Learning from the Jaguar rebrand campaign

Many marketers, advertisers, auto manufacturers, consumers, and the general public have criticized the Jaguar rebranding campaign.

‘It’s like murdering a British Icon. They may as well have shot Paddington Bear.’

‘That font looks like it belongs on a pink lemonade flavored condom,’ and 'the logo and color make the brand now look like a vape brand that only children buy.’

About the ad itself, one astute and funny commentator said, ‘shit looks like if Quibi made Star Trek.’

Times columnist Giles Coren rightly points out that the rebrand has alienated Jaguar’s core market—middle-class, middle-aged consumers —and replaced it with fans who probably would not even buy a car, let alone a Jaguar.

They used a 'Copy nothing' tagline, with a woman wielding a sledgehammer next to the line 'break moulds' - even though, ironically, many have spotted similarities with that and the iconic '1984' Apple ad of the '80s.

Iconic 1984 Apple Ad

'Copy Nothing' 2024 Jaguar Ad

Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover said the intended message had been lost in “a blaze of intolerance” on social media and denied that the promotional video was intended as a “woke” statement. He defended Jaguar’s ‘bold’ rebrand.

But I agree with social media —it’s a terrible ad, and the old logo is way better. What’s to defend?

What I’m dying to know is -

Where were the honest, critical, informed voices at Jaguar, when this entire campaign was built? Silenced? Or not even there?

Either option is disastrous. However, examining the background of the Jaguar CEO can provide insights into Jaguar's culture.

Rawdon Glover was head of operations at Volkswagen, when the company conspired to falsify emissions data. Whistleblowers at Volkswagen at the time said that the company:

> Was authoritarian

> Pressure to succeed was overwhelming

> Criticism of any sort was not tolerated

And how can I not think he brought that same culture to Jaguar? Since culture almost always percolates down from the top of organizations.

It got me thinking about these same issues in my career. First, having lived in the US for ten years and in many other countries, like Colombia, Venezuela, India, Australia, Spain, and the Netherlands, I am qualified to spot cultural blindspots. 

I've also experienced many communication and management styles, enabling me to understand what's effective and what isn't, as well as what is necessary, and what is counter-productive. 

 

• In the UK, we generally find it hard to disagree (see chart above) and are often too keen to keep quiet rather than risk offending.

• In the Netherlands, great projects get derailed due to the obsession with committee decisions.

• In Germany, thinking is sometimes too theoretical and not pragmatic enough. ('pragmatisch' is virtually a dirty word in Germany!).

• In the US, companies and leaders are often too quick to abandon people, projects, and ideas. (they always want 'new'!). Americans lack patience.

I’ve seen countless examples of management missteps in my career.

Usually, it's due to 'groupthink' and a fear of expressing opinions that diverge from those of senior leadership - that derail things. Often it's a failure to listen to the experts.

Just like what happened with this Jaguar rebrand campaign. 

In each case, management doubled down on the error—just as the Jaguar boss did. 

This merely compounds the problem - a glaring demonstration of the sunk cost fallacy. 

As mentioned, Senior leadership's double-down on these mistakes could well have been as much due to experts in the company not speaking up as it was due to the leaders being 'stubborn' or deciding to throw good money after bad. 

I know it’s easy to spot problems - most of us can do that. But I’d like to offer a few solutions to myopic management thinking and the allure of biases, that can prove fatal to sound marketing strategy (to avoid the Jaguar debacle):

1. Encourage your team's contrarians, thinkers, creatives, and experts to speak up.

2. Create psychological safety. Ninety percent of your employees will gravitate towards accepting bad decisions by senior management rather than risking the consequences of speaking out. 

You must fight against complacency and stagnation to create a dynamic workplace that rewards new ideas and people who take risks in expressing their views.

3. When you encourage people to speak up, there is a danger that they will complain without hope or even desire for problem resolution.

These 'help-rejecting complainers' can be perplexing and amusing in equal measure.

So, once you get your team to open up, you must keep the outlook positive, and inspiring. ‘We talk about problems to find solutions’ should be the mantra.