Brand Evolution or Reputation Risk? The Jaguar Rebrand Examined
British luxury car company Jaguar recently unveiled its new brand identity, and it blew up on the Internet.
The campaign revealed its redesigned logo, new “Copy Nothing” slogan, and 30-second rebranding film that, surprisingly, didn’t show any cars. Instead, the film featured a diverse group of models wearing bright avant-garde outfits to highlight its message of modernism, artistic expression, and unconventional thinking.
The campaign was meant to signal Jaguar’s shift to an all-electric vehicle lineup. But for people, it meant that Jaguar was turning their back on the heritage that made them what they are today.
Here we’ll examine the controversial Jaguar rebrand, its new visual identity and logo design, and the lessons business owners can learn from this bold yet divisive move.
Jaguar’s New Brand Identity
Source: Jaguar
This 30-second film caused massive blowback and received intense vitriol. You don’t need to dig so far to find the comments; just go to any of Jaguar’s social media accounts and check the top comments.
First, there is a weird lack of cars in what is essentially a car commercial. Comments said that if you had no idea what Jaguar sold before, you still wouldn’t have any idea after seeing this ad.
People also said the ad is better suited for a fashion line, hair care product, or even a tampon brand. Elon Musk also commented, “Do you sell cars?“
Secondly, many complained that the brand is “going woke” with its visual identity because it features diverse models and (gasp!) rainbow colors. We won’t repeat the comments here since they get horrible, but you probably already have a good idea of what they say.
While most of the hate is from people with conservative backgrounds or closed-off mindsets, some did make a good point that diversity and inclusion are not really what people are looking for in a car.
It’s understandable for a make-up brand (with more skin tone options) or a clothing brand (with sizes for a broader range of body types), but cars? People have always used cars regardless of race, body type, or sexual orientation. It’s like advertising that bottled water can be drunk by anyone.
Lastly, people bemoan that Jaguar fell victim to the modernization trend that has been going on with multiple brands in the past years. They turned their backs on their brand identity as a traditional posh British brand, fuel-powered cars, and sports car pedigree.
Instead, they are trying to match modern brands by catering to a younger Gen-Z audience and embracing the “trendier” electric-powered cars.
Jaguar’s New Logo Design
While the film got the most hate, the new logo also has its fair share of detractors.
The iconic leaping Jaguar icon has disappeared. Instead, they have reduced it to an ultramodern wordmark logo only featuring their brand name.
The typography is also different. Their previous logo used a strong and thick Optima font and wrote their name in capital letters to portray their bold and confident aura.
But the new logo features an ultra-thin rounded sans-serif font and stylized their name to show as “jaGUar” to fit into modern trends.
The colors are also changed. Before the redesign, the logo was black to highlight their strong yet sophisticated nature. The new logo uses gold, which while also associated with luxury, looks less powerful since they used a lighter color and is combined with their overall softer logo look.
According to Jaguar, the new logo “is a powerful celebration of modernism—geometric form, symmetry, and simplicity—demonstrating the unexpected by seamlessly blending upper- and lowercase characters in visual harmony.”
While the new logo did its job, many people online miss the character of the old logo.
Why did Jaguar do a rebrand?
Jaguar was once the top dog in the automobile industry. Owning a Jaguar was a status symbol for businessmen and professionals. Its luxurious brand image and high price point give that premium image that only rich people can afford their cars.
However, they have been facing financial difficulties in the past years. They only sold 300,000 units in 2023. They only remain profitable since they sell the more expensive special edition models of their Range Rover line.
Jaguar’s price point might be a huge factor in its lack of sales. Its Range Rover costs around $90,000-$120,000. But the Tesla Model Y, the top best-selling car globally in 2023, is significantly cheaper at $40,000-$50,000. Toyota Corolla, another best-selling car, is only $20,000.
Even if you look at their direct competitors in the luxury car industry, they are still more expensive. The BMW X5 starts at only $65,000, while the Audi Q5 starts at $52,200.
They are also running behind in popularity. If you look at the top car brands in the US, Jaguar doesn’t even crack the top 10. Even in their home country, Ford outranks them.
Electronic cars have also increased in number significantly compared to fuel-powered cars. In fact, the aforementioned best-selling Tesla Model Y is an electric SUV.
All of this just points to one thing—a change is needed. If Jaguar wants to remain relevant today, it needs to make a splash.
Image by vectorjuice on Freepik
Is the Jaguar rebrand a stroke of genius or a huge disaster?
