Let us first say that using an excerpt from a speech made by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910 – just 8 years after the birth of Cadillac – made for a clever throwback for the luxury GM brand, when they did so in their recent “The Arena: Dare Greatly” ad campaign.
Using a 19th century photographic technique to compile an album of photographs of current Cadillac vehicles “chasing customers’ passions?” That’s a bit too gimmicky.
Unfortunately, we here at GM Authority aren’t invited to Cadillac’s regular marketing meetings. Otherwise, we perhaps could have urged the automaker not to partner with “The LIFERS Project,” on a photographic collection of their own contemporary cars and SUVs using so-called “wet collodion photography.” One example of the result is shown above.
Says Cadillac’s Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus: “Cadillac has always been a brand for individuals who are passionate about their pursuits. Partnering with The LIFERS Project allows Cadillac to highlight individuals who share our belief that there shouldn’t be limitation in the pursuit of one’s passions, but rather the inner drive to take the risk and march forward.”
The photographic collection is split into three series, showing active young people wherever they might congregate. The first series, SNOW, centers on those who snowboard; the series SUN is staged on the West Coast and features those who skateboard; and WATER is staged in the Northeast, attempting to depict surfing culture and the fans of other water sports.
In short, the collection essentially travels to wherever people are using boards to do sporty things.
To us, it reeks of a desperate attempt to marry the Cadillac brand’s history and heritage with the interests of the younger buyers that they’re so eager to impress. If Cadillac wants to be a luxury brand, we can’t help but feel they should begin acting like one.
For one thing, débutantes do not snowboard. They ski.
Comments
Wet plate collodion is lots more interesting to look at than a pixel poster digital image…!!
As a professional photographer for 30 years nothing makes a modern photographer more amazing then finding and using an old technique. Just look at Instagram and the old sepia looks people are doing and everyone is like wow.
But it is nice that this photographer did take the hard route, because I thought they were going to say they did it all on an iPhone.