Related Articles
Recently the fabled British car manufacturer Jaguar released their ad campaign which definitely attracted attention and negative criticism from several quarters. Memories of the Bud Light ad and the subsequent sales loss from their previous predominantly male market are still fresh in the minds of many people. This new Jaguar ad did not play well with many who saw it, at least for the moment.
Going against the grain of what a brand has stood for since it started is not generally a wise decision. Bud Light and Jaguar are typically associated with men. Simply throwing that away instead of starting a new brand is not a formula for success.
My previous tech company (Vungle) helped mobile advertisers get metrics for analysis and target the right users. So let me shed some light on how you can go about making a big shift in your brand based on that experience.
How You Can Do It Differently
Just to be clear, these types of ads are not necessarily wrong. However, one also needs to think of the decades invested in building a brand that targets a particular audience or demographic. To simply dismiss that demographic to run after another runs the real risk of destroying the brand.
The first thing you want to do is to decide if you want to keep your existing customer base and expand from there, or expand to a totally new base at the risk of losing credibility with your existing audience. Start there. Then base your marketing and advertising strategy on that initial decision.Some advice I can give:
1. If you really want to go after a new customer base outside of the traditional loyal one, make sure the management and Board understand that this new “break the ties that bind” strategy may get a lot of negative pushback.
2. If your brand wants to go after a new base outside of the traditional ones, why not consider a new brand squarely aimed at that new audience? This avoids alienating the old group.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
3. Do a test with a small representative audience to get their reaction first before diving head first into the full rebrand.
A Successful Brand Shift
Contrast Jaguar to this new Volvo ad. Both car brands are pivoting to electric vehicles in a major way. Volvo does it creatively but not in a way intended to shock a traditional audience. In fact, this Volvo ad leans into old family values, but in a refreshing way.
The public traditionally views Jaguar as a luxury car brand that has appeared in countless films like James Bond and others. Their new ad appears to throw cold water at this legacy, in favor of something new.
My impression is that this new Jaguar ad campaign is obviously makingtheir classic brand better positioned for Gen Z. The metaphor of transferring from gasoline/diesel to electric EV vehicles might be another reason. Until they reveal their sequel, we will not really know if this ad campaign will work.
Comments on the new Volvo seem to have strengthened their loyal customer base and perhaps even expanded it further.
It is not easy to recover from a rebrand misstep. Right now, Bud Light is running all kinds of traditional ads, but so far it has not brought them back to their former top sales rank.
Final Thoughts
All that being said, think carefully before taking the plunge into a risky rebrand. Ensure your board is aware of potential backlash and ensure you have a strong plan to move forward.
