THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (JAGUAR)

As far as I know, "panther" is a generic term for certain big cats, including jaguars. For the life of me, I can’t comprehend why Jaguar Cars didn’t design a marketing campaign for their new EV Type 00 model around the classic Pink Panther cartoon, especially since one of the car’s signature launch colours is "Miami Pink." Given the laughably awful design of their "Copy nothing" campaign, which has been widely derided, I strongly feel they missed a great opportunity here.

So what if there might be some copyright issues with The Pink Panther character and franchise? I’m fairly certain Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) would jump at the chance to erase any lingering memories of the woeful reboots of Clouseau and The Pink Panther that followed Peter Sellers’ original five-film reign. From a brand alignment perspective, it also makes sense to me that Jaguar might explore a more comedic route rather than sticking to their traditional, solemn luxury approach. Doing so would demonstrate a new paradigm for the company, showcasing flexibility in their brand identity.

After all, we now supposedly live in an age of fluid identity, so it seems logical for companies and corporations to follow suit—especially since many are so eager to be seen as progressive, even if it accelerates their financial decline.

Of course, it would have also provided the perfect opportunity to make Henry Mancini’s classic Pink Panther theme go viral. I can already picture the ensuing TikTok videos with appropriately themed Pink Panther filters.

And if anyone points out that the Pink Panther optics might clash with the other "London Blue" model that Jaguar has just showcased, let me introduce you to my latest additional concept:

The Blue Panther!

"Da-dum... da-dum..."