"Woke" is Not Working

The “woke” advertisements are not selling like they used to. For instance, the luxury car manufacturer, Jaguar, made a controversial woke rebrand and advertising campaign last year, featuring androgynous models, vibrant colors, and slogans like “Copy Nothing” and “Live Vivid.” But oddly enough, they did not show any cars in the ad. This tectonic drift from the brand’s traditional image resulted in sharp criticism and alienated its legacy customer base. Jaguar’s European car sales plummeted by a whopping 97.5 percent year-over-year in April 2025, with only 49 vehicles

sold compared to 1,961 in the same month the previous year. Year-to-date, the brand saw a 75.1 percent sales drop, highlighting the severe impact of the marketing miscalculation. In the aftermath, the company’s CEO, Adrian Mardell, stepped down after 35 years with the company, leading to the appointment of P.B. Balaji.

On the flip side, almost a year later, Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad, which is widely regarded as “anti-woke,” continues to generate significant buzz as well as a dramatic financial reaction. The campaign led to a stellar 17.65 percent surge in American Eagle’s stock price, boosting the company’s market cap by $400 million in a single day following its launch.However, once again demonstrating the short-term effects of modern-day ads, the short-term financial benefit did not translate into long-term sales growth for American Eagle. As things stir up in the ad world, we are excited to present this special yearly issue of CEO Insights based on some of the stellar marketing leaders in the country. Do let us know your thoughts.