Every few years the universe gives us a rebrand so bad it becomes a group chat event. Lately we’ve been spoiled. We got two.
One was a luxury car company that forgot to show a car. The other was a down-home restaurant chain that decided its customers really wanted it to look like a tech startup. Let’s take them one at a time, because there’s a lesson in both that every B2B company needs before they call an agency.
Jaguar: “Copy Nothing” (including the cars, apparently)
In November 2024, Jaguar dropped a teaser video for its big reinvention. It had models in bright, candy-colored outfits striking poses in a weird, empty, very-art-school world. Words like “create exuberant” and “break moulds” floated across the screen. The tagline was “Copy Nothing.” There was also a new wordmark with a mix of upper and lower case letters that looked like someone’s cat walked across the keyboard.
What there was not: a car. Not one. Not even a tire.
The internet noticed. Elon Musk replied asking, “Do you sell cars?” and for once, a lot of people agreed with him. Jaguar’s social team answered that they’d love to show him their new “Copy Nothing” car at an event in Miami a couple of weeks later. Which kind of proved the point: you launched a car brand and the car was a “come back in two weeks.”
To be fair, Jaguar was in a tough spot. They were moving to all-electric luxury cars, they’d paused selling new cars in the UK during the switch, and they needed attention. They got attention. Just not the “I want to buy one” kind. It was the “what on earth is this” kind.
Cracker Barrel: goodbye, Uncle Herschel
Then in August 2025, Cracker Barrel rolled out a new logo. The old one had a guy in overalls leaning on a barrel, the “Old Timer,” a picture that screams biscuits, rocking chairs and the gift shop you have to walk through to get to your table. The new one? Just the words, in a simple yellow shape. No man. No barrel. Clean. Flat. Forgettable.
Cracker Barrel’s customers are not a “less is more” crowd. They go there because it’s more. More biscuits, more nostalgia, more stuff hanging on the walls. The backlash was huge and fast. It spread across social media, celebrities and politicians piled on, and the company’s stock took a real hit. About a week after the launch, Cracker Barrel announced the Old Timer was coming back. They also pressed pause on the plan to modernize their restaurants.
What these two have in common
Different industries, different customers, same mistake: they made the rebrand about themselves. Jaguar wanted to feel bold. Cracker Barrel wanted to feel modern. Neither one started with “what do our customers love about us, and how do we give them more of that?”
B2B companies do this constantly. A new CEO comes in and wants to “put their stamp” on things. A competitor gets a slick new website and you get jealous. The team is bored. None of those are customer problems. They’re ego problems wearing a marketing costume.
Before your rebrand, do this
- Show the product. If someone can watch your launch and not know what you sell, start over. B2B buyers are busy. Make them guess and they’ll leave.
- Know what you’re throwing away. Every brand has something customers are attached to. Find it before you delete it. Ask them. Seriously, just ask.
- Don’t chase people who aren’t buying. Trying to win a new crowd is fine. Insulting the crowd that pays your bills to do it is not.
- Have a reason a customer would care about. “We’re more innovative now” means nothing. “We now do X so you don’t have to” means something.
A rebrand isn’t a makeover for you. It’s a promise to your customers. If you can’t explain what’s in it for them, keep your logo, keep your money, and go fix something they actually notice.
