Justin Garnett’s Post

I don’t believe Jaguar’s rebranding will address the deeper issues of poor product and commercial decisions. A new logo or marketing campaign can’t cover up misaligned market strategies, inconsistent product design, or failure to meet customer expectations. Real progress requires tackling these core challenges directly. I owned a few Jaguars when I lived in the UK—back then, they were synonymous with luxury and prestige. Looking at their more recent product launches, I can’t help but wonder what went wrong with their decision-making. Most electric cars seem to strip away any sense of luxury, as if designers equate minimalism with progress. While this approach might appeal to some, it often feels like an excuse to cut corners rather than innovate. Tesla, for instance, excels in AI for autonomous driving, but driving one often feels like being in a glorified plastic container. BYD, on the other hand, seems to understand the importance of blending technology with sophistication, hiring top designers from Audi to craft vehicles that appeal to the European market’s demand for both innovation and refinement.

Serious question: Is anyone running a sweepstake on when JLR are forced to ditch the new Jaguar branding? If so I want some of that action because I am convinced that is one of the strongest possibilities based on what I can see: 1. JLR is owned by Tata Motors. Tata are famously ruthless and certainly not known for their infinite patience. 2. Tata Motor's share prices started the week 14% down month on month continuing a steady downward trend over the last six months. 3. Like every PLC, Tata are beholden to their shareholders. Shareholder's in these sorts of portfolios would definitely fit into the old Jaguar sort of demographic if you know what i'm saying, so they're unlikely to be happy with the direction of travel both with Tata's current share values or Jaguar's new look and feel. That is going to start being a very, very serious problem very soon if things don't appreciably turn around. 4. Whilst Tata do have an overarching plan to carve out a solid market share of the EV sector, it's yet to bear fruit. Whilst it could be argued that we're now starting to see the start of that happening in earnest, the results are yet to be seen or felt. You could make the case that this pivot has until 2030 in the UK to mature, but shareholders won't hang around that long if things aren't progressing well. 5. The 2024 AGM was almost apologetic in it's tone, most notably focusing on the continued efforts to focus plans on the EV market. I don't have access to any information internally, however, if I had to guess this is how things went down: 1. Tata have instructed all of their brands to focus on a full pivot to EV. 2. Jaguar, being in a bit of a make or break situation were likely singled out to be the first to start making big waves in that category. 3. Taking this onboard, Jaguar looked at the overall market and made decisions based solely on market intelligence. 4. Brand were likely told they needed a culture shift. 5. Brand got a bit excited. 6. Brand produced a plan and convinced the board this was the right move. 7. New brand was developed and went live. 8. Backlash. Concerned phonecalls from Tata leadership. 9. Jaguar ask Tata to hold their nerve and wait for the new vehicle lineup to drop. 10. Tata agree, albeit slightly reluctantly and begin watching closely whilst producing fallback plans. I see this going one of two ways. I don't forsee any way out for Jaguar at this point, I don't believe the car reveals no matter how they are recieved will change the feeling now aimed at the brand. The AGM is 6-ish months away and I reckon shareholders are already nervous. My opinion is that they will either: 1. Kill the new branding and roll back whilst continuing with the overall plan to create a big share of the EV market with a view to building share prices and then in all probability try to move JLR off their books. 2. Cut their losses. Either dump JLR altogether or carve it up to keep Land Rover and ditch Jaguar.

My take on the Jaguar Re-branding and concept presentation: Since Jaguar presented their new branding ideation/concept, that's the only thing I am reading/hearing/discussing about with my colleagues. From the Automotive industry and different sectors. I believe that is what the Jaguar Marketing/Creative/Design team is aiming for, from a "low profile" company into a nonstop debate on the brand. A few weeks ago, no one talked about Jaguar. They gave a rebirth to a company that was going down in history with a huge bang. Leave the "like/Dislike" aside, we can discuss it for days and days, what is important is that the hype is there. That is what sells cars, and that's what will leave Jaguar the "air" it needs to create great cars like before. * I am a proud owner of a 2005 XJ :)

What do you do when you are not teaching branding across cultures? Reading about rebranding gone wrong. Could not agree more with Marc Ritson 's view. Revitalise the brand but respect the heritage dna of that brand. For a good example of a car brand who just did that look at Volvo . With the change to electric vehicles they stayed true to their brand dna/heritage. Safety and family care.

