Luxury automaker Jaguar has faced substantial criticism online following the recent unveiling of a concept car. This development comes on the heels of other backlash Jaguar has faced in recent weeks after a controversial advertisement that didn’t even feature a car. Some commentators on social media have concluded that Jaguar is the latest example of “go woke, go broke.”
The latest concept released by Jaguar shows plans for the Type 00 two-door coupe that features an extended hood and a low-profile roof, giving it a sporty look coupled with a futuristic design. However, some have criticized the choice of colors the automobile is being marketed with, such as Satin Rhodon Rose also known as “Miami Pink.”
Describing the new vehicle, Jaguar chief creative officer Gerry McGovern said, “When Jaguar was at its best, it threw away the design rulebook and created E-Type and the XJS; objects of desire.” However, Jaguar received immense pushback to the design from some on social media. “Copy nothing? It’s a pink Batmobile,” former Kevin McCarthy speechwriter Charles Correll III commented on the car.
Commenting directly under an ad for the Type 00 shared to X, one person wrote, “Pink? 2 front grilles on an EV?? You’re kidding.. No more Jags for me. Just wish I never got my 2022 SVR back in May. Will be going with Porsche going forward. Extra price worth going away from wokeness.” Sharing a picture of a classic Jaguar, another person said, “You used to make beautiful cars.”
Weighing in on the new design, another person commented, “You guys really messed up. You’ll meet the same fate as other “woke” companies. All you had to do was make a cool car, not an air ventilation concept on wheels.” Attempting to ascertain the strategy behind the latest moves from Jaguar one person said, “They’re either doing an excellent job getting people to talk about & engage on the brand or it’s being run into the ground. Either way management is really throwing a Hail Mary with operational and marketing strategy.”
The American Tribune recently reported on comments from Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover who addressed the backlash toward the latest woke marketing ad from the company. According to Glover the poor reception of the ad was the result of a “blaze of intolerance” on social media, while claiming there was “very positive” feedback elsewhere.
Glover said, “If we play in the same way that everybody else does, we’ll just get drowned out. So we shouldn’t turn up like an auto brand.” The managing director added, “We need to re-establish our brand and at a completely different price point so we need to act differently. We wanted to move away from traditional automotive stereotypes.”
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Watch an ad for the Type 00 below:
However, others have noted that such bold advertising campaigns run the risk of destroying the brand equity a company has spent decades building. “You can destroy a brand in 30 seconds that took a lifetime to build. Strong brands reinvent themselves but always remain true to the core of their DNA. For luxury brands in particular, authenticity is key and this fails the test,” a former advertising executive that once partnered with Jaguar said.
Watch Jaguar’s controversial commercial:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.