Cadillac’s move to New York City, specifically the SoHo area, will be watched closely by parent General Motors, but the brand knows it was the right thing to do. Specifically, Cadillac CMO, Uwe Ellinghaus, feels it brings the right amount of energy and inspiration to help reinvent the luxury brand.
Cool Hunting spoke with Ellinghaus over a one-year period, first when the brand moved into its SoHo space in 2014, and in 2015 after things had settled down, and employees were unpacked. Over the time period, Ellinghaus stated New York City has become synonymous with what Cadillac is trying to do. A city that consistently reinvents itself fits perfect with what Cadillac is trying to do.
“You can rightly say, ‘But the brand is not associated with New York in its history.’ That’s true, but on the other hand Cadillac has been the embodiment of the American spirit—its optimism and boldness—and it is something that New York is known for,” Ellinghaus stated.
Ellinghaus felt a cohesive strategy across all areas of Cadillac, identity, point of view, spirit, energy and consistency in product, all tied in well with the brand’s new home in SoHo, as he detailed Cadillac’s view to become aspirational. He also stated Cadillac’s heritage will remain extraordinarily important.
“I really think we need to use the unique heritage that we have because none of the German auto brands are a design icon. None of the Germans are an icon for Hollywood or for entertainment in general. And you don’t hear BMW in a pop song. How many songs feature Cadillac?”
Finally, he talked challenges. Cadillac has more than a few challenges moving forward, as American luxury buyers forego the brand for German automakers.
“Our biggest issue is that we are not resonating with enough buyers who simply say, “I’m not sure if Cadillac is right for me.” And we need to reach out to them rather than waiting for them to come to us. Create platforms and sponsorships to highlight the cars and even get people chauffeured in the cars. We have a program with American Airlines for their best customers, to expose them to our product, which they probably wouldn’t have because they’re not close enough to the brand to go to a dealer. We want Cadillac to be relevant. I really think reaching out to people, bringing cars into the public domain, on displays or ideally driving or being driven in them, is the way forward to overcome this relevancy issue.”
It will likely be a few years before we know if Cadillac’s strategy is the right one, but Ellinghaus seems like the right guy to get the ball rolling.
Comments
The Biggest Issue with Cadillac is design— It just does not resonate with the Majority of Luxury buyers period!!! If a man took his wife or girlfriend to buy a luxury car, they would together choose a BMW – AUDI – Or Mercedes over a Cadillac. It’s truly sad GM does not see this and sees it’s time to break out a more fluid and dynamic design language. Buick is on a roll while Cadillac has lost it’s soul. It’s also funny that with these new big shots poached from other companies running Cadillac now, that they would not have noticed um DUH!! We need to change the look of our vehicles stat. Then lets see what happens… Cadillac design is blah, boring and bland – slab sided, taillights and ass end are brutally ugly and have no life..
Design is subjective. One persons ‘brutally ugly’ is another one’s elegant .
Reviews of the new XT5 or CT6 have not cited the exterior designs as downfalls of the vehicle. Actually the opposite.
What you described is called prestige not design langauge.
Yh A&S has gone stale and it’s time for a new design direction.
I read recently that Cadillac expects China to be a larger market than the USA sometime around 2025.
Is the headquarters moving to China then–to be closer to largest market and pulse of that market. Really doubt!
Don’t be surprised if GM isn’t a Chinese company by then.
xenophobic much?
I think Cadillac needs a new CMO !!!
I think Cadillac needs a CMO who understands advertising as well as how to choose and direct an Advertising Agency. Apparently Mr. Ellinghaus is struggling with both.
Why? He seems to be saying the right things of Cadillac struggles right now and not saying or doing the opposite of what needs to be done with Cadillac in the future.
I am beginning to see Cadillac ads on TV and on websites and should be more awareness once the CT6 and XT5 ramp up production in several months. Have you seen the advertisement of the ATS with the ATS-V Coupe mostly in the advertisement? I think he is doing a fine job. It takes more than an ad to improve Cadillacs image and awareness.
The problem is “he’s not doing his job…..Look, I’m a stockholder in GM. Cadillac is not being marketed aggressively. How many ads a day do you see on TV for MB, BMW, and Audi., and how are they presented. Do they talk about the features of the product, and how well is that presented?
CT6 has one ad. Driving down the street in NY while everyone is moving backwards. “Dare Greatly”, “Dare Greatly”, “Dare Geatly” that’s all we hear. Not one word about the car. This car,the CT6, has the most advanced chassis on the planet, 4 wheel steering, TT engines, weighs less than any othwer vehicle in the segment, priced very competitively, and yet, not one word about the car. “Dare Greatly” doesn’t sell cars. Aggressive market does. Marketing Failure!
