Strategic brand transformation must be driven by data and business strategy rather than emotional attachment or public opinion, even when the goal is to create emotional connections with customers.
Imagine you're a brand that's been around for a while and your sector is changing dramatically and rapidly due to technological advancements, buying behaviour and stiff new competition.
You have been known for your innovation and have made products that have stood out and been loved by your customers, but the latest technologies have stripped you of one of your main brand assets - how you sound; you have relied on this code in your messaging for years. It has always been part of your story and now it has gone. You're going to need to find a new narrative, build some new codes.
Imagine you have a fiercely loyal following but your customer base, which is rooted in nostalgia for a bygone time is declining, as are your sales. Your fans take a sense of pride from your historic nationalism, but the truth is you have been under foreign ownership for several years now and this doesn't feel authentic. Perhaps your long-term future doesn't lie with your current buyers, or fans. Maybe it lies with the next generation of car buyers, who like the last want their own aspirations that sadly your current product doesn't deliver for them.
Imagine yourself in a sector where your peers all promote themselves in the same way. The products may vary from one degree to another, but it's the same style of imagery, ads, websites, press releases and trade shows. How can you make sure you stand out? Your current products are an evolution of what has gone before. To bring something new to market takes years and you're not quite ready, but you have to move fast. Do you wait until you have your product ready? Or do you create interest through concepts?
Imagine that your sector is being flooded with new entrants that are gaining market share and quickly beginning to dominate the old guard. Do you stay as you are, or do you find a new and more open position?
Imagine also that you have access to years of customer and market data and resources that can inform any decisions you make about what to do next, and have a recent history as an organisation of successfully managing the strategy of a sister brand. Imagine too that you have the full support of the board and your multi-billion dollar global owners.
Now imagine you're Jaguar.
The point I'd like to make here is not if I think the rebrand of Jaguar is a good idea or not. It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what any of us on the outside on LinkedIn, X or in the media think. The decision to reposition should be based on the best strategy for how that organisation creates long-term value to remain profitable and grow. This is where objective analysis must override subjective opinion. What does matter is that even if brands are subjective, the act of branding is not and never should be. It is led by data, insights and the business' strategy. In order to reach the hearts of your customers, you need to think with your head.