The Cat's Out of the Bag

Is jaGUar's rebrand frisky or risky?

Jaguar’s new rebrand spot. Source: YouTube

In the handful of hours since Jaguar launched its provocative rebrand, I’ve already watched half of a Chris Harris on Cars video starring four men in opulent environs who are older than turns-47-tomorrow me. They seem befuddled and disgruntled in their “emergency podcast.” One YouTuber ranted about “soy infused vegan turds” running the company who have made “the quintessential woke advert” while pivoting to an all-electric future. (Don’t click on his link — he appears to be a sad man shouting about wokedom while surrounded by HR Giger toys.)

Here’s something more poignant: a friend on LinkedIn talked about a granddad who saved and treasured Jag badges and hood ornaments like jewelry. Does the old cat badge below look like the jewelry a well-to-do thirtysomething would treasure today? Or something that should be collecting dust in granddad’s den? And then there’s the old logo, a safe and bland look that adorns the company’s current lineup of safe and bland vehicles. Who would even wear that on a t-shirt that wasn’t being paid to be at an auto show?

Ye olde Jag branding

This rebrand is designed for vehicles we haven’t even seen yet. A lot of commentary I’ve seen today shouts that Jaguar should certainly know its place in the market, so why on earth would it pivot like this? Its place in the market right now is irrelevance. This provocative rebrand has tens of millions of impressions already and, if they can reveal vehicles to match their new “copy nothing” tagline, I think folks will be happy to gaze out onto their driveway and see those interlocking Js glistening back at them.

Jag’s new badge.

And maybe that’s actually not such a stretch for the legacy brand, after all. Once upon a time, in the 1960s, the E-Type shocked the world and became the must-have vehicle for every it-celebrity of the moment.

Actress/model Britt Ekland and her E-Type

Could jaGUar be poised to claw its way back into pop culture relevance? The proof will be in the sheet metal.

Watch Jag’s 30-second spot below.