Trump Criticizes Jaguar's 'Silly Woke' Rebranding Right as New Chief Takes Charge | Carscoops

      The U.S. president referred to Jag's contentious rebranding initiative as “a total disaster!”

      7 hours ago

      by Chris Chilton

      Donald Trump has criticized Jaguar’s 2024 ‘woke’ rebranding effort.

      Trump asserted that JLR’s CEO, Adrian Mardell, resigned in disgrace because of it.

      Mardell’s successor is PB Balaji, the finance chief of parent company Tata.

      The U.S. president has reignited the discussion surrounding Jaguar’s controversial 2024 rebranding, denouncing the advertising campaign as ‘woke’ and claiming its failure led to the company's CEO resigning in disgrace.

      Related: JLR Boss Who Bet On Jaguar’s Rebrand Just Departed

      After commending an American Eagle jeans advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, which has faced backlash for idealizing white America, Trump contrasted it with Jag’s diverse but puzzling campaign that featured no cars.

      “On the other side of the ledger, Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The CEO just resigned in disgrace, and the company is in absolute turmoil. Who wants to buy a Jaguar after seeing that disgraceful ad.”

      New Leadership at JLR

      Trump made these comments this week as JLR introduced its new CEO, PB Balaji. Balaji has been the finance chief of JLR’s parent company Tata since 2017 and boasts 32 years of experience in the automotive and consumer goods sectors, according to JLR. Although he has been focused on finances for the past eight years, Balaji also possesses knowledge of cars, as reflected in his mechanical engineering background.

      Balaji takes over from Adrian Mardell, who is retiring after 35 years at JLR, the last three as CEO following Thierry Bolloré's exit. Mardell oversaw a significant growth phase at JLR, achieving the company’s highest profits in years while navigating challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, he claimed Jaguar wasn't aiming to be ‘woke’ and expressed that he was fine with losing some old customers due to the brand's transformation.

      However, Mardell was also at the helm when Jaguar embarked on its bold rebranding strategy last year, a point Trump has highlighted. The campaign turned Jaguar—now shifting towards an upscale market and electric vehicles—into somewhat of a laughingstock yet also provided substantial brand visibility for both the company and the strikingly modern EV concept unveiled shortly after.

      While there is no clear link between Mardell's retirement and the ad campaign's reception, Trump appears to imply otherwise.

      “It is my privilege to lead this incredible company,” Balaji stated regarding his appointment. “Over the past 8 years, I have come to know and love this company and its remarkable global brands. I look forward to collaborating with the team to elevate it even further. I appreciate Adrian for his significant contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors.”