The culture wars have spilled over from the political arena into the automotive industry, as two legacy carmakers recently released ads that garnered attention on social media—one generating widespread praise, the other sparking controversy.
Earlier this week, Jaguar Land Rover launched a new marketing campaign for the rebranding of Jaguar, the 100-year-old British luxury carmaker once known for making some of the most beautiful sports cars in the world.
A 30-second video posted to social media showcased a diverse group of (human) models in colorful outfits, revealed a new sans-serif logo—dropping the iconic big cat emblem—and, notably, did not feature any hint of a car.
The Jaguar campaign garnered over 160 million views on social media, largely thanks to a fierce backlash from car enthusiasts, activists and influencers. Critics accused the heritage brand of "going woke," likening its rebranding to Target's controversial LGBTQ+ campaign, which also faced strong criticism.
After the campaign, with its "Copy Nothing" tagline, immediately went viral, McDonald's marketing director Guillaume Huin surfaced an ad originally posted on Volvo's Instagram page. The 3-minute, 46-second ad, shot by renowned cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema—known for his work on Christopher Nolan films like Oppenheimer and Interstellar—received widespread praise from social media users, which Huin highlighted in his post.
Volvo posted a 3 min and 46 second ad on Instagram, shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer of Interstellar and Oppenheimer.
It goes against every single rule you can think about as a social lead. Length. Format. Over-produced.
Every comment under the ad said it… pic.twitter.com/wkmghuP4ye
The ad emphasizes Volvo's commitment to safety by imagining the future of an unborn child and highlighting how its latest SUV, dubbed the EX90, comes with advanced safety features like collision avoidance that might one day save the child's life. It was widely praised as "based" or "pro-family," with users applauding its focus on "safety, family, and connection," as one commenter put it.
Newsweek reached out to Jaguar's and Volvo's communication teams for comment.
The 4-minute Volvo film was produced by Stendahls, a Swedish creative agency. One reviewer summed up its appeal: "I just willingly sat through a nearly four-minute commercial and felt perfectly fine with it. Somebody deserves a promotion."
The touching ad, which debuted online in September, has resurfaced in the wake of Jaguar's marketing campaign and a larger cultural realignment underway in the U.S. following Donald Trump's victory. Even Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and Trump surrogate, weighed in on his X account, laughing at a comment suggesting that, while the Volvo commercial was a success, Jaguar executives must be "punching the air right now."
In response to criticism of Jaguar's redesign, Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover defended the rebranding and its lack of car imagery, arguing the overall message had been lost in "a blaze of intolerance" online.
"If we play in the same way that everybody else does, we'll just get drowned out. So we shouldn't turn up like an auto brand," Glover told the Financial Times on Friday.
Jaguar's teaser was meant to kick off a critical promotional campaign to revitalize the automaker, which has ceased production of its combustion-engine models as it transitions to an all-electric lineup by next year.
English (US) ·