It’s no secret that the recent Jaguar rebrand has seen mixed reviews in automotive media. The polarizing new take on the 100+ year old mark has been criticized for everything from its loss of the “leaper” as the primary company icon to the lack of an actual car in the launch video. My intention for this article is not to add to the long list of well-documented critiques. Instead, I want to showcase how TKG would approach the rebrand as seen through the eyes of an automotive enthusiast and brand designer.
Don't Alienate Your Audience
Controversial marketing is not new and can work to your advantage if done correctly. While Nike’s play with Colin Kaepernick a few years ago had their core audience doubling down on brand loyalty, Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney sparked universal outrage and lost the company $1.4 billion in 2024, according to Forbes. To put it bluntly, Jaguar is a struggling brand, and they can’t afford to drive audiences away or Indian parent company, Tata Motors, won’t be able to keep the brand afloat.
When growing a brand, it’s always less of a risk to lean into existing customers than to find new ones. Jaguar’s team chose to abandon their existing customers in favor of trying to attract a whole new audience. It’s bold, but it’s very risky, and we are seeing the results play out. With their storied history and loyal, long-term customers, it is perplexing why Jaguar took this direction.
At TKG, we believe an evolution of a brand is typically better and safer than reinventing a brand. It’s less alienating to existing audiences while still opening the door to new customers. In other words, it maintains the highest potential market opportunities. It is risky to completely reinvent a brand when the existing customer base is still interested in the product. A brand must walk a fine line between attracting new customers and turning off ardent supporters.
While Jaguar does sell “cars,” they are in a luxury space. If a consumer just wants a car, they could pay half as much for a basic method of transportation. Luxury is about creating a specific personal experience and/or garnering attention from others. It’s the lavish feeling of opulence that makes customers keep coming back. These are specific shoppers, and this is the shortlist of what we would mark as the ideal Jaguar buyer persona:
- Luxury car buyer ($70k+)
- Cares about experience and performance over raw utility
- Car will be a second vehicle and/or solo passenger
- May or may not relate to historical racing pedigree
- Responds to universal, positive messaging
Visual Evolution and Alignment
The actual jaguar is a predatory jungle cat - sleek, fierce, agile and slightly unpredictable. Likely all characteristics of the original race cars and why the name was originally chosen. In my opinion, the new logo takes away most of the unique elements of the brand, making it the worst thing you can be as a brand, especially a luxury brand – forgettable.
Many established modern brands distill their messaging and logo down to the bare essence to make things easier for their audience and rely on historical experience. I think Jaguar’s marketing team just left this round of revisions on the burner for too long and boiled everything away. The former Jaguar logo was instantly recognizable, even to those outside of the luxury vehicle community. Now the logo could easily be mistaken for any product, not just the iconic automaker.
So, the question you might be asking is, how would I fix it?
The first thing I would do is bring back the unique elements of art direction. Make the logo a mixture of angles and curves. It needs to be beautiful but dangerous, just like a real-life jaguar. Strong but agile – and sleek.
1. Simplified evolution of existing mark and typeface
The logo is too bubbly and safe. It takes on the look of a modern brand without much callback to their century of renown history. I would combine the historical leaper logo with the front-facing red Jaguar badge, zooming in on the head and face of the jaguar while keeping the sense of movement from the classic “leaper.”
2. Meaningful, bold color palette
Historic doesn’t have to mean boring. I’m a big fan of trading Jaguar’s dark and moody smoking jacket for a bright and bold track suit, but the colors should have some meaning. British Racing Green is a classic color for Jag, but utilizing their more vibrant colors can easily modernize the brand. The red and green are borrowed from the current “R” trim level badges, while the “Sorrento” yellow is a vintage racing paint color.
3. Flagship cars should include historic jaguar design features
Forget the giant pink and blue slab design. A Jaguar needs to look like an animal ready to pounce – sleek and dangerous, but elegant. Bring in some historical Jaguar brand design features, like the oval grille cat’s-eye taillights. In this version, I could see leaning into matte metallic bronze trim instead of chrome, silver or black.
Establish a Clear Position
Historically, Jaguar is a luxury sports/turning car brand with over 100 years of racing pedigree and culture surrounding it. It does seem odd that their legacy was totally abandoned in the latest refresh. A blend of history with the future appears to be a smarter move. Browsing the rebrand commentary of various automotive media, many recalled the highly praised “Villains” campaign from Snell Mitchell and Co. that launched during the 2015 Super Bowl. It painted a clear atmosphere and feeling that increased sales by 115% year-over-year going into 2016. While it was a brilliant campaign, Jaguar hasn’t taken a strong market position since (nearly silent), seeing a massive drop in sales.
In 2024, we don’t have the luxury of leaning into a timely Bond movie release. I would suggest leaning into a space the automotive market seems to be heading away from, to the chagrin of many automotive enthusiasts. Ditch the EVs and double down on racing heritage, an authentic driving experience and refined simplicity – an everyman’s Ferrari.
1. Pick bold paint colors that reflect historic Jaguar racing victories
Pull brand colors as paint colors that showcase historic Jaguar victories over the years. Make the drivers feel like 60’s race car drivers. This leans into their history with a modern twist.
2. Offer two simplified vehicles and limited trim options
Jaguar is never going to be a volume brand and should stop trying to be. Stop making six different sizes of SUVs. To cut production and ongoing costs, I would suggest limiting the model lineup to two vehicles: the E-Type sports grand touring car and the newly coined X-Pace touring AWD SUV. I would also recommend cutting all but the essential (legally required) technology and investing that money in premium materials, assembly and powertrain to rebuild their reputation for sub-standard quality. Keep it simple by offering two trim levels for each model: the base model and the “R.” Use the same 3.0 Ingenium inline-six engine from sister company, Land Rover, minus the mild hybrid add-ons, and allow all models to be ordered with a manual transmission. This can introduce a new position for quality along with offering features that would interest the current clientele.
3. Forget all-electric
If you want to stand out, be different. I believe that Mazda has figured it out. They’ve leaned heavily into hybrid and efficient gasoline options, and their sales figures show sales up 24% from 2022. Jaguar could benefit from taking a page out of Mazda’s playbook.
Every manufacturer is pushing (or being pushed) to battery-electric to their own detriment. I would recommend that Jaguar not go fully electric. EV sales are slowing, they are expensive and customers have spoken very clearly with their wallets. At this point, the manufacturer should take seriously what the audience wants. The EV Dodge Charger, Corvette E-Ray and Mustang Mach-E have largely been rejected by the automotive community. Toyota‘s CEO, Akia Toyoda agrees, stating their production of 30% battery-electric vehicles will not exceed 30% of their total production volume in 2030. As a consistent top global producer of automobiles, I think Toyota has valuable insights into broad consumer wants. By taking this valuable information, Jaguar can learn from the industry leaders before making major missteps.
As for saving the planet, I would let Tata Motors’ other companies handle meeting corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rules and let Jaguar out of the cage to play. Let Jaguar be a performance-only brand until it breathes its last turbo-charge, fossil-fuel-burning breath.
Take the road less traveled and go for the real car enthusiast market. As I mentioned before, Jaguar will never be a volume brand, so let’s stop trying to pretend it will be. By recognizing the needs and wants of their core customers, Jaguar can turn things around in their favor.
Start the Conversation
Want to talk more about the rebrand and what I’d do differently? I’d love to hear from you. Reach out today to start the conversation.
