Former Jaguar CCO: Brand rebrand was misunderstood, never about 'wokeness'

Gerry McGovern, former chief creative officer at Jaguar Land Rover, has addressed the controversy surrounding Jaguar's brand repositioning, saying the campaign was widely misinterpreted and never intended to champion so-called "woke" ideology.

The initial advert featured a group of models with exaggerated hairstyles and brightly colored outfits — notably, the film contained zero cars. Upon release, it drew immediate and harsh criticism. Elon Musk called the ad a reflection of "woke capitalism." Many observers went further, arguing the rebrand effectively destroyed the Jaguar name.

"At the time, I didn't even know what 'woke' meant," McGovern said.

He explained that the core message Jaguar wanted to convey was simpler: "Jaguar should not imitate anyone." The people in the film, he said, similarly appeared to be individuals expressing themselves rather than copying anyone. The misunderstanding, in his view, stemmed from the campaign being swept into a broader cultural debate far bigger than an automotive brand refresh.

Jaguar had also prepared additional promotional materials to accompany the initial advert, all of which were shelved after the backlash and never released to the public. "Nobody ended up seeing any of that," McGovern noted.

The turning point came with the reveal of the Type 00 — Jaguar's upcoming electric GT sports car. According to McGovern, public hostility toward the brand began to recede once the car was shown. Looking back, he described the whole episode as "kind of funny."【IMG】

Jaguar may have endured fierce criticism, but during the same period the brand had previously struggled to attract much attention at all. For four consecutive months, Jaguar became the most-discussed brand globally online — a result McGovern calls undeniable success if viewed through that lens.

McGovern also pushed back on claims that the striking pink paint of the original Type 00 concept car was a deliberate political statement. The color, he said, was simply inspired by Miami, the car's launch city.

"I told the team: we're going to Miami — think Miami, think Florida, think flamingos, think Art Deco, think pastels. That was the inspiration," he explained.

What changed

The Type 00 will play a central role in Jaguar's new identity as a premium electric-only marque. Its production version is expected to be officially named this month and unveiled in September. The brand has committed fully to electrification, phasing out its internal-combustion lineup — including the XF, F-Type, F-Pace and XJ — in the process.