A short time ago, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was quoted as saying: I did try to warn you Jaguar.

How this didn’t happen sooner after Jaguar released this advertisement is something else.

In 2021, the Telegraph reports, Accenture Song partnered with Spark44, a joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), to develop a new marketing strategy for JLR’s transition to an electric-first, modern luxury brand.

However, JLR’s marketing misstep echoed Bud Light’s controversial trans activism campaign, serving as a warning to companies against filling their teams with ideologically driven activists.

Similar to Bud Light’s ill-fated venture into identity politics, JLR stumbled into the same ideological pitfall, worsening a multi-year sales decline.

From the Telegraph:

The advert, which marked the company’s shift to electric vehicles and was accompanied by the slogan “copy nothing”, was pilloried for featuring a number of colourfully clad models – but no cars.

The company also announced a revamp of its logo, ditching its historic “growler” cat icon and replacing it with a new symbol featuring the letters J and L.

The controversy deepened after Jaguar unveiled its new “Barbie pink” car, which drew comparisons to the FAB 1 vehicle driven by Lady Penelope in the Thunderbirds and was likened to an air conditioning unit by some online critics.

In fairness, before this ad campaign began Jaguar sales were already dropping. However, it didn’t help that Jaguar’s boss, Rawdon Glover, initially doubled down and it is obvious that Jaguar’s reimagining effort was the final nail in the coffin.

Seriously, who couldn’t have seen this happening?