Jaguar: Copy Nothing Ad Review
It’s the end of 2024 and now we can add watching a bizarre car ad with no cars to the list of strange atrocities that occurred this year. Jaguar released its latest advertisement, Copy Nothing, and it’s turning heads–in a rather unexpected way. But will its eccentricity drive more sales for the British luxury vehicle brand? Continue reading this ad review and learn why the Copy Nothing advertisement may have been a missed opportunity.
According to Car and Driver, Jaguar sold a total of 64,241 cars worldwide in 2023 and only 8,284 in the US, which was an 80% decline from its 2017 record of selling 39,594. To steer the brand in a new direction, the company should go back to the drawing board and consider what motivates consumers to invest in a luxury car. According to a study conducted by Nielsen, 63% of luxury car owners consider themselves car enthusiasts and pay close attention to new vehicle innovations.
Instead, Jaguar decided to pivot its strategy by appointing Gerry McGovern, a self-proclaimed art connoisseur, as its Chief Creative Officer in October of 2020. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, McGovern admitted his true passion is not cards, but art,
“I don’t collect cars. I collect art. I’m much more interested in the idea of creativity, whether it’s sculpture, whether it’s painting, whether it’s pure architecture.”
How Copy Nothing Missed the Mark
Jaguar, a well-known vehicle company owned by Tata Motors, has been in the business of producing cars for over 122 years. With its new direction, the brand has completely abandoned its roots to reinvent what it represents and the message it conveys in its advertisements. Copy Nothing is a 30-second car advertisement featuring all the elements people would generally praise–diverse, androgynous characters, and vibrant, colorful ensembles–where did they go wrong?
For starters, there isn’t one car in sight. Traditional scenes that would generally consist of a group of people driving in a car were replaced by the odd pair sitting on a smooth rock in the middle of nowhere. While it is certainly unlike any car advertisement we’ve ever seen, was it effective enough to reach its core audience and ultimately increase sales?