Hey friend,
How are you? I hope you had a nice, first productive week after summer.
The gist:
You may have already heard this story or not. Either way, it holds a ton of visual storytelling lessons. I’m talking about Jaguar’s radical rebranding move that caused a major backlash on social and beyond. What comes to your mind when you think about Jaguar cars? If you’re thinking performance-led British luxury with a heavy dose of heritage and “Britishness,” targeting broader premium-luxury shoppers, you would be right. Yet, last November’s rebranding tells a completely new narrative, pivoting to “modern luxury” and exuberant modernism—“Copy Nothing,” “Delete Ordinary”—with Jaguar re-introduced as a pure-electric design-led brand. The target audience has also changed and narrowed. Now we’re talking about a smaller audience described as younger, urban, design-minded, cash-rich/time-poor EV buyers. The failed rebrand cost Jaguar a whopping 97.5% decrease in sales in Europe. And get this! Last April only 49 cars were sold!
Find out the reasons for backlash, why rebranding moves are critical for keeping your brand narrative timely, yet with necessary safeguards. And practical tips you can get out of this story for solid upkeep of your brand.
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