Jaguar’s Rebrand Flop
Three Lessons from a Sales Dive
In late 2024, Jaguar embarked on a radical rebrand, ditching their iconic “growler” logo for “JaGUar” and focusing on high-fashion imagery without cars.
The result? A 98 percent sales drop in Europe, from 1,961 cars in April 2024 to just 49 in April 2025, per The Financial Express.
This wasn’t just a car maker’s misstep. It’s a cautionary tale for any brand.
As we navigate 2025, where consumers continue to prefer brands that respect their heritage, Jaguar’s fall offers three key lessons for PR pros and marketers.
Key 1: Respect Your Brand’s Heritage
Jaguar’s rebrand ignored their legacy of luxury and performance, alienating long-time customers. Social media users called it “a betrayal of identity,” noting how the new logo and ad campaign lacked cars, confusing buyers. This aligns with Nielson’s 2025’s trend where 70 percent of consumers stick with brands that feel familiar.
Your move? Incorporate elements of your brand’s history into any rebrand to maintain continuity and familiarity. For example, ensure your core identity is preserved and communicated effectively to retain trust across your audience.
Key 2: Engage Your Audience Before You Leap
Jaguar didn’t consult their audience, assuming a younger demographic would embrace the change. Twitter/X user influencer @BrandWatcher highlighted, “They didn’t listen.” Sales of used Jaguars dropped 9%, per Popular Mechanics, as trust eroded.
In 2025, 65 percent of consumers want brands to listen before they leap, per Influencity.
Your move? Conduct thorough audience research to understand their perceptions and preferences. For instance, gather feedback through surveys or social media interactions to inform your rebranding strategy, ensuring it aligns with customer expectations.
Key 3: Time Your Rebrand with New Offerings
Jaguar’s rebrand coincided with halting most models, leaving nothing new to buy. This led to a 97.5 percent sales drop in Europe, per The Financial Express. In 2025, 75 percent of successful rebrands are timed with new products, per Marketing Dive.
Your move? Coordinate your rebrand with the introduction of new products or services to generate excitement and provide a fresh reason for engagement. For example, launch your rebrand alongside a significant update to your offerings to captivate your audience and drive interest.
This ties to branding. Jaguar’s “luxury and heritage” identity was lost, eroding trust.
It’s not perfect. Respecting heritage can feel limiting, engagement takes effort, and timing is challenging. But Jaguar’s 98 percent sales drop shows the cost of getting it wrong. Any business can borrow these tactics to navigate rebranding successfully.
So, what’s your take? Got a brand heritage to honor? An audience to engage? Or a timed launch brewing?
Share your idea in the comments. I’m curious how you’ll make your mark!
Three Things
Here are three stories that highlight some of the lessons above:
Story 1: Coca-Cola's "New Coke" Fiasco - A Bitter Lesson in Heritage
Explanation: Coca-Cola's "New Coke" disaster serves as a classic example of failing to "Respect Your Brand’s Heritage," alienating loyal customers by abandoning a beloved product.
Headline: How "New Coke" Proved the Unshakeable Power of Brand Heritage
Story: In 1985, in an attempt to combat Pepsi's rising popularity, Coca-Cola made one of the most infamous branding blunders in history: they replaced their iconic formula with "New Coke."
The company assumed that a sweeter taste, preferred in blind tests, would be enough to win over consumers. What they fundamentally underestimated was the deep emotional connection and heritage consumers had with the original Coca-Cola. The backlash was immediate and fierce. Phone lines were jammed with angry calls, protest groups formed, and the media widely mocked the decision. Consumers felt a sense of betrayal, as if a beloved part of their cultural fabric had been taken away. The uproar wasn't just about taste; it was about tradition, nostalgia, and a cherished brand identity.
Within 79 days, "New Coke" was pulled from shelves, and the original formula, rebranded as "Coca-Cola Classic," returned triumphant. This monumental misstep underscored the critical importance of respecting a brand's heritage and the profound loyalty it can command.
Link: New Coke: The Most Memorable Marketing Blunder Ever?
Takeaway: Never underestimate the emotional connection and loyalty consumers have to your brand's heritage. Any rebranding effort must carefully incorporate elements of your history to maintain continuity and avoid alienating your core audience.
Story 2: Airbnb's Belo Logo - Engaging the Community for Acceptance
Explanation: Airbnb's 2014 "Belo" logo launch, while initially divisive, is an example of engaging an audience post-launch to foster acceptance and ownership, demonstrating the importance of "Engage Your Audience Before You Leap" (or, in this case, during and after the leap).
Headline: How Airbnb Turned Initial Logo Confusion into Community Co-Creation
Story: When Airbnb unveiled its new "Belo" logo in 2014, it was met with a mixed reaction, with some critics finding it abstract or even suggestive. However, instead of retreating, Airbnb leaned into engagement. They didn't just push the new logo; they launched a global campaign called "Create Airbnb" that invited their community—hosts and guests—to personalize and re-imagine the Belo. They provided tools, templates, and stories, encouraging users to adapt the symbol to reflect their own experiences and homes. This highly interactive approach transformed a potentially controversial rebrand into a collaborative experience. By involving their audience in the creative process and giving them ownership over the new symbol, Airbnb effectively mitigated negative sentiment and fostered a sense of community pride around the new identity. While not a "before the leap" example of engagement for the initial design, it brilliantly showcases how involving your audience, even after a bold move, can build acceptance and reinforce trust.
Link: Airbnb Introduces the Bélo: The Story of a Symbol of Belonging | Airbnb
Takeaway: While ideally, you engage your audience before a major rebrand, if initial reception is mixed, a strategic and interactive community engagement campaign can help build understanding, foster acceptance, and transform potential critics into brand advocates.
Story 3: Apple's "Think Different" Campaign - A Rebrand Timed with Reinvention
Explanation: Apple's "Think Different" campaign and simultaneous product launches in the late 1990s perfectly illustrate "Time Your Rebrand with New Offerings," revitalizing the brand with both a fresh message and innovative products.
Headline: How Apple's "Think Different" Rebrand Coincided with a Product Renaissance
Story: In the late 1990s, Apple was struggling. Steve Jobs' return in 1997 ushered in a critical period of rebranding and reinvention. The iconic "Think Different" campaign, launched in 1997, wasn't just a new slogan; it was a rallying cry that redefined Apple's identity from a struggling computer company to a beacon of innovation and creativity. Crucially, this powerful messaging wasn't launched in a vacuum. It coincided almost perfectly with the introduction of groundbreaking new products like the original iMac in 1998, which boasted a radical, colorful design that stood out dramatically from beige PCs. The rebrand and new product offerings worked in perfect synergy. The "Think Different" message gave people a reason to believe in Apple again, while the innovative products gave them a tangible reason to engage and buy. This coordinated strategy generated immense excitement, recaptured market attention, and laid the groundwork for Apple's future as a global technology giant.
Link:
Takeaway: A rebrand is most impactful when strategically timed with the introduction of significant new products or services. This synergy generates excitement, provides a fresh reason for customer engagement, and allows the new brand identity to be immediately associated with tangible innovation.