leaping jaguar mark, and a colorful new video advertisement.
The company also debuted an all-new creative philosophy focused on “exuberant modernism,” which it defined as “imaginative, bold, and artistic at every touchpoint.”
Jaguar Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern said in a statement that the company’s new vision was inspired by its founder’s belief that “a Jaguar should be a copy of nothing.”
But that “exuberant modernism,” particularly in the company’s video ad, is being mocked by some people online.
The video that Jag released shows models clad in colorful, ultra-modern haute couture doing things like exiting an elevator, painting a wall, and swinging a sledgehammer before they all sit down on a rock in a pink desert landscape. Phrases like “create exuberant,” “live vivid,” and “delete ordinary,” flash across the screen.
Notably for a car company, there are no cars in the ad.
In response to the video posted on X by Jaguar, Elon Musk wrote: “Do you sell cars?”
The company replied to Musk on X, writing, “Yes. We’d love to show you. Join us for a cuppa in Miami on 2nd December? Warmest regards, Jaguar.”
Musk replied: “I look forward to seeing your new vehicle lineup.”
Jaguar said it planned to reveal more details of its relaunch in December, but its new all-electric vehicle models aren’t coming until sometime in 2026.
In the meantime, the company is transitioning its Halewood, UK factory away from combustion-engine production, and has stopped selling new cars in the UK for the first time since WWII. (Current Jaguar models left in their inventories will be sold as pre-owned, a company spokesperson previously told Business Insider.)
Jaguar, which along with the UK’s Land Rover brand is now owned by India’s Tata Motors, first announced it was going all-in on EVs in 2021 and has been phasing out production of its gas-powered vehicles.
Its new brand strategy ahead of the relaunch of its all-electric line perhaps hasn’t gone as smoothly as it might have hoped — though it did get people talking on social media, which some people said might have been the point.
Conservative personality Ian Miles Cheong ripped into Jaguar’s new brand strategy on X, criticizing what he said was the company’s “woke ideology” and promotion of DEI initiatives.
And Nick Freitas, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, replied to Jaguar on X: “Well … we know where the advertising team for Bud Light went,” referring to the backlash to a Bud Light ad in 2023 that featured a transgender influencer.
Jaguar’s new brand strategy was created by its own in-house design team, not an external agency, according to the UK’s Creative Review.
But it wasn’t just widely known right-wing personalities attacking Jaguar over their perception of the politics behind its rebrand. Others were simply calling out the ad for being odd and confusing.
One marketing professional, Kevin Dahlstrom, called out the brand’s strategy from a different perspective, writing on X, “This is the Zoolander of rebrands — it reads like a parody,” adding, “The tagline is ‘copy nothing’ but somehow it already feels tired and outdated … based on a cultural point-in-time that has passed.”
The reactions weren’t all bad — some social media users pointed out how, no matter what you think of the company’s new ad, it’s gotten everyone talking.
Sports broadcaster and former Formula 1 racing driver Martin Brundle, who’s raced in Jaguar cars, wrote on X: “I have no idea what this is all about, but it’s genius. Everyone is talking about Jaguar in a moment of time when they’re not actually making cars.”
Jaguar didn’t respond specifically to the online criticism but said in a statement to Business Insider: “The brand reveal is only the first step in this exciting new era, and we look forward to sharing more on Jaguar’s transformation in the coming days and weeks.”
Read the full article here
