Jaguar’s Super Bowl Commercial Features British Supervillains: Will F-Type Casting Work? [The Ad Section]

What we have here is an interesting situation. Jaguar, a relatively small player in the very competitive luxury arena, finally has the product and sales momentum to take it to the next level. Its 16,952-unit sales volume for 2013 doesn't pose an immediate threat to Mercedes, BMW, or Audi, but none of those other luxury marques can boast of a 41-percent year-over-year sales increase, and that's got to make Jaguar feel good. So what to do? To paraphrase those ubiquitous posters, T-shirts, and coffee mugs, Keep Calm and Advertise on the Super Bowl—even if it takes up a giant chunk of your annual ad budget.

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A bold move? To be sure, especially when you consider that deep-pocketed, marketing-savvy BMW is punting this year because they don't think advertising during a four-hour-long football game is the smart way to woo luxury buyers. Mercedes, who plowed a bundle into last year's introductory CLA-class Super Bowl commercial, will also be noticeably absent this Sunday. But like Audi, who recognizes that the Super Bowl has become the Social Bowl, Jaguar's betting that the buzz will justify the risk. And that means giving viewers something to buzz about, which is where "Rendezvous" comes in.

In the spot, British mega-star and ultimate bad guy Sir Ben Kingsley—Mandarin and Mr. Sexy Beast himself—is seen in the inner sanctum of a James Bond–type control room awaiting some other famous bad guys, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's Mark Strong and Thor's Tom Hiddleston, who are heading there by F-Type coupe and helicopter. Meanwhile, Kingsley poses the question, "Have you ever noticed that in Hollywood movies, all the villains are played by Brits?" (He's got a point there. Gary Oldman, Jeremy Irons, Alan Rickman are famous for playing bad dudes, and they're all Brits. Just writing their names give me shivers.)

Without breaking character, Strong and Hiddleston list possible reasons why this is so: "Maybe we just sound right. We're more focused, more precise, always one step ahead. There's a certain style, an eye for detail—we're obsessed by power, and we all drive Jag-u-ahrs." Where? At home? In movie roles? No! In this commercial! In addition to Strong's gorgeous white F-Type coupe, there's an XJ sedan parked in front of Kingsley's lair. Is it really his? Who cares? You've got three of Britain's best actors having a great time racing through London and shilling Jaguars, all in full villain mode and all for your entertainment.

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If this spot doesn't make you want to praise Jaguar's instincts here, it should. Not because it's a great commercial—it's arguably pretty silly—but because it accomplishes what the advertiser set out to do: "Shake things up" and get prospects thinking of Jaguar in a fresh, new light, even if it took injecting seriously expensive borrowed interest and a bit of fuzzy logic. I say "well played, old chaps."

Award-winning ad man-cum-auto journalist Don Klein knows a good (or bad) car commercial when he sees one; the Ad Section is his space to tell you what he thinks of the latest spots. The ad's rating is depicted via the shift pattern at the bottom, but everyone has an opinion when it comes to advertising, so hit Backfires below and tell us what you think, too.

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