Localizing With Class

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Localizing With Class

Vignettes helped Jaguar expand on its brand and preserve its “unattainable” image

With the official North American unveiling of the new X-TYPE sedan in March, Jaguar had a formidable challenge on its hands: how to attract a new young class of buyers for the “aggressively” priced sedan without alienating the well-heeled customers who have made the Jaguar name synonymous with luxury.

At first it sounded easy. Who wouldn’t want to get into an X-TYPE, with standard leather seats, a maplewood dash, and all-wheel drive for under $30,000? But such reinvention is perilous when the brand has such a strong existing identity, and when the company relies on customers to drop $100,000 on models like limited-edition XKR 100s, more consistent with Jaguar’s “unattainable” image.

So when Jaguar was in the midst of buying media for the X-TYPE campaign, it jumped at the unique opportunity to be associated with partners that reinforced its image of smart sophistication. L.A.-based cable interconnect Adlink created a campaign that linked Jaguar with A&E’s celebration of Biography’s 15th anniversary and exhibits at the Orange County Museum of Art.

“We saw it as an obvious fit because all three are trying to reach upscale, active viewers,” says Vicki Lins, senior vice president of marketing communications for Adlink. “It really brought about a synergy that came together in many different ways.”

Adlink created two 30-second vignettes that associated Biography and Jaguar with a calendar of upcoming exhibits at OCMA. Each spot is bookended with 10 seconds of creative from Biography and another from Jaguar. Images of Jackie Onassis, Muhammad Ali and Calista Flockhart give way to shots of the X-TYPE in action. At the center of each is a Chyron outlining two spring shows at OCMA, with A&E and Jaguar logos in the lower corners of the screen.

The exhibits fit nicely with Jaguar’s image: Lee Bul: “Live Forever” has visitors entering pod-like karaoke booths upholstered with leather and “The Art of Elmer Bischoff” celebrates the San Francisco native’s role in launching the influential Bay Area Figurative Movement in the ’50s and ’60s.

Adlink put together a media schedule that fit the marketing goals of all three parties. The vignettes ran a couple of hundred times across networks such as Bravo, Discovery Channel, CNBC, TLC and The Golf Channel, assuring A&E cross-channel promotion and Jaguar and OCMA widely varied exposure.

“We were really excited to be able leverage the Jaguar brand in the marketplace,” says Mark Scarpato, Jaguar retail communications manager. “A&E reaches our original target audience (34-54-year-olds in Southern California) and the tie-in with the museum helps to broaden that target.”

Value-added components for Jaguar for participating in the program include 50 guest passes to the museum, the opportunity to sponsor three event weekends at OCMA and membership in the museum’s Corporate Partner’s Program.

“The tie-in with the museum and the art world is big for Jaguar right now,” says Scarpato. “Not only does it help us get a valuable mailing list of people potentially in the market for a Jaguar, but it’s the kind of activity that is a terrific way to highlight the brand. The number-one branding icon for Jaguar is style, so when you tie in with a museum, gallery or architecture opening, it keeps the brand theme of style at the forefront.”

Best of all, the vignettes served to complement and localize the X-TYPE campaign, which features two sumptuously produced TV commercials: “Wicked Game,” shot in Italy and New Zealand to the song of the same name by Chris Isaak; and “New Order”, directed by acclaimed New York filmmaker Spike Lee. Creative for the “Wicked Game” spot was developed by Jaguar’s ad agency of record, Young & Rubicam.

“This opportunity was unique, built around an on-air media schedule with off-air components that provided lots of unique value,” says Lins. “Hopefully it had a high impact and was able to cut through the clutter.”

“Southern California is a crucial market for Jaguar,” Scarpato notes. “Two of its strongest retailers are right in Orange County.”

Although results are difficult to measure and further vignettes have not been planned as yet, Scarpato says Jaguar is pleased with being associated with an innovative cable network such as A&E and looks forward to building a relationship that will benefit both in the future.

“Bottom line is that the spots are helping to broaden the brand,” he says, “while still making it something you aspire to buy.”

“A&E reaches our original target audience and [a] tie-in with the [Ocean County Museum of Art] helps to broaden that target.”

—Mark Scarpato, Jaguar Retail Communications Manager

Reprinted with the permission of Adweek Magazines.

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