There was lots of talk about the automaker’s latest ad campaign that broke in November of last year.  The commercials were edgy and invoked social and cultural themes but there’s one thing missing from the commercial: actual images of their cars.

I was always taught (and believe) that advertising first and foremost needs to solve problems for their audience; state the the problem, show how your product solves the problem, make it clear how they can purchase your product. Creativity for the sake of creativity isn’t the way to go.  But I also believe in courageous and arresting advertising to help cut through clutter.

Jaguar is an iconic brand with legendary cars but they’ve fallen on tough times lately. This campaign feels a lot like the “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile” campaign from GM in the late 1980’s: taking a bold, different approach to attract a younger audience; that campaign failed and has been widely mocked.

So, did Jaguar get it right?  Was the campaign intended to help them sell cars, re-position their brand, become and entrant in social conversations? Something else? Will the campaign help them sell cars? Only they know what success looks like. People are delighted, shocked, intrigued and puzzled by the commercial…but they’re talking about it.