Just before my Dad passed away, I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. "How about a Jag?" he said. I couldn't buy him a Jag, but instead I organised to hire a Jaguar XK for the day and we went driving around the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It was a magical day for both of us and one I'll always cherish. That day, I also discovered what cars are all about. I literally giggled when I pressed the accelerator. The literal roar of the engine enveloped me and I got tingles. I used to be a VW Beetle guy. It was my first car, and it came to be part of my identity. But I never got tingles driving a VW. When VW ruined its brand through its dishonest environmental reporting, I decided I was no longer a VW guy. And then I drove that Jag. Shared it with my father. I instantly became a Jag guy. Not long after Dad passed, I saw an almost identical car to the one I hired. I had to have it. The picture at the bottom is my son prior to his Primary School formal which I drove him to in the Jag. So, the Jag brand has become part of my identity. It's fair to say there aren't a lot of Jaguar XKs driving around the streets of Western Sydney, and despite the fact that it's more than 15 years old, it still gets a lot of attention. When I popped into Woolworths yesterday, a man asked me if he could take a closer look at it. So that brings us to the #jaguar #rebranding. If you've not seen the controversy, just Google it. It's been described as killing an iconic brand and maybe the worst rebranding of all time. I also hate it. I say that, realising I'm a 52-year-old white dude clinging onto a brand that hasn't quite managed to make the leap into today's marketplace and which consequently has suffered ever-declining sales. The first thing I'd argue is that Jaguar's problems have more to do with the fact that their cars, while gorgeous and iconic, have a terrible reputation for breaking down and serviceability, and that part of today's marketplace is that before anyone buys a car, they Google stuff and get scared off by product issues like that. I even appreciate the core messaging. Copy nothing. That's what resonates with me as a brand, that Jaguars are unique - they're beautiful while distinctive. That's not easily achieved. But the re-brand has not just "deleted ordinary", it has deleted everything that was Jaguar, including getting rid of the iconic Leaper and Growler logos. And it has done so, at a time when you have an influx of innovative new Chinese brands, who are actually starting from scratch and for whom this campaign would seem far more appropriate. It's only bold, because it is Jaguar, otherwise it looks like a whole bunch of other generic on-trend advertising. I feel we are all in the midst of a yearning for authenticity. and there is nothing authentic about what Jaguar is doing with our brand. 😭 😭 😭

Tesla dominates brand loyalty: once you go EV, you don’t go back Tesla took half the awards for brand loyalty in the automotive industry in S&P Global Mobility’s new study. Once you go electric, you don’t go back. Studies have shown that electric vehicle buyers generally don’t go back to gasoline vehicles. It wasn’t necessarily the case for some early EVs that had limitations, like the Fiat https://lnkd.in/gzi26k3y

Opinion and cars ; "that JAGUAR re-brand story" Read a lot on the new branding story for Jaguar. Interesting, yeah. Lot's of opinion, sentiment, past-professional advisory stuff. Hands up, I used to do branding and comms, have the pleasure of counting Porsche, Nissan/Infiniti, GM, Mercedes amongst my "car guy comms heritage" and reel. Don't anymore as work in Ai doing something completely different, in Asia. Just a thought, if you're not in Asia ; I live in a market which is RHD build hub for Chinese marques. It is staggering. None of this is easy. Maybe some context for the positioning. I believe Jaguar currently has 0 cars in distribution. It's all aged stock on the road plus heritage ( important ). Understand STELLANTIS is troubled, Porsche down 26% totally and 75% in China, and so on. We've seen the prognoses "who doesn't make it through the next 5 years" in autos. Saw some thoughts and comments about bringing the right notes of heritage to life and who would buy one. I'd cut some slack ; shipping no product, compete against the avalanche of great product from China, find your tone of voice and next set of consumer/users...not easy. Check out the videos of the tear-downs of Japanese auto engineers who are quite flabbergasted at how bloody clever and good BYD is now when they strip it. Interesting. Post a pic below, excuse the clumsy clipping - it's the Deepal 07 which runs about 50K USD +/- that got quite widely tested here against the Lamborghini URUS general 375K USD +/- ( actually 900K USD in my market due to excise but never mind, not the point ). Lambo flipped. The reviewers basically said, "yeah but it's cooler and better and both are XSUV's". Get used to it. Probably, we have to get used to these items more like fridges or white goods, as opposed to imbuing them with values which could only be attributed to their combustion engine days ? It's just change. People decreasingly will own these things, they are to put it bluntly, commoditised high-ticket, fashion items. This is how we mediamonetise right ? So they may as well get into that frameset now. Get it, that you can't own fashion, am sure they will bring to the fore more product and performance standards just as LOTUS has done in their recent re-entry. Anyone in the market, both now and through the next cycle or two, will pretty much be looking at an automobile much like a phone. When one looks at the number of manufactures of those nowadays verses autos - think there might be more brands in Volkswagen Auto Group alone than the total actual mobile handset manufacture brands now...believe there 50 Chinese automakers at the Bangkok car show next month. Regardless, if you're British it's also a day when we lost John Prescott. A decent bloke, political heavyweight, respectable man and one of Wales' finest sons plus dare I say it, an infamous brand ambassador. RIP. Wonder what he'd have to say.....we're all just passing through. I like cars and branding too btw. Be well.

