SEVEN DEADLY SINS. ONE KILLER CAR. On two occasions, now, I’ve been called on to help save the Jaguar business.
The first time was at BrandBuzz, on behalf of Y&R. The challenge was to re-capture the emotional connection to the evocative and provocative idea of “fast, beautiful cars”, and apply it to the introduction of the new XJ 'R'.
The “Seven Deadly Sins” idea not only achieved that, but also provided an easy way to communicate multiple points from multiple perspectives via multiple channels. The program worked particularly well in the showroom, too, giving salespeople a useful tool and framework to help construct and adjust their approach.
And it worked very well in the agency, keeping the business "in the family" for one more year.
PURE INSTINCT The second time I worked to keep the brand from spinning-out was for Euro, or Havas, or whatever it was called by then. But I think that Jaguar had already left the lot.
Although I say it myself, “Pure Instinct” has to be the most powerfully relevant and multi-applicable idea that Jaguar has seen since the iconic “Leaper” first pounced onto the hood (or rather, the bonnet).
The biz was eventually taken in-house. I noticed they also took my “Instinct” language along with it.
That’s what predators instinctively do, I guess…