Jaguar USA is capitalizing on the ongoing buzz generated by its "Good to be Bad" campaign with a Jaguar Villain Academy that will open to select guests in May.
The academy gives guests a full day with the new F-Type Coupe on the Formula 1 track Circuit of Americas, Austin, TX. While many campaigns fizzle after a few weeks, Jaguar has sustained its British Villains campaign for several months and will likely continue to extract more value in the months to come.
"This is a great idea and a creative way to get people in the seat of your car," said Lauren Fix, automotive expert and author of “Lauren Fix’s Guide to Loving Your Car,” Lancaster, NY.
"A performance driving school is a great way to learn the capabilities of the vehicle, it's performance and handling overall," she said.
"This will be at huge asset for Jaguar as they can capture potential customers that really want to have a track experience."
Ms. Fix is not affiliated with Jaguar, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Jaguar did not respond by press deadline.
Keeping it going
Fans interested in checking out the Jaguar Villain Academy are asked to apply online. The brand is promoting the initiative on its social pages.
Jaguar's Twitter page
The application asks fans to submit basic information, including their Instagram and Twitter handles, signaling the campaign's focus on social media. As May approaches, Jaguar will send out a series of challenges via email that fans will be asked to complete.
With more challenges accomplish by participants, the better their chances of being selected. After the challenges wrap up, the brand will select four contestants for an expenses paid trip to Austin. Winners are allowed to bring along a guest or "accomplice."
At the Circuit of the Americas, activities include a relay autocross course, acceleration "getaway" run, one-on-one coaching, lead-follow track laps and high-speed laps.
Since the F-Type Coupe arrives in the United States this July, the winning contestants will be among the first to drive the vehicle.
Although the contest is relatively straightforward and unadorned, its main purpose seems to be to inject a dash of energy into the "Good to be Bad" campaign.
Collected Tweets with #GoodtobeBad hashtag
Protracted campaigns can risk draining a new product of energy, but Jaguar has consistently wove new material, which has created brand continuity and a compelling myth that has stuck with consumers.
The automaker first broached the Good to be Bad concept late last year as it stoked anticipation for its Super Bowl debut. Jaguar first leveraged Instagram videos to embellish the mythical origins of its new F-Type Coupé model.
An Instagram incarnation of the “From The Shadows” campaign fleshed out a back story for the new vehicle by detailing fictional plots against its debut in a series of shadowy videos.
British actors Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong and Tom Hiddleston were then unveiled as the faces of the campaign, all of whom have played villainous characters in at least one blockbuster movie. Jaguar also created a microsite to consolidate the intermittent campaign material that includes teaser commercials and interactive Jaguar F-Type content (see story).
After the multiple month build-up, Jaguar released its Super Bowl spot, which has garnered more than 11 million views to date.
Jaguar's Good to be Bad campaign
In-person fan
As other automakers have verified, driving programs are effective ways to humanize brands and build connections.
British automaker Bentley Motors is expanding its driving tours with new locations and partnerships to draw new consumers and treat Bentley loyalists to curated experiences.
The tours travel through Britain, Italy, France and parts of the United States and link up with luxury partners such as Chanel and Harrods. Providing customers with experiences that situate a brand in the larger context of luxury while demonstrating the best of what showcased products can accomplish enables automakers to cultivate loyalists (see story).
Also, French automaker Bugatti is ingratiating itself with prospective North American consumers via a day-long driving program in the Grand Sport Vitesse model.
The “Dynamic Drive Experience” enables participants to drive on challenging road courses, closed roads and airport runways to get a sense of the car’s maximum potential. The brand will enact four events annually in the United States and Canada, with the first event taking place in Las Vegas (see story).
Weaving a driving experience into a larger campaign will help Jaguar maintain continuity leading up to the F-Type launch.
"Using the villain marketing program to attract new customers is a genius move," Ms. Fix.
Final Take
Joe McCarthy, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York