Amidst all the controversy and buzz is the biggest question—was the rebrand worth it?
Well… time can only tell. Jaguar is set to fully unveil its new car and design vision concept at Miami Art Week from December 1 to December 8, 2024. Who knows, within a few weeks, Jaguar might be seen as revolutionary instead of a PR disaster.
There is also some logic behind their rebrand. People say that they are alienating their core target audience of white 50-year-old professionals, particularly with the Gen-Z coded “woke” ad. But they are not getting enough sales from their target audience to begin with. Targeting a new group with a new visual identity might just be the boost they need.
The backlash from the film might also be seen as a positive. Ever since they released the ad, they have been the talk of the town. People are talking about Jaguar everywhere. Any publicity is good publicity, as we all say.
Jaguar has maintained its identity for the past 100 years. However, it is clearly not working anymore. A complete reset and a new striking and progressive brand identity might help them capture an untapped market.
What about the new logo? Was it the right decision?
It’s 50-50 at this point. Any huge change to a logo, especially one that has been present since 1982, will always get some initial backlash. The shock will fade, and people will get used to seeing the new logo.
But there is some cause for concern.
First is the removal of the Jaguar icon. It made them identifiable in the first place. Removing that will only cause confusion with people. Can you easily identify Pringles or Wendy’s without their mascot? Probably not.
Next is the change in typography. The new logo does indeed look more modern and sleek. However, they also lost all their previous logo’s uniqueness and distinctiveness.
And it’s not just Jaguar. So many brands have rebranded to simpler logo designs.
This is caused by multiple reasons.
First is that we are now in a very digital world. We mainly see logos on their website and social media instead of billboards, newspapers, or TV. Designers then have to adopt a simpler sans-serif typeface with fewer illustrations, as this makes it easier to read on smaller screens and is more scalable and flexible.
Second, brands rely heavily on data to make decisions. If they see studies that simpler logos are more effective, they infer that they, too, need to follow this look to achieve the same level of success.
If a fancy cartoonish pink logo does well, expect to see similar pink logos from millions of brands afterward. It just so happens that a simple logo was successful, so it started this trend.
Lastly, there is the drive to appeal to as many people as possible. Simple logos use clean fonts and feature minimalist illustrations (if they even have any). These simple, muted, and professional styles won’t offend anyone. However, this makes brands feel soulless, as they are now devoid of any personality or wit.
So is the new Jaguar minimalist logo version the right move?
Well, a simple logo will never cause a brand to lose customers. But will it bring more customers? Will people feel attached to Jaguar now that it looks and feels similar to every other car brand? Will creatives look at the logo and be inspired by it? Probably not.
Lessons From the Jaguar Rebrand
The Jaguar fiasco might be polarizing, but it has a lot of lessons businesses can learn from. Some of them are:
- Know your audience—Jaguar aims to attract a new audience, so their latest campaign is fine for now. But what if you’re targeting your usual audience? Then you need to prioritize their preferences, motivations, and goals. You don’t want to alienate your loyal customers by rebranding to something completely opposite of what they want.
- Clarity matters—The “missing car” is not just a joke but a genuine concern. An ad is only effective if people know what you are advertising. Make sure the message of your rebrand or ad is easily understandable (and that people can actually see your product!), or you’ll just leave people confused.
- Take calculated risks—Jaguar took a leap of faith to reclaim its glory. If you want to be revolutionary, you need to think outside the box and do things that are outside your brand’s comfort zone.
- Prepare for backlash—Bold campaigns will always attract criticism. Make sure you are ready by having a solid crisis management plan and a dedicated PR and customer support team to handle the communication.
- Leverage the negative press wisely—Jaguar has responded to negative comments by inviting people to see them at Miami Art Week. This witty and relaxed approach makes them look more confident in their plans, unlike if they had been totally silent during the whole fiasco.
Conclusion
Rebranding is always a bold move. It can be very successful or make your brand fade further into obscurity. It’s all about redefining who you are, appealing to the right audience, and setting your eyes on a new goal you can only achieve with your new identity. When done right, it’s a powerful tool for growth.
Rebranding is not just for luxury brands like Jaguar or others with global reach. Even small businesses can benefit from it.
If you are aiming to refresh your brand, BrandCrowd has you covered. Check out our branding tools, such as the AI logo generator or business name generator. You can also use our customizable templates, such as the Facebook post maker or email signature maker.
What do you think of the Jaguar rebrand? Send us a message or share your thoughts on our social media pages.
