Jaguar’s metamorphosis into an ultraluxury brand is underway.
The change starts with creating a more upscale perception of the iconic British luxury brand in consumers’ minds. The undertaking began Aug. 8 with a new marketing campaign that features ads and videos for upscale magazines.
The lifestyle ads aim to position Jaguar as the pinnacle of luxury, right up there with such exclusive European brands as Cartier jewelry and Hermes and Balenciaga fashions.
“We are actually part of that world, but we don’t really communicate the brand in that way. We are quite rooted in automotive tradition,” said Stuart Schorr, vice president of communications for Jaguar Land Rover North America. “And as we try and elevate and move into the future, sometimes you just need a strong break.”
When Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore in 2021 rolled out his Reimagine plan that will see the current generation of Jaguars end production and be replaced by an array of ultraluxury electric vehicles in 2025, he dropped a hint of the long-term goal for Jaguar and also Land Rover: Create the world’s most desirable luxury vehicles.
“We made the decision to elevate the consumer-facing touch points of our brands to try and achieve being among the world’s most stylish, refined and modern luxury brands without being constrained by automotive,” said Schorr.
The first ads feature models who look fresh from a fashion show, and only parts of vehicles are seen in many of the ads — the vehicles are in dark, monochromatic colors and are not the center of attention.
“We’ve made this conscious effort in our advertising, in our social media and in our photography to be much more refined, much more elegant and much more modern-looking,” said Schorr.
