A promotional video for the relaunch of the British luxury car brand Jaguar caused a stir on social media by showing models in brightly colored outfits — and no vehicle.
The relaunch, which includes a new logois scheduled for December 2 during Miami Art Week, when the company will unveil a new electric GT model. But Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of India’s Tata Motors, has been promoting it online.
The Jaguar brand is in the midst of a transition towards full electrification.
“Copy Nothing”marketing materials stand out. “We are here to eliminate the ordinary. To be bold. “So as not to copy anything.”
The promotional video, posted on X and Instagram, shows models dressed in brightly colored futuristic outfits walking in an alien landscape. “Break Moulds” (Break the mold), the text reads.
It has generated controversy, with people complaining about the lack of a car and the confusing message. The owner of X, Elon Muskhe wrote on the social network, “Do you sell cars?” People also complained about the new stylized logo. The image of the jaguar has also been reinvented.
Charles Taylora marketing professor at Villanova Business School in Villanova, Pennsylvania, said the promotional video strikes the wrong tone for potential buyers, and said the company is making a mistake by not using the brand’s heritage as a stylish British high-performance sports car in its marketing.
“If they came back with a really good electric vehicle, they could build on their previous image rather than throw away the brand’s heritage and go in this kind of direction,” he said. “It’s hard to see how the market of people who would like that approach is large enough for them to thrive.”
Rebranding is a common tactic for companies looking to boost sales. Campbell Soup officially changed its name to Campbell’s and companies like Airbnb and Instagram update their logos from time to time.
But if they hit the wrong note, the result can be disastrous. Past rebranding failures include Tropicana changing its logo in 2009 to omit its signature orange — it quickly brought it back. AND Radio Shack It rebranded as “The Shack” in 2008, alienating its core buyers, before declaring bankruptcy in 2015.
Jaguar Land Roverbased in Whitney, Coventry, in the United Kingdom, did not respond to a request for comment.
(With information from AP)
