Jaguar’s Rebrand: A Lesson in How Not to Revive a Legacy

Jaguar’s recent rebrand has been making waves – for all the wrong reasons. What should have been a sleek, bold move to secure its future has turned into a textbook example of how not to modernise a legacy brand. A car crash, if you will. So, what went wrong, and what lessons can marketers learn from this debacle?

Rebrands are tricky. They require balancing the weight of history with the necessity of innovation. Jaguar’s goal was clear – shift gears to become a “modern luxury” brand, ditching its image as a relic of British motoring heritage. But somewhere between the boardroom and the billboard, this vision became less F-Type and more lost-in-translation.

Their vague tagline ‘Copy Nothing’ – is supposed to encapsulate this new direction, but it feels more like a throwaway brainstorm suggestion than a rallying cry. It’s neither distinctive nor particularly Jaguar. In a market where competitors like Porsche and Tesla dominate with strong, coherent narratives, Jaguar’s slogan sputters at the starting line.

Early responses on social platforms have been eye-watering for the marketing team at Jaguar, with the winner this one on YouTube: “The only thing brave about this ad is to leave the comments section on…..”

Copied Something?

Another observation on the new tag line “Copy Nothing”, is that some might say Jaguar have copied an Apple commercial from 4 decades ago, a woman with a sledgehammer – breaking moulds! This was a brilliant ad for Apple and the rest is history regarding how the Apple Macintosh performed, but the danger for Jaguar is the comparison stops at the commercial…

Execution: Lost in the Design?

Then, there’s the logo. Jaguar opted for a minimalist approach, replacing its leaping feline with a pared-back typeface. But instead of roaring into the future, the redesign has left many scratching their heads. While simplicity is in vogue, stripping a brand of its iconic essence rarely leads to triumph. Imagine Ferrari ditching its prancing horse, or Nike saying goodbye to its swoosh. It seems nothing was learnt from the John Lewis u-turn on their famous brand mantra “Never Knowingly Undersold”? The reintroduction of the line unsurprisingly coincided with the departure of the CEO who scrapped it.

The new Jaguar logo doesn’t evoke luxury – it’s clinical, bordering on sterile. It’s as if Jaguar took inspiration from a generic tech startup rather than an established powerhouse of engineering and design. In trying to appeal to younger, wealthier consumers, they’ve alienated those who valued its British identity and history. On the platform X, Elon Musk, owner of rivals Tesla, posed the question “Do you sell cars?” in response to the new brand launch commercial. Ouch!

Marketing: Skidding Off Track

The marketing campaign to support the rebrand has been equally underwhelming. For a company with such a rich story, Jaguar has done remarkably little to tie its legacy to its new narrative. The failure to authentically connect past and future leaves the rebrand feeling hollow.

Compounding this is the bizarre lack of differentiation in their messaging. In a luxury car market where every brand is vying for attention, Jaguar’s efforts seem indistinct. There’s no unique angle, no compelling reason to choose Jaguar over rivals like Mercedes-Benz or BMW.

Watch the advert here:

How did it come to this?

Well, the writing was perhaps on the wall when Jaguar’s Santino Pietrosanti spoke at the 2024 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards. Here, Santino laid out his vision for the famous brand and it wasn’t really about cars or a rich heritage. It was about his own personal world view and wanting to make a gargantuan virtue signal, using the brand name and audience to do so. You can see what was said here:

So, What Can Marketers Learn from This?

       1. A clear narrative is key: Rebrands need a strong, compelling story to bridge the gap between heritage and ambition. Jaguar’s messaging doesn’t articulate why its transition to modern luxury matters or how it will set them apart.

      2. Iconography matters: Iconic logos are more than just design assets; they’re emotional touchpoints for consumers. Stripping down a logo is fine, but not at the expense of brand recognition and loyalty.

      3. Execution should match the promise: If you’re pitching “modern luxury,” every touchpoint – from the logo to the copy to the campaigns – must scream that promise. Jaguar’s approach is too disjointed to land the message effectively.

     4. Don’t neglect your core audience: While chasing new markets is essential, alienating your existing customer base is a dangerous game. The rebrand doesn’t reflect the love Jaguar owners and enthusiasts have for the brand’s unique identity.

Rebrands aren’t inherently bad. In fact, they’re often necessary and can be a fantastic opportunity to revitalise a business proposition (we know, we’ve worked on many!). But they must be handled with precision, empathy, and a laser-sharp understanding of what makes the brand special in the first place. Jaguar had an opportunity to blend its legacy with its future aspirations, creating something timeless. Instead, it feels like they veered into the generic lane.

Another Perspective

One thing they must be commended on though, is taking the bold path. Perhaps another way of looking at this, is that despite the potential for blowback, a move was a necessity for Jaguar? Reportedly sales are down six to one against their sister brand Land Rover, and less than 9,000 Jaguar cars were sold in the USA in 2023. If you’re already slipping into irrelevance, bold moves become essential.

If the previous brand identity had been doing its job, they wouldn’t have found themselves needing to change. And when you’ve not much to lose, but a huge amount to gain, there’s surely an argument it’s worth a throw of the dice?

Surely this relaunch must have been terrifying for the board at Jaguar, but somehow it made it past the approval stages. So many ideas are killed at that stage and never see the light of day. The Leeds United rebrand u-turn is another that springs to mind! Let’s just hope these high profile missteps don’t end up killing wonderful ideas because of a reluctance to take bold steps.

Let’s hope the cars themselves deliver on the promise that the brand refresh failed to articulate. Because if the communications are anything to go by, Jaguar has a long road ahead to win back hearts – and wallets. However, time will tell, maybe all the critics of the brand launch will be proved wrong, it’s going to be interesting seeing how this one plays out.