Most posts or comments I’ve seen about Jaguar’s repositioning are largely negative. Perhaps, people have too quickly judged something that has only partially been revealed; so far “just” a new brand identity. Let's not forget JLR has been there before. Marketing aside, from a product perspective Defender, in the main, defied its critics. Clearly there will always be a proportion of traditionalist Defender owners that criticised the new Defender for its reliance on technology, rather than mechanical simplicity. However, new Defender is a commercial success. That is unquestionable. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to have seen early concept reveals. And whilst I can’t comment on that due to NDAs, I would instead suggest we support and celebrate the courage to try something different. Because mediocrity was never going to overcome the challenges the brand and product faced. It is worth remembering under Ford's ownership, Jaguar never made a profit, I can’t comment if that changed under Tata Motors ownership but I’m sure you can do the maths. Although there is no evidence that Henry Ford ever said this “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses,” perhaps we should think about the difference between reacting and responding. And to respond, we need to see the fuller picture, which in time will be revealed. Time will tell. As will paying customers, old or new. Brand reappraisal is bloody hard. Let’s give the team the benefit of time before writing off their endeavours. #Jaguar

Jaguar's rebranding is all over the news. NZZ, the Swiss-German newspaper, contacted us to ask for our opinion. Read what Youri Sawerschel has to say here (in German and behind paywall): https://lnkd.in/gQqkwg3b And in case you're wondering, we think Jaguar is making a bold and smart move, even if it does challenge the "mental image" we all have of the brand. For context: 📉 Jaguar (and many European carmakers) have declining sales  🧭 Industry shift: legacy engine expertise no longer gives an edge in the EV era. 💡 New perceptions: For many (especially in Asia), cars are now seen as 'consumer electronics' rather than 'petrol cars'. European car brands are facing a massive change. They can't compete with Chinese EV manufacturers on: 1️⃣ manufacturing costs 2️⃣ Advanced EV technology 3️⃣ Market size So where can they win? Their brand. But not just as a symbol of heritage, but as a "brand of tomorrow". Jaguar gets it. They're repositioning themselves for a globally-minded audience in their 30s and 40s, and they recognise that: "What got them here won't get them there". Their new teaser video - featuring a girl with a hammer - is a nod to Apple's iconic 'Think Different' campaign from the 90s. It's classic AIDA in action: grab Attention, pique Interest, create Desire, drive Action. Now we're at step 'Attention'. They've signalled that they're ready to be more than a traditional carmaker, to become culturally relevant and redefine what a car can mean in tomorrow's world. Now the spotlight is on them. Expectations are high. What they do next will be the defining moment.

Like everyone else, my feed the last 48hrs has been full of opinions on Jaguar, so thought I’d add my voice to it. 1st, this is a masterclass in branding, engagement & marketing strategy. If the product is able to deliver on the themes this branding change will be taught at schools. When was the last time Jaguar as an organisation (outside of Range Rover) triggered such an emotive & wide ranging reaction (see my newsfeed comment above) 2nd, many people have laboured on the history, legacy & ‘negative’ customer preception of the brand change. But I’ve not see much on the fact those legacy sales haven’t been enough for Jaguar for 30+ years to be competitive in a global ‘premium’ automotive setting. Emerging new brands (with no legacy) across the board have been more successful during that time. 3rd, too many people have seen this through a ‘UK’ lense. The association of the old brand with ‘Britishness’ was key to the original Jaguar success. But new premium products are driven by USA, Middle East & Asian sales now. EU market has become a fighting ground for BMW, Audi & Mercedes, or even Bentley/Porsche if Jaguar indeed move up the spectrum. These new markets don’t have that same attachment to the old brand as we do in the UK or limited parts of EU. I think the sucess of Range Rober in those new markets is a great path for Jaguar to follow. Personally, I’ll hold judgement on the branding itself until I see a product but overall I congratulate all those at Jaguar in both the philosophy driving the change & also the execution so far. Good luck!