Cadillac had hoped for its moment, the moment, last year during the 87th Academy Awards. We’d say it didn’t happen. The debut of “Dare Greatly” was a stunning advertising message with no followthrough, but it did plant the seeds for Cadillac’s branding to come.
This year, during the 88th Academy Awards, Cadillac came out swinging, debuting the “Don’t You Dare” campaign, featuring a handful of nine young, aspiring innovators. The protagonists featured have continued to chase dreams, despite being told, “don’t you dare.”
“’Don’t You Dare’ celebrates perseverance in the face of adversity. It is the physical embodiment of Dare Greatly, encouraging consumers to take action and never accept the status quo” said Uwe Ellinghaus, Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer. “Similarly, Cadillac’s direction this year is about materializing the aspirations and ambitions the brand set in motion in 2015.”
We’ve included the overarching “Don’t You Dare” spot for you above, and we’re curious to know how you’re liking Cadillac’s followup to “Dare Greatly.”
The message portrayed is approachable, yet whimsical in nature after listening to the stories brought forth, even relatable. We also commend Cadillac on not mentioning the brand once until the very end.
Not feeling as if you’re being sold to is the greatest way to sell yourself.
Comments
do not care for ad, this car will be bought by 50 to 75 year old age bracket. I fall into the center of this bracket. prefer you to tell me something about car to get me to go to dealer for a better and closer look. If you going for under 40 age bracket, it might work.
Time will tell if the message is right, and whether GM has the patience and product for this positioning to resonate. But based on the viewership totals, this might not have been the best year to go heavy on the Oscars:
“The Oscars Draws Its Smallest 18- to 49-Year-Old Audience in at Least 20 Years…”
It was a good ad with a good thought provoking message. Whether or not it was aimed properly at the intended buyer is up for debate. They are looking to expand the market and maybe this is why they chose this content and airing spot.
Cadillacs history in the car making business was building big cars that were usually optioned with the latest technology . That’s how they created their image , a car that you dreamed of owning . So choosing the Academy Awards to showcase their new ad campaign shows what market they are targeting . An older clientele .
To really get the consumer enthused about the CT6 Cadillac needs to grab an audience younger than what was the typical DTS buyer . Somehow they need to make it cool to own one . The pricing is low enough to attract a younger buyer that would normally go to BMW .
So I am a bit confused with the tag ” Don’t You Dare ” . Is it DYD buy something else !?
This is only the second chapter in this story. This will continue and they will expand on it.
This is kind of like advertising Cadillac did back about 100 years ago where they used advertising to send a message and apply it to the car after a series of ads. If you would go back and investigate some of their full page ads in National Geographic and Saturday Evening Post the ads told a story about man and the struggle to be the best at what ever you challenged.. They also took on Packard head to head at one point after getting dissed by Packard.
Here is one of my favorite ads for Cadillac from 1915. This I believe where they are patterning their Dare Greatly in a more modern way from this ad.
Read it and understand this was writing 101 years ago. While the wording may be a little old the story holds true to today.
The Penalty of Leadership
Cadillac ad 1915
In every field of human endeavour, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be mediocre, he will be left severely alone – if he achieves a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or to slander you unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious, continue to cry out that it cannot be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mountback, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by. The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy – but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant. There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as human passions – envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains – the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live – lives. “
I expect they will dare people to give Cadillac a look to see just what they have to offer at some point. Those who do not seek to dare will never find the best.
This is not really aiming at any one age group but it is aiming at educated and affluent people that can buy things not just anyone can buy. The message here can fit anyone from 30-70. It is not a message for everyone but it is a message for those who like to present an image off success. Lets face it expensive cars feed the ego. Anyone can live just fine with a Sonic but it does little for your image.
In business people judge you by the clothes you wear, how you speak and what you drive. Some folks do not need to advertise it and hate to do it as I have seen millionaires who drive rusted out trucks. But others making and brokering deals need the look to earn trust that they have a proven track record.
Right now Cadillac is trying to nurture an image that their product is a reward or image of success as it once was. If you owned a Cadillac 60 years ago it meant you had made it in life. That image was squandered to mean little in the days of mass production and the cheapening of the cars. This spot builds on this. I hope they keep these coming but at a faster pace.
They need to now mix this in with a spot that puts more focus on the new products the XT5 and CT6. Then you add the other new models as they arrive. I expect to see dare Greatly not used much in relation to the ATS and CTS till they are revamped soon.
These Don’t you dare spots are geared to the liberal arts college majors who in their best earning year will only able to afford a 10year old used Kia. you can’t look at ads from 1915 for inspiration. the world has changed. Even the Cadillac logo with Cadilac in script. Most young people today don’t know how to read or write in script. Yet Cadillac is trying to push a product to young buyers who don’t even get the logo let alone the the ads. young buyers are in many cases self centered. they want to know what is in it for them. they don’t care if someone is doing great things. Most don’t even know the 3 branches of government . todays young people want to see how a product will make them feel better, not how they can improve the world. Cadillac just does’t get it.
All I’m hearing is “young people like things I don’t”.
Get over yourself.
American cars will become the rage they should be when people quit opting to buy foreign status cars and try American. It’s popular to drive MB, Audi, BMW and other foreign cars. These people believe they are being smart,cutting edge and showing their wealth. Weath or dare to be greater attitudes are not the smart ones they think they are, just merely fad mongers who only care about image.
“Weath or dare to be greater attitudes are not the smart ones they think they are, just merely fad mongers who only care about image.”
This is the game that ALL luxury product manufactures are playing, from scotch to car to watches.
You have to drop this “America vs Germany vs Japan” bullshit. It doesn’t work, and doesn’t sell luxury goods. Luxury buyers want the best, not mindless flag waving.
I think this is pretty powerful, surprisingly intellectual. But I love the text of the 1915 ad as well.