- Thursday, November 21, 2024

The first time I saw the new Jaguar advertisement on X, I had to watch the video again to ensure I hadn’t missed something. I had not.

There’s no car in the ad, even though high-end vehicles are what the British-based, Indian-owned company makes. But what was in there was even more surprising, especially considering the result of our recent presidential election.

The video features a group of androgynous models decked out in postmodern fashions in vivid colors. They strut around what looks like an alien planet from the original “Star Trek” series while wearing hairstyles and outfits straight off the catwalk at the most avant-garde show at Fashion Week. The screen flashes vapid catchphrases — “live vivid,” “delete ordinary” and “copy nothing” — and the whole thing struggles under the weight of trying to be as weird as possible while also taking itself extremely seriously.

It’s an awful ad, and it misses the cultural mark of this country.

This is the world after the 2024 election, and voters told us what kind of place it is. They spoke clearly, resoundingly electing Donald Trump president for the second time, and companies that do business in America should pay attention to what they said.  

They said they want common sense and not nonsense.

They spotted phoniness in Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and they can spot it in a business trying to sell them something. Companies should be honest about what they do, speak plainly and not try to conceal it with a bunch of models who look like they’re searching for Kirk and Spock.

Though many companies were already moving in the right direction, Mr. Trump’s election victory should signal the end of leftist environmental, social and corporate governance and diversity, equity and inclusion measures as guiding philosophies in business. 

These ideas reject merit in favor of desirable demographics and “acceptable” corporate behavior and routinely defy common sense.

Companies should especially not engage in ESG or DEI if their customer base is identifiably conservative, either politically or culturally. Harley-Davidson motorcycles recently learned this through consumer backlash, as did the farm equipment manufacturer John Deere. Bud Light is probably the best example, having faced a firestorm over its 2023 partnership with transgender online influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

So, in addition to wanting straight talk, people want companies to do what they are supposed to do and not dabble in other, more divisive and distracting activities.

Take Disney. For decades, it was beloved by conservatives — and everyone else, I would say — for its dependable wholesomeness and simplicity. But corporate “wokeness” seeped into the products, and the next thing parents knew, sexuality and gender questions had become part of the storyline in Disney features. 

Here, the Trump victory says: “If you are an entertainment company, then entertain us. But shut up about social issues.”

And how about this: Don’t try to force us to buy stuff we don’t want or need.

Ms. Harris lost the state of Michigan because of her long-standing support for an electric vehicle mandate. She backed legislation to outlaw the manufacture and sale of new gasoline-powered cars, an industry of massive importance in Michigan.

And incidentally, if you look a little further beyond that ridiculous advertising campaign, you’ll find that Jaguar will produce only electric versions of their vehicles beginning in 2025. That’s in contrast to Ford, which has announced that it is scaling back its electric vehicle business due to low consumer interest. At least that’s one car company that can read the market. 

A core belief is that American businesses should bet on America, make their products in America and stop catering to people who broke the law to be present in America in the first place. The people who voted for Mr. Trump to make America great again will notice which companies are on board.

And foreign companies such as Jaguar will have to offer a lot more than just creepy ads.

Consumer confidence has surged based on Mr. Trump’s election win, and there’s anecdotal evidence even in my Northern Virginia neighborhood. A guy who goes from door to door offering to hang outdoor Christmas lights reports that he’s had a wave of new customers since Election Day. That could signify that people have a renewed willingness to display their Christmas spirit or feel better about spending extra money around the holidays.

Either way, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that it’s the Trump voters talking once again, and if business leaders were smart, they’d start to listen soon. Right now, the Christmas lights guy seems to have a better sense of what’s happening in America than many major companies do.

 • Tim Murtaugh served in senior roles on Donald Trump’s 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns and is the founder and principal of Line Drive Public Affairs LLC.

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