Months after an infamously woke commercial destroyed the reputation of Jaguar, the chief executive of the once-elite automaker finally stepped down.
Adrian Mardell, who has worked at Jaguar in various capacities for over three decades and was appointed CEO in 2023, has indeed resigned his post, according to Autocar.
A representative told Car and Driver, “Adrian Mardell has expressed his desire to retire from JLR after three years as CEO and 35 years with the company”
His tenure as CEO was marred by an advertisement published in 2024 that tried to reframe the luxury brand using bizarre gender-confused actors, bright colors, techno music, and not even a single car.
Copy nothing. #Jaguar pic.twitter.com/BfVhc3l09B
— Jaguar (@Jaguar) November 19, 2024
Many social media commenters said that the commercial was off-putting and could only harm the brand.
“You just ensured about 2/3rds of the people who may have considered getting a Jaguar now never will,” one user said.
“How to destroy a brand in 30 secs,” another commented.
Will Americans ever see an end to woke advertising?
“I don’t know what product they are advertising for, but I hope they find Jesus,” a third added.
Some could not resist comparing the Jaguar advertisement with the more recent collaboration between actress Sydney Sweeney and clothing supplier American Eagle.
“Jaguar’s CEO to step down following the disastrous attempt at a rebranding, meanwhile American Eagle’s stock was up about 20% after its Sydney Sweeney ad,” one user said. “Can you tell the difference?”
Jaguar’s CEO to step down following the disastrous attempt at a rebranding, meanwhile American Eagle’s stock was up about 20% after its Sydney Sweeney ad.
Can you tell the difference? pic.twitter.com/ExxaxvfhPn
— Kevin – Classical Liberal 🇺🇸 (@gov_fails) August 1, 2025
The news of Mardell’s departure came as sales for Jaguar plummeted alongside their brand image.
Jaguar sales have fallen 97.5 percent since the release of the advertisement, according to an article in DesignRush.
The firm sold a dismal 49 vehicles in Europe in April and “now expects near-zero free cash flow due to new U.S. tariffs and EV investment,”
Rivals such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, meanwhile, are selling tens of thousands of cars every single month.
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