Jaguar reportedly to ditch ad agency responsible for rebrand
Reactions were, to put it mildly, mixed after Jaguar unleashed the media campaign that went along with its effort to rebrand itself as a new, modern automaker specializing in electric luxury cars.
Key Points
- Reports from the UK indicate Jaguar is in the middle of a review of its contract with Accenture Song, the ad agency that handled the British automaker’s controversial rebrand.
- Accenture Song’s current contract is set to expire in the middle of 2026. Jaguar has declined to comment on reports that it’s ending the agency’s relationship with the automaker.
- At the time, Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover said online reaction amounted to “vile hatred and intolerance” of the diverse actors and glimpses of cars in bright pastel hues.
Remember New Jaguar? It was sort of like New Coke in that the company may prefer you forget the rebranding effort, or at the very least forget all the controversy that surrounded it.
“New Jaguar is a brand built around Exuberant Modernism. It is imaginative, bold and artistic at every touchpoint. It is unique and fearless,” the automaker said in a statement along with the launch of the rebranding. “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.”
Criticisms of the rebrand included complaints that no actual cars were included with the launch, new logos and emblems ditched years of history and heritage and that the desire to be eccentric was pushed too far. According to The Telegraph, Jaguar said in a statement, “As a matter of policy JLR does not comment on any supplier arrangements, Accenture Song are currently under contract to the middle of 2026. We have nothing further to say on this matter.”
Potential new advertising agency aside, things seem to be going okay for Jaguar Land Rover. The Tata-owned British company released an earnings report for the year ending in March that showed it had its most profitable 12-month period in the last decade.
Growing up in a family obsessed with performance and as the son of an automotive engineer, Jeremy Korzeniewski has spent his entire life as a car enthusiast. Also an avid motorcyclist, Jeremy has spent the last two decades writing about the transportation industry and providing insights to many of the largest automotive publications in the world.
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It's amazing all the people on Linkedin in the auto industry who defended that campaign when it first launched. It was so terrible...anyone with half a brain knew it was a joke and going to be an utter disaster for the brand. And....surprise surprise...it was!