Why Jaguar’s ‘WTF’ rebrand might just be a stroke of genius…

If you’re in the world of branding or marketing, chances are your LinkedIn feed has been absolutely rammed with hot takes on Jaguar’s latest rebrand: Copy Nothing. And let’s be honest, it’s a rebrand that’s hard to ignore.
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When it first popped up on my screen, my reaction was probably the same as yours: ‘What the actual f**?!’ It doesn’t look or feel like the Jaguar we all know. Gone are the markers of sophistication, British heritage, and timeless luxury. Instead, we’ve been handed something that if you squint, feels more like the identity for a trendy vegan smoothie brand or some high-end athleisure gear.

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So what is going on here?

Let’s start with the obvious: this isn’t just a rebrand. This is a total reinvention. Jaguar hasn’t just thrown out the rulebook - they’ve set it on fire, poured petrol on it and danced around it. And I kind of admire the audacity. It’s brave!

For decades, Jaguar has been synonymous with old-school luxury, the kind that smells of leather seats and cigar smoke. But let’s be real: that image is dying. Fossil-fuel-guzzling cars drenched in nostalgia aren’t exactly a hot ticket in a world leaning hard into electric vehicles and sustainability. Even if Jaguar’s recent models have been decent, the brand itself has felt like it’s been running on fumes for years.

In that context, the rebrand starts to make sense. Jaguar isn’t trying to evolve its existing identity - they’re obliterating it to create space for something radically new. If the cars they’re building in a few years look and feel nothing like the current lineup, then a complete break from the past might actually be the smartest move they could make.

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Good marketing gets people talking

Look, even if your brand is looking pretty, it’s actually about positioning. And Jaguar’s new brand has certainly re-positioned itself as different to what we were expecting.

Love it or hate it, you’ve probably shared it, commented on it, or ranted about it. Elon Musk had a go at it. LinkedIn is frothing over it. But guess what? All the chit-chat means Jaguar is living rent-free in everyone’s head right now. Mine included.

And that’s kind of the point. Great marketing doesn’t sit quietly in the corner, politely asking for your attention. It makes noise. It divides opinions. It gets people talking.  What the hell are they up to?

Right now, Jaguar’s rebrand is a massive question mark. And yes, it kind of feels like we’re going through a break up. But the silver lining is that they're creating intrigue, and intrigue buys time. Time for their next-generation EVs to land. Time for the brand’s reinvention to actually make sense.

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The Long Game

Here’s the thing about branding: it’s never just about the now. It's about the future too,  and while we can all take the piss out of Jaguar’s new identity; right now, none of us know what they’ve got planned. I, for one, am excited to find out.

If they deliver game-changing cars that redefine their brand, this rebrand will look like a masterstroke in hindsight. If they don’t, we might just keep laughing about how they turned a luxury car icon into something that looks like a juice cleanse subscription.

But here’s the key: we don’t know…yet.

And that’s why I’m holding back from jumping on the “WTF” bandwagon.
Right now, I’m leaning towards thinking Jaguar might actually be onto something. The boldness of this move has left me curious - and that’s exactly what they wanted.

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Closing thoughts (and a shameless plug)

I’m Louis, and I run a brand agency called Unearthed. ‘Brand' can feel nuanced, layered, and complicated as f*** so my goal is to make it simple, more actionable, with less BS.
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This is the first of many long-form takes I’ll be writing on all things brand, so stay tuned if you fancy more takes, opinions and ideas on the stuff that really makes brands tick.
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Jaguar’s rebrand might feel mad today. But good brands aren’t built on playing it safe and time will tell if Jaguar’s leap pays off. In the meantime, let’s keep talking about it.