Jaguar Embraces Villainy, Becomes Cool Cat of Auto Brands

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The Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

Image: Jaguar

By Eli Epstein2014-04-24 19:01:35 UTC

There's nothing wrong with being a bit wicked, Jaguar would like us to believe.

That's the sentiment behind Jaguar's recent "Good to Be Bad” campaign, a smattering of placements, commercials and activations (e.g. an ad that wraps around a New York subway) that celebrates the calculated and sophisticated villainy of British film actors and the brand's heralded new sports car, the F-Type Coupe.

See also: Rolex: How a 109-Year-Old Brand Thrives in the Digital Age

Jaguar didn't spare any expense on the campaign. According to The New York Times, it spent more than $25 million on 'Good to Be Bad.'

Despite the steep price tag, Jaguar says it was worth every cent, er, pence.

A Jaguar ad installation on the New York F Train

"'Good to be bad' reflects the attitude of Jaguar and how car owners feel about our brand,” Jaguar North America Brand Vice President Jeff Curry tells Mashable. "We position the F-Type to not be the usual suspect of the luxury car space.”

For Jaguar, the F-Type is the embodiment of the brand and its messaging — sleek, disruptive and not afraid to quarrel with competitors who might have a bigger war chest and market share.

From the outset, Jaguar envisioned ‘Good to Be Bad' as much more than a fleeting tagline. During the Super Bowl, the biggest day of the year for advertisers, Jaguar called on ‘Good to Be Bad' to be its star player. Together with its ad agency, Mindshare, Jaguar unleashed the ‘Good to Be Bad' hashtag on Twitter. Quickly, Curry says, users latched onto it, connecting with the brand and sharing their own opinions on why they feel it's good to be a bit mischievous.

"'Good to Be Bad' worked perfectly, and we're seeing a lot of people use it, not just to talk about Jaguar, but to share other things that reflect the same attitude,” Curry says. "Other products that people feel the same about are rotating around 'Good to be Bad.'"

The data backs Curry's claims up — #GoodtoBeBad' was the most used hashtag during the 2014 Super Bowl.

Aside from the hashtag campaign, Jaguar also endeavored to be nimble during the big game — if a competitor took a swipe at the brand, or sought to counter-promote it, Jaguar was ready to hit back.

In its Super Bowl rapid response war room, which Jaguar, staying on-brand, named the "Villains' Lair,” the company's creatives and search engine marketing specialists sat alongside technologists from Facebook and Twitter to ensure that the British automaker was purchasing ad space reactively. To help them do so, Jaguar had a litany of screens displaying Google search trends, ad click counters, Twitter feeds and sentiment trackers.

With both soldiers and credible intelligence at its disposal, Jaguar was able to hit back at Audi and Lexus when they encroached on its turf by counter-promoting.

Jaguar was also quick on its feet. After Maserati featured a commercial for its new Ghibli sports car, Jaguar turned its clever brand voice toward the Italian carmaker.

"Did you know that #ghibli means hot air? Seems appropriate," Jaguar gibed on Twitter, with trademark British snark.

"If we see an opening to promote our vehicles, or talk to consumers in a two-way conversation, we'll leap into that conversation,” says Curry.

While many heritage brands have hesitated to shift their media dollars away from traditional mediums, Jaguar has embraced and spent heavily on viral videos, which allow the brand to flex its wit and creativity.

"We pride ourselves on being fast-moving, and not just reactive to the market, but also proactive into the market,” Curry says.

After Mercedes-Benz created a commercial last year (which Curry complimented for its cleverness) that used the stability of a chicken to demonstrate its new "Magic Body Control” suspension, Jaguar put its creatives to work on a parody.

In the company's response, Jaguar replicates the Mercedes set (chicken, lighting, design and all), but puts its own brand spin on the video.

"See, it's just like a Mercedes,” the scientist in the Jaguar commercials remarks right before the chicken bursts into feathers, followed by a shot of a jaguar licking its lips.

"Magic Body Control? We prefer cat-like reflexes,” the parody reads.

Aside from plaudits and YouTube views (the video has more than 3 million), Curry says he's pleased the spoof allowed Jaguar to brandish its spunk and sense of humor.

"It allowed us to do our spin and put our ‘Good to Be Bad' attitude into that whole discussion, which touts the difference of our cars,” he says.

Jaguar's vintage ads are similarly tongue-and-cheek. They prove that while the brand continues to evolve its fleet of cars, its voice has remained rakish and original.

Curry says that attitude will continue.

"We like to do things with a wink and a nod, and little bit of that whip,” he says.

A Jaguar print ad from 1974

Topics: Advertising, Business, Jaguar, Madvertising, Marketing