Well, well, well. Turns out “Copy Nothing” is exactly what the public did with Jaguar’s ad campaign — they copied nothing, bought nothing, and remembered nothing… except how weird and disconnected it felt.
So now, here we are: According to the Express and other sources, Jaguar is dumping Accenture Song, the agency behind that surreal, car-less fever dream of a campaign, and looking for someone new to clean up the mess.
You remember it, right? That 30-second clip of models in sterile beige outfits wandering around some pink-filtered desert like a rejected Apple commercial. No cars. No legacy. No engine note. Just slogans like “Live Vivid” and “Delete Ordinary,” followed by a mic-drop of “Copy Nothing.” Bold move for a brand built on British luxury and performance.
Even Elon Musk chimed in, asking on X: “Do you sell cars?” Which, when the guy running Tesla dunks on your marketing strategy… it might be time to rethink things.
Not to let facts get in the way: this wasn’t just a creative misfire — this was a full-on identity crisis. Jaguar tried to chase the ghost of Gen Z relevance by running away from everything that made it iconic. Instead of doubling down on design, craftsmanship, and performance, they gave us avant-garde nihilism in 4K. All vibes. No vehicle. I’m guessing the agency did the best with what must have been a challenging marketing brief.
And now they’re surprised it didn’t work?
This looks like a textbook case of a highly confused luxury brand outsourcing its soul to consultants who think storytelling is just “disruption + diversity + a synth soundtrack.” Never mind that the cars — you know, the things people actually buy — were nowhere to be seen. It’s a “brand campaign” so we don’t need cars. Never mind that longtime Jaguar fans couldn’t tell if it was an ad or a perfume commercial.
The excuse? Jaguar’s Managing Director Rawdon Glover said the campaign got lost in a “blaze of intolerance” on social media. Translation: people didn’t like it, and instead of reading the room, they blamed the audience.
Here’s the part that stings: the cars themselves still aren’t the problem. The all-electric reboot of Jaguar could’ve been interesting. But instead of showcasing that with substance, they got high on their own abstract fumes.
So now Accenture Song is out, and Jaguar is “seeking a new agency.” Maybe one that remembers they’re not selling art installations — they’re selling cars.
But hey, at least they’re not doubling down on it. Credit where it’s due. When your campaign flops this hard, best to quietly put it out of its misery and move on.
Hopefully Jaguar wises up on the marketing brief for the next agency so it can understand this simple idea: people don’t want to “Copy Nothing.” They want to drive something.
Note: Edited to add source