‘Do you sell cars?’: Jaguar’s rebrand prompts mockery, confusion online

British luxury carmaker Jaguar is nether occurrence complete a colourful caller advertizing run that promotes inclusivity but lacks 1 cardinal constituent – immoderate reference to cars.

Released crossed aggregate societal media platforms, nan 30-second clip features models of varying ages, genders, and races accompanied by phrases specified arsenic “live vivid”, “delete ordinary,” and “copy nothing” arsenic a minimal techno soundtrack plays.

Part of Jaguar’s larger rebrand towards electrical vehicles aft years of sluggish sales, nan advertisement has been greeted pinch disorder and insult online.

Following nan campaign’s motorboat connected Tuesday, galore societal media users dubbed nan rebrand “embarrassing” and damaging to Jaguar’s image arsenic a luxury marque associated pinch 1960s glamour and James Bond.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk was among those joining nan fray, penning “Do you waste cars?” connected his level X, wherever nan advertisement has received much than 90 cardinal views and generated tens of thousands of comments.

On Jaguar’s YouTube channel, 1 personification quipped that nan “only point brave astir this advertisement is to time off nan comments conception on”.

On nan societal media forum Reddit, 1 personification wrote that nan rebrand was “either trading brilliant aliases marque suicide”.

“This magnitude of attraction Jaguar person generated themselves is immense nary matter which societal level you usage everyone is talking astir Jaguar,” nan personification posted.

“When they yet uncover what they’re moving connected it’s going to make truthful overmuch attraction I conscionable dream it’s thing good.”

Copy nothing. #Jaguar pic.twitter.com/BfVhc3l09B

— Jaguar (@Jaguar) November 19, 2024

Some trading experts suggested that nan reside of nan advertisement felt jarring amid nan rightward displacement successful authorities and civilization epitomised by nan re-election of US President Donald Trump and nan diminution of movements specified arsenic Black Lives Matter and #Metoo.

“This is for illustration erstwhile movies utilized to travel retired successful different countries a twelvemonth aft they were done showing successful Hollywood. The vibe of this rebrand mightiness person worked successful 2021, but to driblet this successful precocious 2024 only emphasises nan reasons for Jaguar’s marque diminution successful nan first place: it’s outdated and confusing,” Lulu Cheng Meservey, laminitis of nan strategical communications patient Rostra, wrote connected X.

While nan firm world rushed to burnish its societal justness credentials amid nan emergence of movements specified arsenic #MeToo and Black Lives Matter successful nan 2010s, galore companies person much precocious sought to region themselves from progressive causes.

The displacement follows a number of cases of advertizing campaigns pinch progressive themes generating backlash.

Anheuser-Busch InBev saw its North American income plunge $1.4bn past twelvemonth pursuing a business betwixt Bud Light and transgender societal media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

In nan United Kingdom, calls to boycott nan drugstore concatenation Boots are nether measurement complete a Christmas advertisement featuring a Black Mrs Claus, played by British character Adjoa Andoh, and LGBTQ elves packing presents while Santa Claus is accelerated asleep.

In nan firm boardroom, statement astir nan early of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes is besides nether way.

Home betterment concatenation Lowe’s, tractor shaper John Deere, motorcycle elephantine Harley-Davidson, Ford and Brown Forman, nan shaper of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, person each reversed their DEI policies complete nan past year.

Other companies specified arsenic MasterCard, Cigna Health and JPMorgan person said their DEI efforts will continue.

For Jaguar, a marque agelong associated pinch able older men, nan biggest problem pinch nan advertisement is that its target assemblage is unclear, Cheng Meservey said.

“If it’s trying thing new, it’s unclear who it’s for,” Cheng Meservey said connected X. “If they’re going to wantonness nan antheral audience, they should switch it pinch a much lucrative audience, and it’s unclear who they’re going for here. Vegans?”

Jaguar did not respond to Al Jazeera’s petition for comment, but responded to its critics connected X, saying that, “All will beryllium revealed.”

Holding institution Jaguar Land Rover stopped trading caller Jaguar models successful nan UK this week up of its planned modulation to electric-only models successful 2026, which will spot nan institution put hundreds of millions of pounds successful its UK manufacturing plants.

The carmaker, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, said nan move would “create immoderate breathing space” up of its relaunch, which was announced successful 2021.