The pink Cadillac has been an identifiable part of Mary Kay’s branding since the cosmetics company first commissioned five pink Coupe de Villes from the marque. Since then, the Mary Kay Cadillac has been produced in numbers exceeding 100,000, for 45 years.
That history is integral to the branding; spot a light pink Cadillac on the road, and you know it’s being driven by one of the company’s top salespeople. Brand Channel published an article about the history of the pink Mary Kay Cadillac recently, and it has us reflecting on the car’s status as a unique and important icon.
The first five pink Cadillac Coupe de Villes were commissioned by Mary Kay Ash herself, who asked Cadillac to paint them to match the company’s “Mountain Laurel” blush. She awarded those Cadillacs to her top five salespeople, and the tradition continued for the next four and a half decades.
Nowadays, the pink Mary Kay Cadillac even has its own Twitter feed, chock full of promotions like the image below, accompanying a Tweet asking followers what the car should be for Halloween. That kind of social networking strategy aims to keep the brand almost ironically hip and chic for a younger crowd.
The youth loves their irony.
Comments
I do not know but how does it jibe with BMW’s marketing?
http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2014/01/move-over-mary-kay-pink-cadillac-a-bmw-320i-is-also-coming.html/
Clint Eastwood’s “Pink Cadillac” movie helped revive the look, and made more sales. I have seen several pink Cadillacs (driven by Mary Kay saleswomen), and I expect that in 2015 the next model will be a pink ELR Voltec-powered Cadillac.
Pick one of these up used and then cruise the main drag blasting out Aretha Franklin’s “Pink Cadillac”.
Currently a top salesperson driving one is a man….