There’s a curious double standard playing out in corporate America and everyday consumers would do well to pay attention.

When Jaguar tried to reinvent itself with a daring, “inclusive,” postmodern rebrand, they got applause from all the leftist circles. Never mind that it alienated actual customers and cratered public confidence in the brand.

Meanwhile, when American Eagle ran a cheeky, lighthearted jeans ad with actress Sydney Sweeney, they were instantly accused of promoting racism, eugenics, and — brace yourself — “white supremacy.”

Let’s break this down.

The Fall of Jaguar: When Legacy Meets Woke Rebranding

Remember when Jaguar meant something? British luxury. Sleek design. That iconic leaping cat.

In an apparent bid to erase everything remotely masculine or classic, Jaguar unveiled a new “J” logo, painted everything soft pink, and launched a campaign with zero cars in sight.

The tagline? “Copy Nothing. Delete Ordinary.” The slogans? “Create Exuberant,” “Live Vivid,” “Break Molds.”

The marketing buzzwords were all there and the company executives responsible for rolling out this rebrand defended it saying it’s a “bold and imaginative reinvention” and a “dramatic leap forward.”

But what they deleted was their entire identity.

The blowback was immediate. Longtime fans called it a parody. Others wondered if it was satire. Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to one of the ads posted on X (formerly Twitter) asking, “Do you sell cars?” Even Nigel Farage, a Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom weighed in to roast the rollout.

But the truth of how bad the rebrand was for the company lies within their sales: Jaguar’s used car sales dropped 9% since their rebrand originally launched. The automotive company also faltered in Europe as sales plunged by 97.5% following their botched relaunch and pivot to electric vehicles (EVs).

The overhaul went so poorly that Jaguar’s CEO Adrian Mardell, who had led the company in that position for 3 years and who had been with the company for 35 years, announced he would retire shortly after it all went sideways. So much for “live vivid.”

Jaguar tried to win applause from the fashion elite. What they got was confusion, mockery, and a brand identity crisis.

Now Compare That to American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney Campaign 

In contrast, American Eagle didn’t abandon their roots, they leaned into them. Their recent campaign, starring actress Sydney Sweeney, was a straightforward (and undeniably effective) play on words: “Great genes. Great jeans.” It was fun, flirty, and unmistakably American.

But that was apparently too much for the outrage industrial complex.

Woke critics accused the ad of promoting “eugenics.” One outlet even published an opinion piece that said the ad shows “an unbridled cultural shift toward whiteness.” Why did the author assert this, well, of course, it’s because Sweeney is, “blonde, blue-eyed and white.”

But here’s the punchline: while the left raged online, American Eagle laughed all the way to the bank.

According to recent reports, “American Eagle Outfitters saw its stock price surge more than 20% on Monday, after President Trump praised the retailer’s controversial marketing campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney on his Truth Social platform.”

While the jeans are flying off store shelves and the share price increases daily, it turns out Americans are tired of being told that creative is offensive and that a confident young woman modeling denim is somehow a new political crisis everyone should be outraged about.

The Real Lesson: Authenticity Wins. Woke Theater Doesn’t.

Jaguar’s face-plant and American Eagle’s triumph tell the same story: when brands chase the woke left’s unachievable expectations instead of relying on creative clarity, they lose. When companies connect with American culture instead of lecturing it, they win.

American Eagle didn’t have to burn their legacy to reach a new generation of shoppers, rather they embraced their brand standards and got innovative. Jaguar, on the other hand, threw their entire automotive footprint right into the trash. And the financial results speak for themselves.

This is exactly why the New Tolerance Campaign exists: to call out the nonsense. Socially conscious corporations that bend the knee to the loudest activist voices while ignoring the public deserve scrutiny. Meanwhile, those willing to push back, those who double down, and those who refuse to apologize for being normal, deserve credit.

You don’t have to love American Eagle, nor do you have to know who Sydney Sweeney is to see what’s happening here. The culture war is everywhere thanks to the progressive left who remain out-of-control. It’s in car commercials. It’s in denim ads. It’s in every branding decision where cowardice is dressed up as “boldness.”

Woke Americans tried to cancel American Eagle for their advertisement of Sydney Sweeney showing off her great jeans. Jaguar canceled its own century-long history to please the progressive mob. Only one came out stronger on the other side.

Let this be a lesson for any brand still thinking they can pander their way to cultural relevance: Be real. Be proud. And maybe keep the original logo, or in this case, the leaping jaguar.