Ad Review: Jaguar ‘Bud Lights’ itself with ridiculous new ad

With its controversial new ad campaign, “Copy Nothing,” British luxury car company Jaguar becomes the latest brand to sacrifice its reputation and sales at the altar of “modern audiences.”

I mean, just look at this:

Jaguar debuted the widely mocked 30-second ad, along with its new slogan and logo, on its X account last Tuesday.

The surreal advertisement showcases ethnically diverse and largely gender-fluid models clad in androgynous attire, posed against an otherworldly backdrop. The visuals are accompanied by evocative phrases such as “break molds,” “create exuberant,” “live vivid,” and “delete ordinary.”

Nowhere in the ad is the slightest trace of any car.

As you can imagine, the backlash was swift and brutal.

“This is so the wrong timing for this,” writer Jon Gabriel said of the ad. “I can understand the C-suite being conned into this in 2022, but you have completely misread the moment. Bud Light 2.0.”

Craig Lucie, CEO of Lucie Content based in Atlanta, Georgia, noted, “This is why the right marketing and content team is important. You sell cars. Nothing in this ad tells a potential buyer about the story behind your product. What are your takeaways from this ad?”

One user on X summed up the spot as “when you walk into the elevator and the entire DEI department is there.”

And Elon Musk tweeted, “Do you sell cars?” in a pointed reference to one of my favorite jokes about the advertising industry. (Car brand: “Are you sure this ad will help us sell more cars?” Woke ad agency: “Cars?”)

This, as some of the ad’s more creative critics began posting clever parody videos and one enterprising designer even one-upped Jaguar with a superior logo design:

Now THIS is how a logo refresh is done. Absolutely beautiful. Take notes, @Jaguar.

Designed by @AllanPeters pic.twitter.com/uCSmlzy1pK

— Jaimee Michell (@thegaywhostrayd) November 22, 2024

Chasing MOdErN aUdiEnCes

So what is going on here? Is this simply another play for some of that sweet, sweet ESG money — or is it something more?

Jaguar’s press release boasts about “a new era” of transformation “defined by Exhuberant Modernism”:

A new era begins today for Jaguar.

A completely transformed Jaguar brand recaptures an ethos to Copy Nothing that can trace its roots back to the words of its founder, Sir William Lyons.

Jaguar’s transformation is defined by Exuberant Modernism, a creative philosophy that underpins all aspects of the new Jaguar brand world.

It embraces bold designs, unexpected and original thinking, creating a brand character that will command attention through fearless creativity.

Meanwhile, the company’s chief creative officer, Professor Gerry McCovern, claims the rebrand “recaptures the essence of Jaguar, returning it to the values that once made it so loved, but making it relevant for a contemporary audience.”

Gee, are you sure about that, Professor?

Let’s cut the shit. Here is the real reason for this Jaguar rebrand:

Sales of Jaguar cars are in freefall and have been for years. Desperate for a solution and having no idea what to do, the company has decided to flip the script with an ill-advised embrace of super-duper DEI messaging (a la Virgin Atlantic) in the hopes of finding new buyers for its cars.

Rawdon Glover, the managing director at Jaguar, recently admitted as much to The Telegraph: “We don’t want to necessarily leave all of our customers behind. But we do need to attract a new customer base.”

(Part of Jaguar’s strategy, it should be noted, involves the very progressive idea™ of phasing out production of all of the company’s gas-powered cars in favor of a fully electric product line by 2026. Hmm, maybe Jaguar should ask Ford how that has worked out for them.)

The problem with this “solution” is that it is no solution at all. After the spectacular and highly publicized failures of other companies that have tried similar stunts — I’m looking at you, Bud Light, Gillette, and dozens of others — Jaguar should know better.

As Paul Burke, an advertising copywriter, told The Telegraph: “As a piece of creative work, it’s rubbish. It’s really cheaply done and there’s no idea in it . . . It could be for anything but I’d put it differently: it could be for nothing. I’ve learnt nothing from that. It doesn’t make me want to buy a Jaguar.”

He’s right. This campaign is not bold or brave or fearless. It’s old and tired and empty. The new slogan may say “copy nothing,” but all the ad really does is copy and paste outdated DEI-style advertising.

Today’s consumers see through this type of trite and ridiculous faff. Yet once again, it is set to destroy a legendary brand.

Cranky Ad Review rating: One legacy-killing ad campaign out of five.

The end of an era? (And not just for Jaguar, but for The Cranky Creative blog)

After nearly 40 ad reviews, this may be my final critique. Why? Because I am tired. Of ads, of ad people, of the entire industry itself. I mean, just look at it all. And let’s face it: no matter how many ad reviews I write, or how many times I may be quoted in publications like The Telegraph, I’m not going to make a difference. The advertising industry has lost its way. It’s been lost for a very long time, and I have less than zero faith it will ever find its way back.

I’ve been considering this for a while. In the past 18 months, I have ended my career as a professional copywriter and tried my hand as both a USPS mail carrier and 911 operator before starting a new career in the field of security. (More on that in a future blog post.)

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Only time will tell if this turns out to be my final ad review, but as I type these words right now, this Jaguar ad feels like the right place to stop.

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