Jaguar - Fearless, exuberant, compelling - mocked by Musk.

Remember when your mom told you that if you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all. I kind of feel like I could leave it there, but I do like the sound edit and the music, so there is that.

Jaguar are fully aware that this rebrand launch might be controversial, but they are fearless, so they trucked on.

“Jaguar has its roots in originality. Sir William Lyons, our founder, believed that ‘A Jaguar should be a copy of nothing’.
Our vision for Jaguar today is informed by this philosophy. New Jaguar is a brand built around Exuberant Modernism. It is imaginative, bold and artistic at every touchpoint. It is unique and fearless.
This is a reimagining that recaptures the essence of Jaguar, returning it to the values that once made it so loved, but making it relevant for a contemporary audience. We are creating Jaguar for the future, restoring its status as a brand that enriches the lives of our clients and the Jaguar community.”

- Professor Gerry McGovern OBE, Chief Creative Officer

This film, that launches Jaguar's rebranding has already caused a stir on twitter, and been meme-mocked by Elon Musk on X. A la Stonetoss "How will this sell burgers?" "Burgers?" Musk simply asks Jaguar if they sell cars. OOOh snap! At least they don't make anything as ugly as the Cybertruck, although this ad comes close.

Jaguar responds with an invite to come and see them in Miami. See this isn't so much an advert for a specific Jaguar vehicle - obviously since there is no car to be seen on our multicolored mystery planet. This is a launch of Jaguar's new logo and refreshed brand.

On December 2, 2024, at the stroke of 8 PM, Jaguar is set to turn the Miami Art Week into a monument of originality with their "Copy Nothing" exhibit. Jaguar is now the self-proclaimed guardian of creativity with their new brand embodiment of "Exuberant Modernism."

Expect the unveiling of a new logo, because as we all know, the world was in dire need of another logo. This one's modern, geometric, and it's got the audacity to mix upper and lowercase like it's trying to fit in at a trendy club.

Then there's the "Strikethrough" – a bold line slashing through the air, symbolizing their fierce rejection of the mundane. It's like saying, "We're so original, we're literally crossing out the idea of being ordinary."

And let's not forget the colors. Jaguar's chosen the primary hues from a child's paint set for their brand identity. Red, yellow, and blue – the very essence of artistic expression, or so they claim, always with some texture or motion because apparently, plain colors are too mainstream.

Lastly, the "Makers Marks" featuring a revamped Jaguar 'leaper'. Because if it's not leaping, it's not Jaguar. And don't overlook the monogram, a little code for expression, a sign-off like a signature on a masterpiece.

I do genuinely like the sound design and music. The way when the black model in the fluffy red dress looks like a jellyfish and the sound at that moment sounds like water bubbling. The way that the paint brush sliding across the lens can be heard. I love that. "Delete ordinary" - and delete boring sound design. The sound is ace. So there, now I've said something nice.

As for the rest, I'm not so sure this is "not a copy" when there have been countless variations of people in crazy colorful outfits prancing around in desert like landscapes and boxed in rooms since Smirnoff invited models out to the salt flats in the sixties. The launch ad screams "art fashion", rather than rebrand - which may turn out to be a good idea. The Monogram looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, which can go either way.

Whether the launch in Miami will show us something more that will usher Jaguar into the future remains to be seen. I won't count them out just yet. I just hope it has more thought behind it than what I currently see.

“To bring back such a globally renowned brand we had to be fearless.
Jaguar was always at its best when challenging convention.
That ethos is seen in our new brand identity today and will be further revealed over the coming months.
This is a complete reset. Jaguar is transformed to reclaim its originality and inspire a new generation.
I am excited for the world to finally see Jaguar.”

--- Rawdon Glover, Managing Director, Jaguar

Creative community chatter suggests that a lot of people are comparing this ad to the Bud Light Dylan Mulvany fiasco.

I think that's out of touch from the target market. Your everydude beer punter doesn't care about fashion or Miami art, while your rich kid does. As silly as the Bud Light target market think these colorful outfits look, this hits the affluent target with FOMO on spring 2025 fashion and the "Art Miami" scene in the bullseye.