NO ATS commercials until recently. No CTS commercials at all. Yet sales for these two vehicles are down about 45% this year over last year. To make matters worse, the CTS will get a front/rear refresh in June/July this year. What is that going to do for sales of current 2016 CTS vehicles setting on dealer lots? Who wants to go to a Cadillac dealer tomorrow and drop $50,000-$70,000 on a car that will change in a few months? This dealer has six ATS-V’s in stock, and they’re not going anywhere. Marketing Failure here!
I talk to my ealer GM and he is very frustrated. The salesman are very frustrated. A salesman friend of mine has only delivered one Escalade this month. The CT6 is almost a month overdue , perspective customers are going elsewhere. They don’t want to wait. Marketing Failure!
It takes far too for Cadillac to bring product to market. Eight new vehicles by 2020. Where are these vehicles. You don’t develop six vehicles in two years. Cadillac needs more SUV/CUV’s NOW! Cadillac needs V8’s NOW! Cadillac needs Coupes and Convertibles NOW! Cadillac needs halo and flagship cars NOW!
In fairness, I don’t see many ads from BMW and Audi. I see ads from Mercedes more so. A lot of channels not going to carry luxury automaker ads if it does not fit the demographic they are marketing.
You can have the same ads showing every channel in the world, it will raise awareness but it is not a guarantee that sales will improve dramatically and give Cadillac a revered image overnight.
Marketing is more than just television ads. Ads is just a clutch that generate people’s curiosity to talk about the product and check them out. People driving in a new Cadillac on the street is another form of marketing that peaks curiosity also.
I do agree however that features need to be discussed in the ads and maybe they will be touched on in future commercials ads. We don’t know for sure but at least they are showing the ads, so that is a start. The question is are there going to be continuously have ads showing for many months rather than showing just for a month or two, then stop?
I agree that TV ads are just one segment of marketing. Since Cadillac is in the position where they desperately need to grow the brand, several marketing ventures SHOULD be in play RIGHT NOW!
Cadillac needs to make the product much more visible in every way they can. TV, Magazine, in short, every form of media available to them.
Cadillac should have an aggressive CONQUEST program in play NOW!. If Cadillac cannot get the MB, Lexus, Audi, Jaguar, or BMW owner/lessee to seriously consider a Cadillac, then it’s Mission Failure. This is not an option for Cadillac. They must use every trick to get those customers/buyers of other vehicles in the segment to see that Cadillac is the better choice, whether it be….. features, technology, luxury, ride, cost, dependability, build quality, service, and, most importantly, how well Cadillac, and the dealership, stand behind the product.
One serious consideration is warranty coverage, have the best one in the segment. Make it longer, and cover everything. Another is service. Make everything free, except tires, and brake pads (free for two years) for at least four years. Wash, and vacuum, the car at every legitimate service , and fill the tank. You cannot be EQUAL to the competition, you MUST be BETTER in every way you can.
The vehicle MUST be the best in the segment, no excuses, no recalls.
I love the CT6, and even though I have three other Cadillacs (2013XTS, 2015 Escalade Platinum, and 2016 CTS-V) I have one on order, a TTV6 Platinum. But……..I am disappointed that they are still overlooking some of the “finer” details. For example….pull up and latch rear, side window, sunshades that should be electric (they are on the Hyundai Genesis), full electric folding mirrors when ignition is disengaged, not pushing a button. Some things, like the illuminated trunk sill plate, CD Player, upgraded floor mats, wheel locks, and tire inflator should all be standard on every one.
The most drastic move,…or…here is what I would do:
Eliminate the base model, go with the Luxury, Premium, and Platinum.
Dump the 18″ wheels, go with the 19″ and 20″. Makes the car look better.
Stop charging an extra $1000 for just about every paint color. This is ridiculous. If you
must, fold it into the base price.
I agree pretty much what you said on everything what Cadillac should and need to do.
The CT6 is a beautiful car but I am a bit disappointed with it also like no soft closed doors, powered headrests and leg extenders, lack of passenger side auto-dimmed mirrors and etc.
I know some people have a preference on material layout but I prefer all the buttons be brushed aluminum like that in the Mercedes S Class & 7 Series. Little details like these really enhances the car’s appearance and make the customer feel money well spent.
Maybe these things will be remedied in the refresh and congrats. on the CTS-V. I know you are having one hell of a time in that car.
