Jaguar's Only Salvation - Editorial

Make a Silk Purse Out of Some Malodorous Woke Horse Manure

Marc Rauch

By Marc J. Rauch
Exec. Vice President/Co-Publisher
THE AUTO CHANNEL

For nearly 100 years, Jaguar motorcars have represented style, prestige, glamour, and luxury. The vehicles were like a beautiful song, an inspiring poem, a dream come true. When I was in high school in the 1960s and my friends were fantasizing about Camaros, Mustangs, and GTOs, I had my heart set on a Jaguar. An XKE would have satisfied me, but I really wanted either a Mark 8 or 9. The Vanden Plas designed Jags left such an indelible image on my brain that I soon as I could afford a special car, I bought a 1956 Vanden Plas bodied Bentley S1 and kept it as my personal daily ride for 22 years (the reason I didn't buy a '56 Mark 8 was because I couldn't find one that met my overall criterion).

Still, my heart beat for Jaguar. And so, when the opportunity came in 1996 to introduce the new Jaguar XK8 at the Peterson Auto Museum in Los Angeles, we jumped at the chance and I made an outlandish promise to Jaguar that we would do the world introduction using LIVE streaming video. We were able to pull off a minor miracle by inventing our own LIVE streaming process to make it happen. It became the first LIVE streaming event on the then nascent World Wide Web (earlier in 1996 - in February - we became the first website in the world to use streaming video when we webcast a press conference at Sears Point Raceway). We were proud and excited to "partner" with Jaguar to do the LIVE webcast.

Jaguar did have its ups and downs over the years, especially during the disastrous Lucas Auto Electric Parts era. But Jaguar soldiered on. Things steadied under a brief Ford ownership, and the acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover by India's respected automaker Tata Motors in 2008.

But then, about a week ago, Jaguar shocked the world and dismayed millions of Jaguar aficionados when they revealed a TV commercial promoting an upcoming introduction of a new Jaguar. The commercial features a band of "woke" freaks and misfits, without any visuals of any automobile. It was a dark, dark day, bringing back memories of Bud Light's woke fiasco. It left people pulling their hair out, and made Jaguar the laughing stock of the automobile industry. I would have pulled my hair out if I hadn't already gone bald a quarter-century ago.

The ensuing backlash against the public's horrendous reaction to the Jaguar commercial has resulted in vile accusations of bigotry, prejudice, and intolerance.

Well, I've thought long and hard on this, and I think that Jaguar may have the last laugh. I think the commercial is a set-up, with the set-up being that when they do introduce the new vehicle to the world in a couple of days, the vehicle will be a return to style, prestige, glamour, and luxury - something that the automobile world sorely needs. And I think that the message conveyed will be something like:

"In a world gone crazy, you can still count on Jaguar for elegance and good taste!

At least, this is what I truly hope will happen. And if my prediction comes to fruition, instead of this being the worst marketing decision ever (surpassing the idiocy of Bud Light), it will be hailed as one of the greatest marketing campaigns ever created.

Will we all laugh, or will we all be revolted?

If you haven't already watched the TV commercial, here it is: