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The PR lessons from Jaguar’s controversial rebrand
December 17, 2024
Every now and then a rebrand or campaign comes along that we’ll remember for years to come. For some, this could be for good reason. For others, this could be not so good. The jury is still out on Jaguar’s recent rebrand – it divided opinion across the industry – with some commentators saying Jaguar has alienated its core customers, while others think it has given the brand a much-needed refresh.
Now the dust has settled, we can see from a PR perspective that Jaguar’s rebrand was a genius move. Jaguar’s brand readership has increased by 1,300% since the rebrand – let’s face it, when was the last time a car launch (especially one without an actual car yet!) was talked about on a global scale? Looking back on the events from the past few weeks, there are many positive PR lessons we can take from Jaguar.
Know how to create a buzz
If there’s anything a launch needs, it’s a big platform to amplify the announcement far and wide. But new car launches happen so frequently (around 350 per year) that they aren’t exactly a special occasion. So, Jaguar needed to create a platform that got the whole world talking – one teaser video that captured everyone’s attention.
But it wasn’t just a standard teaser video; it went so beyond the norm of what we typically see from car brands, a deliberate move to initiate a conversation. The video sparked 723,000 mentions in the week following its release with over 140 million views on X. And thanks to this global buzz created by one 30-second teaser, the world was waiting to see the prototypes revealed shortly after. Potentially the most highly anticipated car reveal since the Tesla.
Be Brave
At every stage of its rebrand, Jaguar well and truly adopted the approach of thinking differently, or ‘Fearless creativity’ as the brand’s CCO put it. Oh to be a fly on the wall when the idea of releasing a teaser video which didn’t actually feature any cars was pitched. But Jaguar bit the bullet and took the risk. And this takes a huge amount of courage.
Had Jaguar released a standard video featuring its classic style of car, or unveiled a standard black model seen so often before, its reach would likely have fallen flat. Talk of its rebrand would have been fleeting. But Jaguar needs to turn the business around. Its bold expedition towards becoming entirely electric at a time when others’ EV sales are stalling means it needed to think big. By doing things differently, the brand knew it was going to divide opinion. But with big risk comes big reward.
Stand by your decision
Once the teaser video was released, it’s fair to say that the initial reaction was largely negative. It must have taken nerves of steel to weather the storm and have unwavering confidence in the work. Everyone seemed to have an opinion. But Jaguar stood by the rebrand, and rightly so.
We have seen from past PR crises that a lack of support from a brand’s leadership team simply adds fuel to the fire. Last year, Bud Light faced its own PR crisis after facing backlash following a partnership with trans influencer, Dylan Mulvaney. But instead of having confidence in its partnership (just as Boots has shown this year following its Christmas ad backlash), the brand released a somewhat neutral statement which only encouraged the criticism further and ultimately damaged its brand in the long-term. But for Jaguar, amid criticism from all angles, the brand did not back down, and its unwavering confidence allowed everyone else to begin to believe in it.
As we head into 2025, we can all learn to be a bit more Jaguar and approach our work with fearless creativity. Above all else, if you want to get people talking, you have to do things differently.
By Emma Walkom