At a time when Jaguar is facing extreme backlash for its rebranding campaign, another legacy automotive company, Volvo, is receiving all the plaudits for its ‘family-values’ advertisement that stays true to the brand’s roots. Post the Jaguar debacle, McDonald’s senior marketing director, Guillaume Hain shared a Volvo commercial on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the safety features of the company’s recent offering, the EX90. The three-minute, 46-second ad, shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer, Hoyte Van Hoytema — known for his work on Christopher Nolan movies like Oppenheimer and Interstellar, instantly drew the users who made the comparisons.

“Volvo posted a 3 min and 46 second ad on Instagram, shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer of Interstellar and Oppenheimer. It goes against every single rule you can think about as a social lead. Length. Format. Over-produced. Every comment under the ad said it immediately put (the brand) in their consideration set. It’s f**king fantastic,” wrote Huin.

The ad emphasised Volvo’s commitment to safety, reliability, and the development of family-friendly vehicles. It was widely praised for its “pro-family” messaging with users applauding its focus on “safety, family, and connection”.

“I just willingly sat through a nearly four-minute commercial and felt perfectly fine with it. Somebody deserves a promotion,” said one user, while another added: “Jaguar brand designers punching the air right now.”

A third commented: “I hope Jaguar take notes…For real though, this is excellent.”

Volvo posted a 3 min and 46 second ad on Instagram, shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer of Interstellar and Oppenheimer.

It goes against every single rule you can think about as a social lead. Length. Format. Over-produced.

Every comment under the ad said it… pic.twitter.com/wkmghuP4ye

— Guillaume Huin (@HuinGuillaume) November 21, 2024

Also Read | As Automaker Jaguar Rebrands Itself With New Logo, Netizens Unimpressed

Jaguar faces backlash

In contrast, Jaguar went the ‘woke’ route, as per the social media users. The luxury carmaker unveiled a new minimalist logo and designed a marketing ad that featured a diverse cast of models, dressed in bold, techno-inspired outfits, showcasing the brand’s seemingly modern aesthetic.

However, the launch surprisingly didn’t showcase any of Jaguar’s iconic luxury vehicles, leaving internet users puzzled. Among other social media users, billionaire Elon Musk also ridiculed Jaguar’s new ad for lacking cars. He posted, “Do you sell cars?”

Copy nothing. #Jaguar pic.twitter.com/BfVhc3l09B

— Jaguar (@Jaguar) November 19, 2024

As of the last update, the new Jaguar ad had been watched by almost 160 million people on X with the majority of users either confused or negative about the offering by the company. Notably, the ad and rebrand are part of Jaguar’s shift toward an electric vehicle (EV) future. By 2025, Jaguar aims to offer an entirely electrified model range, with plans to phase out internal combustion engines.

Prior to its relaunch as an electric-only brand, luxury car manufacturer Jaguar announced its ‘new era ‘ by unveiling its new logo and branding. The new logo of the Tata Motors-owned British vehicle maker on Tuesday revealed a new bespoke logo, written as JaGUar, alongside a new prancing “leaper” cat design and marketing slogans like ‘delete ordinary’, ‘live vivid’ and ‘copy nothing’.

The new logo emphasized the brand’s posh English pronunciation “Jag-you-are” instead of the American “Jag-wahr.” The company said the new branding “seamlessly blended upper and lower case characters in visual harmony.”

The 102-year-old luxury automaker announced its transition to electric vehicles in 2021. The brand is reportedly set to launch three new electric cars by 2026 after it took new cars off-sale over a year ago to focus on reinventing itself. 

“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,” said Gerry McGovern, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer, in a press release.

As per a report by Car and Driver, the pouncing cat logo called ‘the Leaper’, which has adorned Jaguar cars for decades, is being eliminated in favour of the badge.

Jaguar’s Managing Director Rawdon Glover called the rebranding as the “biggest step change” in the company’s history.

“A new era begins for Jaguar. This is an incredibly exciting time for the whole team. To re-imagine such a globally renowned brand really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Today, Jaguar unveils its new brand identity, recapturing its ethos to “Copy Nothing” that can trace its roots back to the words of our founder, Sir William Lyons,” he posted on LinkedIn. 

How the new branding will look on the cars will be unveiled at a Miami Art Week event on December 2.

“Watch out for the global unveiling of the first physical manifestation of our brand reinvention in Miami on December 2, where Jaguar will champion true originality, as a creator and advocate of artistic expression, in all its forms,” Mr Glover said.

However, the social media reactions to the rebranding have not been very reassuring. Replying to the relaunch video posted by Jaguar on X, one internet user wrote: “Umm where are the cars in this ad? Is this for fashion?” To this, the brand replied, “Think of this as a declaration of intent.” 

Copy nothing. #Jaguar pic.twitter.com/BfVhc3l09B

— Jaguar (@Jaguar) November 19, 2024

Another user wrote, “Jaguar took a year off for this? This is how companies fail.” Replying to this, the brand said, “This is not the end. This is the new beginning.”

Jaguar took a year off for this?

This is how companies fail.

— BitS (@BotintheShell) November 19, 2024

Tesla chief Elon Musk also joined the cacophony to express his confusion over the rebranding and wrote: “Do you sell cars?” To this, Jaguar’s official X account responded: “Yes. We’d love to show you. Join us for a cuppa in Miami on 2nd December?”