Jaguar’s managing director, Rawdon Glover, has expressed his disappointment over the “vile hatred and intolerance” seen in reactions to a new advert from the luxury car maker.
The company faced a storm of online criticism after releasing a 30-second teaser on X, which used to be Twitter, showing models in vibrant attire but no cars.
The video, which attracted around 120,000 comments, even caught the attention of X’s CEO Elon Musk, who quipped: “Do you sell cars? ” Speaking to the Financial Times, Glover explained that Jaguar needs to stand out: “If we play in the same way that everybody else does we’ll just get drowned out.”
He emphasized the need for Jaguar to differentiate itself: “So we shouldn’t turn up like an auto brand. We need to re-establish our brand, and at a completely different price point, so we need to act differently.”
Glover also mentioned the importance of not abandoning their existing clientele while seeking new customers: “We don’t want to necessarily leave all of our customers behind. But we do need to attract a new customer base.”
He refuted any suggestion that the advert was intended to be “woke” and reiterated his dismay at the hostile responses to the individuals featured in the clip.
In a cheeky retort to Musk’s comment on X, Jaguar invited him for a cuppa in Miami on 2nd December, adding: “Yes. We’d love to show you.” Addressing another user’s curiosity about the absence of cars, Jaguar teased: “The story is unfolding. Stay tuned.”
