It’s all about brand; what emerging brands can learn from Jaguar.

Jan 144 min read

Jaguar’s re-launch last month was a stark reminder of the power of the brand. A once proud marque is now languishing.

Jaguar hasn’t been a powerhouse brand for a while. iPace was innovative; built on a dedicated platform that wasn’t rolled out for other models of segments. Sadly iPace is already 6 years old, with no direct replacement in sight. Many thought that iPace wasn’t a true Jaguar anyway. It certainly wasn’t evocative like an XKR, F Type or XJ saloons. It was, however, innovative, and not just because of its powertrain.

No brands have escaped the relentless shift towards SUVs, and so the shaping of a brand by a body style or silhouette has pretty much disappeared. This is a stark reminder of the power of a brand for many reasons. A brand is made up of many attributes, and the 4 Ps of marketing, product, price, place and promotion, still have a place. Product should still be at the heart of a brand, especially when that brand has a rich and storied background.

Picture credit: Image courtesy of new–land and Stendahls

Understanding the power of the brand should not escape the new market entrants. Often a good product will arrive not supported by more than aggressive pricing and a new showroom (or space with an existing area). This is a mistake.

At Boost Auto, we are often asked, is there space for the new entrants, or who do we think will fail? The ingredients for success are clear, and conversely the lens of success can be reversed to identify the potential losers.

Firstly, a brand needs strong product or products. It doesn’t need to be designed by committee and it can be pure and uncompromising. Think Mustang, MX-5, 911 or even Model 3 / Y, and of course the original E-Type. When we talk about the product it needs to be of an appropriate quality and value, to its target audience, (not to be confused with cheap). It needs to be durable, to feel special or innovative, to work well, to be intuitive, but not to be fussy or complex; something that current MMI designers appear to have forgotten.

Then the product needs to be the appropriate price. Cheap on its own does not guarantee success. Low cost entrants still need great service, good design and durable products. This should be a given. Premium pricing can succeed if the product quality and experience are appropriate.

For place, brands need an appropriate sales network, easy to access, of good standards, with customer satisfaction and retention at the heart of the dealership. Whether your dealership is Aldi or Gucci, should entirely depend on the proposition.

And then there is promotion, the most visible part of the 4Ps that can help define the brand, position the brand, and for new entrants, help drive brand recognition and brand preference. This is why Jaguar is in the spotlight. Some may say for a mis-guided relaunch, and some might say for gaining cut through with something boldly different. It is too early to say which is right, despite initial misgivings.

Sometimes brands have high recognition and very poor desirability. 25 years ago, while working at Skoda’s marketing department in the UK we had just this issue. A brand with very high recognition and the worst brand rejection rates of any brand (64% of new car buyers said they would never consider a Skoda). Yet this high brand recognition was also an ace card. Skoda UK considered changing the brand name briefly, but realised that the value of the brand recognition was huge. In other words to re-gain the brand recognition that Skoda had (with a new replacement brand) would costs tens of millions of pounds and would take years. And so, the negative was turned to a positive, with intelligent humour and incredibly powerful creative work.

Back to the slew of new entrants. They have to decide how they will build their presence. Product and Price and Place is not enough. The 4 P’s of marketing are a team, a Venn diagram, not to be used without each other.

The marques that invest in brand, that shape the narrative, that offer genuine value to customers, and that do so with an eye to their customers’ second vehicle will be the winners. So the brands that succeed will understand this. The marques that treat cars as FMCG goods will struggle.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you felt valued when you bought a car, or serviced it? And, which car do you own do you really enjoy or feel proud to own?

Legacy brands risk commoditising products, and boring customers. I have little affinity to my washing machine, or to one of the cars in my driveway. Yet with a large network and storied histories legacy brands only have themselves to blame for falling share; weak or bland product, lazy pricing and poor service shouldn't be tolerated. Emerging brands have the same challenges.

Utter consistency in advertising and shaping a brand can create an outsized positive effect. Volvo own ‘safety’ as a brand strength and have done so for 30 years. And they still excel at it

It takes years or decades to build a strong brand, and despite the horror show of Jaguar’s pink hued reimagining, a surprisingly long time to erase it.

For further reading see Mark Ritson’s excellent article on Jaguar, and Volvo’s stunning and emotive TVC.

Jaguar has rebranded when it needed to revitalise

https://www.marketingweek.com/jaguar-rebranded-needed-revitalise/

Volvo TVC

Volvo: EX90 - For Life • Ads of the World™ | Part of The Clio Network

https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/for-life-9a54c583-1947-4e3f-9287-0513c24d8a3e