The Jaguar Rebrand Debacle: Lessons in Branding and Staying True to Your Essence

Most Valuable Lesson or Insight:

The most valuable lesson from this conversation is that rebranding should never come at the cost of losing your core audience or diluting your brand's essence. Beatrice and the host dissect Jaguar's recent rebrand, which has sparked widespread criticism for abandoning its legacy and alienating its loyal customer base. The key takeaway is that while evolution is necessary, it should be done thoughtfully, preserving the values and identity that made the brand successful in the first place.

Top 5 "Between the Lines" Lessons:

1. Respect your legacy: A brand's history and legacy are invaluable. Ignoring or discarding them can lead to a loss of trust and loyalty from your existing audience.

2. Understand your audience: Before making drastic changes, deeply understand who your current customers are and what they value about your brand.

3. Rebrand with purpose: A rebrand should align with your core values and resonate with both your existing audience and the new one you're trying to attract.

4. Avoid alienating your base: Losing 90% of your customer base, as Jaguar seems prepared to do, is a risky move that can backfire spectacularly.

5. Test and iterate: Instead of a complete overhaul, consider incremental changes or sub-brands to test new directions without alienating your core audience.

5 Actionable Steps:

1. Conduct thorough research: Before rebranding, gather insights from your current audience to understand what they value about your brand.

2. Preserve core values: Ensure that any rebranding effort retains the essence and values that have made your brand successful.

3. Consider sub-brands or incremental changes: Test new directions with sub-brands or gradual changes rather than a complete overhaul.

4. Engage your community: Involve your loyal customers in the rebranding process to ensure their voices are heard and their loyalty is maintained.

5. Plan for the long term: Focus on building a brand that can evolve over time without losing its identity or alienating its core audience.

Transcript:

Host:
Welcome to Business Chat! Today, we’re talking with my wonderful friend Beatrice. She is the badass of all badasses, and boy, do I have opinions about this rebrand—a very special rebrand. But I’m going to wait to hear what she has to say first.

Beatrice:
Hi! How are you?

Host:
I’m good. Now, I’m just looking at this rebrand and thinking, “Did you guys just wake up and decide to burn down your long-built-up brand? Why? What is this?”

Beatrice:
I was just saying, “Another legacy brand died today.” Why in God’s name would you do this to your brand? It’s brand suicide. It’s like Bud Light 2.0.

Host:
Exactly! It’s the same kind of vibe—scandal, craziness.

Beatrice:
I know. Okay, let’s unpack it because I have a lot of thoughts and emotions about this. I don’t even know where to begin.

Host:
I know who the agency is—it’s a Gen Z-based agency, which is fine. I love Gen Z; you guys are the best. You’re super creative, usually. And I get it. I want to cry. Apparently, the estimation is they got paid like $127,000 or something for this rebrand.

Beatrice:
I know, right? To work on our prizes? Apparently, I definitely need to—yeah, imposter syndrome, who?

Host:
That’s not confirmed, but that’s the rumor.

Beatrice:
Yeah, so where do you want to begin?

Host:
Let’s see what they said. They’ve done it “properly,” according to them.

Beatrice:
That’s exactly right. Chris says, “I always wonder why brands produce things for Gen Z when they have no purchase power.”

Host:
Yeah, apparently, they’re okay with losing up to 90% of their current user base and going after new generations with money. So, they’re after new money people, but even new money wants old money.

Beatrice:
Exactly. The whole reason they’re buying these legendary brands is because they want to look the part. Why are you going to rebrand when you’ve been around for so long? There are so many other ways to do this without losing that entire audience built up over decades.

Host:
Right. Like, make a sub-brand or create a campaign specific to that audience. Use the same old-school vibe but present the new lifestyle.

Beatrice:
But this goes in a completely different direction. It loses the original brand’s essence—masculine, old-school, elegant. This new one? I’m not even sure what the message is.

Host:
If you look at the video, the end is just them stepping away from a rock. I’m like, “Are you trying to say a Jaguar is a rock?”

Beatrice:
The comments on Twitter were wild. People were very angry about it.

Host:
Apparently, they’re going to launch a new car design, but do you really need to change everything?

Beatrice:
They just burnt down the brand. It’s like Twitter to X.

Host:
I cannot make myself say “X.” It’s the symbol you click to close a window. Why would you want your brand to be that?

Beatrice:
Elon Musk has a bunch of pictures jumping with his arms open, apparently to promote the brand.

Host:
He’s trying to make Twitter into TikTok. It’s disturbing.

Beatrice:
Porsche dealerships are celebrating today.

Host:
Definitely. I mean, just don’t understand.

Beatrice:
I would love to see the agency’s thought process. According to the article, the brand wants to be seen as exuberant, modernist, compelling, and about fearless creativity.

Host:
I have an issue with the word “modernist.” What does that even mean?

Beatrice:
It’s not a thing.

Host:
Looking clean and modern is something from 10 or 20 years ago.

Beatrice:
Unless you’re designing a car that looks like a spaceship, but then you’re leaving behind your legacy.

Host:
If you’re going to lose 90% of your audience, why not create something new?

Beatrice:
Exactly. If you’re going after new money, why not tell them what makes you, you?

Host:
People have been looking up to you for decades. Lean on that.

Beatrice:
Sell the new lifestyle, the photo shoots, the landscapes.

Host:
But this rebrand is just infuriating.

Beatrice:
Even if you have a valid thought process, if you’re okay with losing 90% of your user base, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

Host:
The new brand’s values are not giving high quality or centuries of experience.

Beatrice:
They’ve broken the cardinal rule of rebranding.

Host:
If you’re going to lose 90% of your audience, why not create something new?

Beatrice:
Exactly.

Host:
Thank you so much for joining me today. I loved having you on.

Beatrice:
Thanks! See you soon.