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…
Staying in touch with the ever-changing kids market is one of the most difficult challenges facing marketers who have an interest in this audience. That why we’ve created a quarterly report called Kidscan which details what’s currently hot in the kids market, provides highlights of any recent research and summarises any relevant news features in the consumer and marketing media.
Today we have released our latest edition and anyone who is interested in receiving a copy should contact Dave Lawrence or call on +44 (0)1494 680999.
“What can be measured and manipulated statistically is not only seen as real; it comes to be seen as the only or whole reality” – David Boyle: The Tyranny of Numbers
“We look – however uneasily – for ways to quantify quality” – Jeremy Bullmore
“When you are a bear of very little brain, and think of Things, you sometimes find that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out in the open and has other people looking at it” – Winnie the Pooh
“Too often we measure everything and understand nothing. The three most important things you need to measure in a business are customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and cash flow” – Jack Welch
”The rise of word-of-mouth and buzz marketing couldn’t come at a better time – or a worse one…it is enormously difficult to quantify return on investment from this most ephemeral of media” – Catharine Taylor
