Jaguar's innovative approach to branded content

The landscape of Super Bowl ads has changed. Gone are the days when commercials were first seen during the game. In today's world of instant gratification brands leak teasers of their spots and in many cases unveil the entire spot weeks before the game. All done to gain more attention and increase the bang for the buck.

One brand has already caught my attention even though the game is still 17 days away. And it's not because the teaser for their ad is really conceptual or funny but because they found a new way to keep the momentum going up until the day of the game, engaging a new audience without giving away those precious sixty seconds of the TV spot.

On Super Bowl Sunday Jaguar will unveil a spot for its new lineup titled "British Villains  with the concept of "it's good to be bad." It's not the spot that is so smart, it's how they draw attention to it that I find brilliant  They partnered with Gawker to create a surplus of digital content that will live on the Gawker site (click on the blue link to check out the site). This content will lead up to the debut in the game. Gawkers strategy was to celebrate the Villains by creating original stories, life hacks, videos and opinions.
My two favorite so far are:

What makes this campaign and digital extension so smart is that Jaguar solved a problem. They realized that their brand was viewed as old and un-hip by the precious 18-34 y/o target market. So in order to
re-invent their brand they built more than just a super bowl spot. They created a place where young people could go and learn about what makes Brit's different, unique and revered. They capitalized on the love that young people have for villans and risky behavior. By giving this younger demographic the opportunity to act more like their favorite british bad-asses they created a connection that is much deeper than the color, design and price of a car. They have also set themselves apart from their competition and filled the white space in the luxury car market. A white space that I believe no other vehicle brand even thought existed. 

It even got me to like the brand and I live in Chicago and don't plan on ever buying a car. Yet I still see the brand as innovative, relevant and very interesting. Mainly because they have provided me with valuable and entertaining content that is beyond what I would think to be their expertise.
Too often brands are one and done with their Super Bowl spot. $4 million for 24 hours of buzz. Here, Jaguar has successfully and strategically found a way to extend the buzz around their Super Bowl commercial while engaging and converting a group of people to be brand fans that had previously seen the brand as bland and outdated.