In the age of global powerbrands, the classic Jaguar brand is being cleverly positioned and extended for new audiences. Now owned by the Indian TATA group, it has launched a new product squarely aimed at the Russian market.
The XJ Sentinel is an exlusive ‘price on application’ extension to the XJ brand – as this Guardian article cites, it’s “the ultimate vehicle for the security-conscious oligarch”. Bristling with security features, the car contains an interior armoured cell built to withstand 15kg of explosives, and tyres which will still roll when punctured by gunshot. You can even have your chauffeur sent on a security training course - all included in the price.
The video below even contains a handy reference guide of how it performs against an arsenal of weapons. Just in case you wanted to check.
This proposition is built on a very functional need for a select group of affluent consumers. With a stream of high-profile assassinations on the mean streets of Moscow, there is no better way for Jaguar to differentiate itself from the likes of Mercedes and BMW. In addition, the insight behind the car may be irresistible for any ambitious affluent Russian businessman to resist – after all, who would want to admit they’re not important enough to have a price on their head?
It will be interesting to see if the XJ Sentinel will also give Jaguar a new lease of life in the Russian market. Watch out for it – and remember how important the passenger must be…
Oft-criticised and much-read monthly men’s magazine Loaded has announced the launch of an own-brand energy shot drink with neutraceuticals company Podium Brands. It’s a partnership that brings new life to the idea that you are what you read.
The Loaded Stamina Shot contains amino acids, herbal extracts, vitamins and natural stimulants, claiming to provide all the benefits of a 250ml can of energy drink, for “hours of energy without the jitters”. According to IPC Media, the new product will tap into consumers’ growing desire for drinks that offer more functional benefits than simple energy.
But that’s not all – the Loaded Stamina Shot is staying true to its parent brand’s heritage as a magazine famed for bringing T&A to the middle shelves of newsagents across the UK, with “a few extras under the hood at night time to help drinkers to lift their game”.
From a brand strategy perspective, it’s an interesting move on the part of IPC’s licensing arm. Will Loaded’s core audience of 18-30 males go for a product that’s positioned as helping them to ‘lift their game’? This is, after all, a demographic whose performance is better known for being hindered by than helped by drink.
At its heart, the question is one of associations. Loaded’s heritage is one of supplying well endowed, scantily clad models around editorial carefully worded to leave no doubt as to its male readership. Can a brand known and loved by its readers for its laddish, pub-time values tune (retune) consumers’ perceptions of stamina to become something of everyday desirability, standing apart from the dreaded phenomenon of ‘PE’?
Loaded, the world may be your mollusc of choice. We’ll await results with interest.
