• by Karl Greenberg , March 18, 2014

Jaguar is still doing “bad” good with new elements of the campaign it launched during this year's Super Bowl. Jeff Curry, VP of Jaguar, speaking at the International Motor Press Association lunch on Tuesday, made the point that although the campaign is called "British Villains" and features top Brits playing bad buys, the core idea is more around Jaguar being a challenger brand, a rakish threat to the "staid" luxury status quo. 

A newly launched spot, "Growler," makes the point perhaps more explicitly than the "Villains" ad. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch and set in a parking garage, the ad anthropomorphizes the Jaguar XF sedan, pitting it against an Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, who are posed so they appear to be cowering when the Jaguar's engine growls. "For us to come back in and take market share from the status quo is rewarding," said Curry.

The company next reveals the all-aluminum XE BMW 3-Series fighter at the Paris Motor Show this fall. Curry says Jag products are driving success. Sales were up 41% last year versus 2012, and sales are positive this year. "The F-Type launch has given us a lot of confidence: [Jaguar chief designer] Ian Callum's style is our biggest strength, as well as the performance and the new generation of aluminum lightweight design; together that's our product sauce. On the marketing side, it's about claiming space as a challenger. Our competitors are selling up to 400,000 cars a year, so it opens up a spot for a more exclusive brand."

One challenge for Jaguar is that after the biggest ad ever in January on the biggest televised stage, how to keep things going for the 2015 F-Type, which starts at $65,000 and change, until its launch this spring? Curry says social media has been a driver, as is earned media around the car. "Now that campaign transitions into supporting the coupe, we will be rolling out additional ads over the coming months; reflecting the tone of villains with #goodtobebad as an important piece of it." 

The Super Bowl spot featuring actors Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong and Tom Hiddleston seemed to end with a kind of cliffhanger feel when all of the villains converge on Kingsley's mansion. Curry didn't say the story continues, but did aver that additional ads will use that as a leaping-off point. "We ran a 30-second version through February, and the 'Growler' spot debuted in March. We will continue that storyline going forward." He says additional spots will feature Tom Hiddleston. 

"Television is an important part of our media strategy. From a visibility standpoint there's nothing like TV, especially today with TV to digital. We will continue to produce great content like that; content that isn't so much just a TV ad, but more holistic: we will do viral videos, for example, with an element of humor a big part of it.”