Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
August 4 , 2025
Los Angeles, August 4, 2025 — Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has reportedly enlisted actress Sydney Sweeney to front a new advertising campaign sharply positioned against progressive marketing trends—marking a dramatic pivot from its controversial "woke" rebrand unveiled in late 2024.
Last November, Jaguar shocked audiences by launching an abstract rebrand under the slogan "Copy Nothing," featuring androgynous models in neon attire—without a single car in sight—drawing widespread criticism for being tone‑deaf and disconnected from its heritage. By spring 2025, JLR had severed ties with its agency behind the campaign amid disappointing sales and internal turmoil. CEO Adrian Mardell departed in early August following the fallout from the “woke” makeover.
Considered a cultural flashpoint, Sydney Sweeney recently starred in a provocative American Eagle campaign, reportedly scripted to mock “woke advertising”—“Sydney Sweeney has great genes/jeans”—which riled critics for perceived racial undertones and glided into politics, with conservative figures lauding it as a rebellion against liberal branding trends. Former President Donald Trump additionally celebrated the ad and used it as fodder to disparage brands like Bud Light and Jaguar, which he described as having embraced damaging "woke" identities.
Sources suggest JLR’s upcoming ads will contrast sharply with its previous campaign—featuring Sydney Sweeney in a glamorized narrative deliberately constructed to reject identity‑driven aesthetics in favor of “classic allure” and nostalgic luxury. The message: Jaguar is reclaiming its legacy and preserving traditional brand identity against corporate ideological trends.
Jaguar reportedly plans to debut the new campaign in September, timed with its reveal of an electric grand-tourer rumored to be called the Type 00. Analysts believe the company is betting Sweeney’s lampooning of woke culture will signal a clear break from its recent missteps—and help recapture disaffected traditional luxury buyers.
But time will tell whether this campaign is a calculated return to form—or just another branding misfire in the ongoing struggle between disruption and authenticity.
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