‘The most controversial rebrand of the year’: Understanding the tightrope that legacy brands like Jaguar walk during a rebrand

It’s got to be hard to be a heritage brand.

There are so many expectations and so many people to disappoint. Just ask Jaguar. The automaker’s attempt at a sleek, ultra-modern rebrand replete with art-house aesthetics has been the talk of the water cooler — excuse me, LinkedIn — this week. Jaguar’s approach to its rebrand has been lambasted all over the internet. It seems to drop the brand’s heritage and history (a strange choice at a time when nostalgia is king) and focuses on its concept of what an ultra-cool modern brand should be (colorful, bold, arty) over the substance of what the brand is or has been (gorgeous, albeit temperamental cars).

The initial spot Jaguar rolled out with its rebrand — which appears to have been created in-house and includes a logo change that ditches the car brand’s iconic jaguar and swaps out its font — doesn’t even feature a car at all. The company has since teased what one of its new electric cars will look like on X ahead of its planned appearance at Miami Art Week on Dec. 2, an appearance that “will include the physical manifestation of its Exuberant Modernism creative philosophy, in a Design Vision Concept,” according to a wordy company press release. Jaguar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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