Regardless of opinions on the new-look all-electric Jaguar Type 00 concept, we’ve enjoyed watching the campaign play out, particularly when it comes to the vital role of employees in communicating a rebrand or new product.
And we think there are marketing lessons to be learned for all businesses based on how the Jaguar story has unfolded.
With that in mind, here’s our take on what became the one of the biggest commented on campaigns of 2024.
“Getting attention in today’s world is not always easy, and we assume all of you here and those following around the world may have read a thing or two about the new Jaguar brand – and we are delighted to have your attention.”
These are the words of Jaguar Land Rover chief creative officer, Gerry McGovern, upon launching the company’s new electric car concept at Miami Art Week – two weeks after their controversial teaser video.
Gerry’s opening words would seem to suggest that the millions of views, thousands of comments, including from major brands and high-profile individuals, plus stacks of news headlines, is job done. Attention well and truly grabbed.
That’s definitely not to say that any publicity is good publicity – because we all know that isn’t true – but the Type 00 marketing campaign has certainly caught the attention of an incredible number of people.
The only question that now remains is whether they’ve hit the right mark with that very small percentage of new audience they’re targeting. And only time will tell on that one.
Whether or not you agree with Jaguar stepping so far away from a brand that’s deeply steeped in British heritage, perhaps in order to try and stop it from being consigned to the history books for good – it has certainly been an interesting watch from a strategic marketing point of view.
We’ve been able to witness the various stages of a decent campaign launch play out – the defined key messages, the eye-catching videos and photography, the build-up, the multi-channel approach, the PR.
But what’s really caught our eye is the part being played by JLR staff.
The involvement of staff and stakeholders in your marketing campaign
Making sure staff are fully aware of, and on board with, a message you’re communicating is crucial to its success.
This can be tricky at the best of times, but when you have 40,000 employees and your rebrand is as bold as this, it’s another level.
We can only imagine those internal conversations.
“We’re rebranding.”
“From now on, we’re only going to make electric Jaguar cars.”
“The old logo and identity is no more”
“Our concept colours are Miami Pink and London Blue.”
“Oh and we’re deleting everything off our socials and starting again.”
“And the teaser video won’t feature any cars, or people from our previous target audience. We’re now aiming at a younger, more diverse, ultra wealthy market.”
“And ultimately we have to do this, as it’s the only way we think the company will survive.”
Getting buy-in for your vision and bringing people on the journey with you is a key element of a company rebrand or product launch, and this starts with the people in your business.
A good campaign needs to be clear on its mission, vision and values, and then communicated to your stakeholders – so your staff and partners.
They can become the very best ambassadors for your brand, helping to spread the word more widely, leveraging their personal connections.
This could involve briefing sessions or providing them with a crib sheet of key messages, links and curated images that you want them to share, so that everyone is on the same page, reinforcing that message over and again.
It certainly looks like this has been a key element of the Jaguar campaign.
The balance of consistency versus authenticity
Across Linkedin, for example, we’ve seen endless streams of JLR staff sharing the teaser video and Miami launch images, all with various permutations of the main key messages ‘copy of nothing’, ‘fearless creativity’, ‘exuberant’, ‘breaking moulds’, ‘symbol of change, ‘reimagining’ and so on.
It’s true – and something we advocate at EBY – that content shared by individuals with their communities can feel more authentic than a corporate announcement.
However, with a campaign of this scale, that authenticity can quickly be lost if everyone on your LinkedIn profile is sharing the exact same two or three lines of corporate message, giving it the feel of propaganda, rather than their own personal and honest opinions.
So it’s important to get the balance right between consistency and authenticity.
How to do that?
This means making sure everyone knows the reasoning behind the rebrand, understands the vision, and has the key messages to share, but also has the confidence to do this in a way that’s in keeping with their identity, especially on a platform like LinkedIn.
In our view, the posts that work best are those that share a personal account of their involvement in the rebrand, or their take on it, or perhaps a measured response to some of the criticism received, with a key message or official hashtag and image at the end. Essentially, it’s the posts with personality.
We don’t know how employees were coached or advised about this particular campaign, or if they were prepared for just how big it was going to get. Whether giving a full personal opinion, or sharing a couple of lines of corporate message, it’s not always easy to put your head above the parapet, so having clear guidance and support is really important.
One thing is clear – whether you are a global automotive manufacturer, or a niche B2B business, there’s a lot to think about when planning a significant marketing campaign. If you need help preparing a product launch or rebrand in 2025, including managing the messaging with staff, get in touch with EBY and we will be able support you and your team, whether that’s through additional skills or resources.
You can also check out our take on what you need to consider for your 2025 marketing plans here.