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🗿 Why Jaguar’s ad misses the mark

Jaguars are fast, but even Jaguar can’t run from its poorly received new campaign, “Copy Nothing.”

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Jared @ Supernova
November 22, 2024

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GM. Jaguars are fast, but even Jaguar can’t run from its poorly received new campaign, “Copy Nothing.”

Without Further Ado. ☕ *knuckle cracks* ☕ Let’s get into it.

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Copy nothing, unless it’s a minimalist wordmark.

So the ad is basically a 30-second clip of cosmopolitan fashionistas doing random shit with abstract phrases like “Create Exuberant,” “Live Vivid,” and “Delete Ordinary” throughout. That’s it.

The logical viewer is left wondering, “Ok. But Jaguar is a car company. Where are the cars??” Hint: there is no car.

I get it; they’re going for the cool kid brand refresh. But aren’t chic urban Gen Z circles notoriously uninterested in owning a car?

It feels a bit experimental to target wealthy young urbanites, especially for a luxury car manufacturer plagued by declining sales.

Most importantly, I don’t want this to get lost in the left-right culture war. This has nothing to do with men in makeup. This is just a poorly executed rebrand. Watch the full video here and decide for yourself.

The best responses from around the Internet:

“This is the Zoolander of rebrands. It reads like a parody.”

McDonald’s Brand Marketing Director Guillaume Huin called out Volvo’s recent ad to contrast the Jaguar fashion show. The Volvo spot was shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer behind Interstellar and Oppenheimer.

Despite broadcasting over two months ago, Google trends jumped to 100 for Volvo after Huin’s tweet. The top related query behind “Volvo new ad”? Jaguar ad.

The power of a tweet.

Barbenheimer, but for car ads

Volvo vs Jaguar feels like the Barbenheimer for car ads.

The bright pink pop vs. the keep our daughter safe.

The fashion show vs. the dark, dramatic inspo core.

Ad creatives around the Internet highlighted Jaguar ads of the past — others presented alternative expressions of how they would approach a Jaguar rebrand if given another chance.

The Jaguar campaign debacle highlighted two things for me:

  1. Branded content should be imaginative – but it should never drift too far beyond the core value proposition of the brand’s flagship product. If a Jaguar ad is both flashy and unrelated to cars, it will be perceived as elitist, out of touch, snobby, and ultimately divisive.

  2. Advertising has entered a new era. Consumers are too street-smart and media-savvy to get wooed by bright colors and pretty people. People seek self-awareness that’s unhinged. They look for family values for family products. They want to laugh with you. They want to feel heard.

Jaguar’s “Copy Nothing” isn’t a movement. Luxury buyers aren’t looking for originality with their cars. They seek status – someone to join them on a fast drive and debaucherous night out. More than a fashion accessory, it’s a club. For mid-level luxury, it’s also about owning a great car, not just maintaining the appearance of it.

I think Edmond (below) hit the nail on the head here. Drugs, sex, and rebellion is something to desire.

Above all, the world seems sick of brands that fail to represent the wants and needs of their most loyal customers.

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