Why Jaguar’s rebrand is doomed

Jaguar’s disastrous makeover has left many wondering if it’s an April Fool’s joke. Of course it isn’t. After 89 years of success with pale, antiquated men, Jaguar – relaunching as an electric-only brand – has decided a new clientele is in order.

Its logo, written as JaGUar, ‘seamlessly blends upper and lower case letters in visual harmony’, the company claims. Jaguar chief executive Rawdon Glover – who gives his pronouns on LinkedIn as ‘he/him’ – declared that ‘the time for us to take small, conservative steps has passed’. Jaguar wants new customers, WHO will ‘be younger than before, affluent, urban, looking for exclusivity’. A motoring journalist present at the rebrand launch this week compared the experience to being ‘trapped in a cult conference’.

Jaguar’s rebrand is similar in tone to a report by an influential French left-wing think tank called Terra Nova in 2011. As