British luxury car brand Jaguar just launched a new rebrand and it’s sparking some controversy online because of how radically it moves away from the very recognizable pouncing cat logo that has defined the brand for centuries.
Most of the ire seems to speculate that there’s a new team and CMO in charge, the brand is suffering from declining sales and therefore they must have taken the most short-sighted approach of throwing out all their brand heritage and forgetting where the brand comes from. Some of these accusations may be true.
But consider the opposite scenario. What if this becomes the ultimate win-win strategy for the brand? On one hand, announcing a drastic brand overhaul is sure to invite people to reconsider the brand and bring true fans out of the shadows. In addition, refocusing on EV growth and attracting a new audience may require exactly this sort of bold change.
Over time, this feels like a win-win solution for the brand. Either the detractors win, and they backtrack to the old beloved logo thereby reminding people of why the brand was so popular in the first place. Or the new positioning wins, indicating that it’s a brave new era at the brand and that it has successfully made a transition into the future. What do you think? Is this a short-sighted branding choice or a smart long-term strategy to make the brand relevant again?