With regard to the CTS-V , it was my goal to achieve the speed I did with the ZO6 last year (185 mph). I had a goal of 200 mph for the Z, but, at the age of 71, and 54 surgeries behind me after shunting 2 Corvettes and a “crotch Rocket”, my dad, at the age of 90, has absolutely forbidden it. He has ask me to quit the “craziness” as he calls it, and since my mom, sister, and brother are all deceased, I must, for his sake.
The Z06, and the CTSV are truly awesome. Perfect handling, so well balanced for RWD only, and getting that power down, and, lightning fast!
A design language shaped around Avista would propell Cadillac to the next level. I dare greatly to say that Buick will never build Avista/Aveair due to the impact such models would have on Cadillac.
” A design language shaped around the Elmiraj would propel cadillac to the next level” . Fixed it for you.
Cadillac suffers from an identity crisis. Break free of your Detroit roots and pin your future on an NYC vibe while admitting that heritage is your greatest virtue. This costly corporate relocation was akin to mental masturbation. Should’ve put the money into building the concepts that would’ve actually made the brand aspirational (!) or at least “dared greatly” enough to incorporate some of that distinctive style and fine detail into new models. Concepts like El Miraj were apparently too daring (translation: too American) and lest we forget real car names are now verboten due to the trickle down effects of globalism. Cadillac is headed by men named Johan and Uwe and its key market is China. Is it any wonder why one might readily conclude there’s either an aversion to true American perspective at Cadillac or it’s a forgone conclusion that Cadillac’s brashest and best won’t play well overseas to a burgeoning client base of numbly conservative uptight robotic sheep?
You have to remember that this is a marathon not a sprint . Cadillac is going to have some growing pains as it tries to reinstate its image . This is an experiment moving away from the parent company , and GM has the cash to see if this move will make a difference .
The start of the transformation is the CT6 and XT5 . Most analysts are saying that these two new vehicles shows that Cadillac is ” starting ” to get back to building and engineering cars worthy of the name . But there is still work to do .
You could say it’s a bit like a singer or rock n roll band that may not come out with a new album for a couple of years until they have more time in the studio . They don’t want to just put something out there to sell until they are comfortable with their work .
A & S is evolving over time , look at the first CTS compared to now . The hard creases are softer and the angles are not so hard . Cadillac needs to be something different not copying other automakers designs . The new Hyundai Genesis for example looks like a knock off of an S-Class . To gain customer enthusiasm you want to offer something unique not a carbon copy of something else .
I do agree though that their advertising could be better , and with two brand new models coming out it’s time tell the public about them . You can’t sell what people don’t know about . They aren’t going to sell themselves .
other brands never stole A&S from Cadillac because it doesn’t go with true high-end luxury cars…A&S just looks cheap and it lacks WOW factor….BMWs look better and higher-end than Cadillacs….as BMWs and other germen brands don’t have the raising creases like Cadillacs do…Cadillac is behind.
Well before we pass too much judgment here let let JDN and Uwe get their products to market.
We have yet to see anything of their vision of Cadillac as all that has come of to this point was done before they got here.
Cadillac is in the phase of transition to where their vision is and we will not see much of it till the 2018 models and on when the refresh models and the new models arrive.
As for now they are working to get things in place and to bide their time with what they have now till their own products are ready.
The move to NYC is more to keep GM out of their hair on a daily basis. Sure GM still holds ultimate control but no more dropping in on a studio questioning things on a daily basis and letting them complete their plans to where they are done before GM jumps in.
It is management by Cadillac not GM committee now.
The A&S will transition over time. It has softened up and will continue to morph into what it needs to be. The key here is they are not trying to do what most others are doing and copy Benz. Hell some of those other models could almost pass as a Benz with some emblem changes at times.
It’s best that Cadillac avoids BMW’s style as has been mentioned in previous comments BMW’s styling has been stale for years.
Quite frankly, Ellinghaus needs to go in and persuade DeNysschen not to put the upcoming CUVs on the C1XX platform. How is having half your vehicles on advanced, world-class platforms, while the other half sits on cheaper, less capable platforms is not consistent with product.
Then there’s this:
“I really think we need to use the unique heritage that we have because none of the German auto brands are a design icon. None of the Germans are an icon for Hollywood or for entertainment in general. And you don’t hear BMW in a pop song. How many songs feature Cadillac?”
Yes you do. Bimmers, Benzes, and Audis are all featured in RAP songs these days WAY more than every Cadillac, save the Escalade. Even the Escalade isn’t as hot as it used to be lyrics wise. This is the music those artsy types Cadillac features in their ads listen to. Rappers rap about foreign luxury cars, the foreign automakers’ ads show potential buyers WHY rappers rap about their cars.
Cadillac just reeks
*Duplicate post*