Do you sell cars? Why Jaguar is being trolled for 'woke' Copy Nothing ad

Jaguar ’s latest advertisement, "Copy Nothing," has set social media ablaze, though likely not for the reasons the brand intended. The 30-second ad, featuring models striding through abstract backdrops and spouting slogans like "Create Exuberant" and "Live Vivid," has drawn widespread ridicule. Notably absent in the entire ad? A single Jaguar car. It’s a perplexing decision for a luxury car manufacturer known for its sleek vehicles, and the response has been swift, with critics calling it everything from "pretentious" to "a fashion show for people who forgot why they’re here." Even Elon Musk joined the fray, sarcastically asking, "Do you sell cars?"

Copy nothing. #Jaguar pic.twitter.com/BfVhc3l09B

— Jaguar (@Jaguar) November 19, 2024

This misstep is especially jarring because Jaguar has a storied history of iconic advertising that not only captured the imagination but also cemented its cars as objects of desire. One of Jaguar’s most notable campaigns, "Grace, Space, Pace," in the 1950s, positioned the brand as the epitome of elegant engineering. It was aspirational, luxurious, and crystal clear about what Jaguar stood for—beautiful, high-performance vehicles.

you nailed your brand decades ago. return to your roots and start pumping out supercharged v8s https://t.co/5GVw8dZ6Et pic.twitter.com/A50jtZiItT

— aaron (@aaronoleary) November 20, 2024

Fast-forward to more recent years, and Jaguar has had similarly impactful campaigns like "British Villains." With its tagline, "It’s good to be bad," the campaign cleverly leaned into Jaguar’s British heritage, featuring acclaimed actors like Sir Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Strong playing dashing antiheroes. The commercials were witty, cinematic, and unmistakably Jaguar. They reminded audiences of the brand’s mischievous sophistication while showcasing the cars in all their glory.

Jaguar went from making ads, advertising it for British badass villains to saying that its made for homosexual people, and this is the worst design change ever, why would you remove the Jaguar, they have ruined Jaguar forever. https://t.co/n9yNfpH6vv pic.twitter.com/kqd8eA1v4i

— 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐨 (@SergioCSKK) November 20, 2024

Jaguar even has a brush with pop-culture immortality thanks to the iconic television series Mad Men. In one of the show’s pivotal moments, Don Draper, the genius ad executive, pitches the tagline: "Finally, something beautiful you can own." The fictional ad brilliantly encapsulates Jaguar’s essence—a car so stunning that it transcends utility and becomes a status symbol. This fictional campaign, even though it was just part of a storyline, demonstrated what Jaguar’s ads had always done well: they didn’t just sell cars; they sold dreams.


This context makes the "Copy Nothing" campaign all the more baffling. Where Jaguar ads of the past highlighted the vehicles’ beauty, power, and craftsmanship, this new effort feels detached, as though it’s aiming to make a cultural statement rather than sell a product. The absence of the cars, or any reference to their driving experience, leaves viewers wondering what the brand is trying to communicate—and to whom.

While some defend the ad as a bold artistic move meant to signal a new era for Jaguar, the response suggests it has fallen short of connecting with the audience. Many of Jaguar’s traditional fans—people drawn to the brand for its iconic blend of luxury and performance—feel alienated. The ad comes at a time when Jaguar is rebranding itself as an all-electric luxury brand, with plans to overhaul its lineup by 2025. This should have been an opportunity to excite audiences, to showcase the innovative designs and cutting-edge technology of its electric vehicles . Instead, the "Copy Nothing" campaign leaves more questions than answers.

It’s not that artistic advertising can’t work—Jaguar itself has been no stranger to bold creative risks in the past. But even the most avant-garde campaigns have to connect to the product. Jaguar’s best ads, from "Grace, Space, Pace" to "British Villains," have always kept the cars front and center, balancing creativity with clarity. The "Copy Nothing" ad feels like a step too far into abstraction, and the backlash suggests the audience agrees.

Perhaps Jaguar will reveal a follow-up campaign that ties it all together. Perhaps this ad is meant to spark conversation and intrigue—a teaser for something bigger. But for now, it serves as a cautionary tale. Luxury car buyers don’t just want art; they want to feel the visceral thrill of imagining themselves behind the wheel. They want something beautiful they can own, as Don Draper once said. And right now, Jaguar seems to have forgotten that.