• by Karl Greenberg , October 6, 2014

Heh. Heh. Heh. The villains are back. Or a new villain. Jaguar's new global (domination) campaign, “British Intelligence” is rolling out this week, initially in the United States. The effort, via Spark44 (a shadowy agency, origins unknown, dedicated to Jaguar, with internal workings few understand), puts a new spin on the "British Villains" Super Bowl campaign for the F-Type sports car featuring Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong and Tom Hiddleston. The new spot, again helmed by Tom Hooper, now stars "X-Men" actor Nicholas Hoult, and shows the whole lineup of vehicles, including the XJ, XF and, the forthcoming XE. 

The campaign, comprising three 30-second TV spots and a 90-second digital film, and a very long tail of digital elements that includes a Google Glass extension, returns to the villains' mansion, with Hoult being an evil tech genius. He leads viewers on a tour of a subterranean Jaguar innovation lab to tout vehicle features and technology. Visual effects, including a see-through elevator that drops through the center of a swimming pool, and floating Jaguar components, engines and devices, were all done by The Mill, based in London, which has done CGI for many films and ads.

As before, there's the meta-textual commentary about British villains. Says Hoult, “Just like in the movies, behind every cunning plan there is a brilliant mind.” He also appears in the three interactive web films hosted on a dedicated microsite that get into how Jaguar tests its cars against temperature variations and collision.

The redesigned Jag site also has a "why buy" rich content section that links to earned media, announcements, third-party accolades and owner stories. 

The company has obviously being reading the white papers: Jaguar will facilitate, host and distribute consumer reviews of its vehicles including on a five-star system, an acknowledgement that, when it comes to consideration, people take advice from each other more than from villains. The consumer content will run across Jaguar's digital solar system including on dealer-showroom screens. "By providing easy access to this content, it underscores not just the brand’s confidence in its products, but most importantly the renewed confidence Jaguar owners have in the brand," says Jaguar.

And there's more: Jaguar will be the first automaker to create an augmented reality experience via Google Glass using an app called Blippar. People who look at ads for the new campaign in Condé Nast pubs like Vanity Fair will trigger video content on the smart specs. They can also use Blippar to get the same content on mobile devices. The campaign will also extend to GQ, Condé Nast Traveler and Wired websites, as well as Complex and Thrillist Media Group digital publications starting in December. Jag says it also has a partnership with Wired around a “British Intelligence”-themed pop-up shop with the latest gear and gadgets for Winter/Spring 2015.

Jaguar is also taking the campaign to audio platform SoundCloud. Further, the XJ, XF and F-type Coupe will be in Esquire Network’s new “Car Matchmaker,” which debuts on Nov. 18. In the episode, Jaguar owner Adam Fleischman, the founder of Umami Burger, decides which will be his next one by testing the three around models in Los Angeles. And there is TV-driven mobile ad placements on TV audience tech company Alphonso that launches competitive ads in the background when it senses a commercial by the "enemy."