While the automotive community mourns the loss of Cadillac’s CT8 flagship sedan program, the brand is busy investing further into its fashion-forward marketing motif.
Cadillac and The Council of Fashion Designers of America announced the creation of an all-new fashion retail lab for aspiring designers. The program is funded entirely by Cadillac, and will include a custom retail shop on the ground floor of Cadillac’s global headquarters.
Participating designers, selected through a competitive application process, will gain valuable retail experience under the tutelage of fashion industry experts. In all, six designers will be part of the 2016-2017 team, each opening their retail shop for three months under the mentorship program.
“Our ongoing partnership with the CFDA represents Cadillac’s unwavering commitment to the fashion community and its growth,” said Melody Lee, Director, Brand Strategy & Planning at Cadillac. “Retail Lab will give designers a space in the heart of Cadillac’s headquarters, along with the tools, training and inspiration to take their business to the next level.”
In addition to providing the retail space for selected designers, display units, mannequins and more, Cadillac will also provide a $75,000 grant to put towards wholesale buys, sales support and marketing.
The retail application process begins today, April 6 and runs through May 8, 2016. For more information on the application process, head to the link here.
Comments
Is this a belated April Fools article? I really admire y’all’s commitment.
“Cadillac’s unwavering commitment to the fashion community” – I mean this can’t be real, right? What is Cadillac doing? I fully understand how a large company can devote resources to multiple projects/ideas, but I can’t understand how this managed to pass a group meeting.
The story is available at media.gm.com under the Cadillac section to see for yourself.
The people who buy luxury cars generally have interest in haute couture. These are the people Cadillac is trying to woo.
No. It’s a waste of resources.
I’ll say it again: This “fashion-forward” marketing push isn’t resonating with most Millennials.
This is getting frustrating. Cadillac is wasting precious resources on a marketing scheme that isn’t even working. Cadillac builds award-winning cars, but they aren’t parading that one bit. When you compare the competition’s ads, Cadillac focuses more on people and fashion than the engineering, materials quality, and performance. It’s not selling otherwise great cars, money that Cadillac needs for their products. Only those who are in-the-know is aware of how far Cadillac came, to the average buyer, the marketing plan is doing little to educate them.
I would not get too worked up here as this is only one block in the big picture.
Just as the Dare campain there will be many steps or blocks that make up the entire programs for marketing.
Right now they finally are just now getting the two newest cars in the dealer to market so as with time and models it this will expand and grow into many areas.
I look for a big push on technology with the CT6 and most future models and that is where the Millennials come in. Same on more Turbo and advanced engines.
The I dare will go on for a while and next they will progress to a new theme in We Dare or something like that. As in We dare to push limits of technology and then feature some of their exclusive item.
Fashion I feel is just setting the stage with some customer mostly younger Females who were very absent from Cadillac marketing in the past.
While Cadillac has come a long way it is not yet where they need to be. Do you market the things you will change in the near future or do you wait and attack the new models as they come out.
If you really push the ATS right now and tell them how great it is what do you tell them when you do a major refresh on it in 2 years. Do they believe you in that the last one was the best thing ever or do you tell them forget that we now are the better car. It is a mixed message till you get the product right.
The bottom line is you only get so many tries to sell a product then you be come questionable.
That is what has hampered Cadillac so much now as they have tried to say this is the model so many time people do not really believe it even if they get it right.
As for the Fashion don’t make a bigger deal about it than it is. Cadillac will reach out to many typed of customers and many types of Millennials.
So, instead of concentrating on getting their act together on the vehicle front,
on the heels of cancelling the CT8, with nothing new in the pipeline until 2018 …
they’re going to put at least part of their money and focus on a start-from-scratch, “Project Runway”-esque fashion retail lab for aspiring (read: totally unproven) designers.
No word on how Cadillac’s first, “curated” fashion collection did at retail. Although I suspect if it was a stunning success, we’d have heard about it. Or seen it.
So – seriously? Doesn’t Cadillac have bigger fish to fry? Take Porsche – design is part of their DNA. They’re miles ahead of Cadillac with the Cayenne and the Macan. Don’t have to wait until the magic 2020 to get an electric car that’s not a warmed-over Volt.. And, sorry, they already have fashion/timepieces/sunglasses/outerwear/you name it,
“Sorry, @ Cadillac, we don’t have our act together on the vehicles yet – but can I interest you in a breezy chemise for the Hamptons?”
That’s not gonna cut it. Why would I buy no-name fashion funded by a marque that’s been aesthetically schizophrenic for the past 20 years?
Focus! Man, GM designed and built equipment for World War 2 faster than the slow-grind Cadillac machine.
We they are still working on the car front.
As for this it is just marketing that is budgeted and has nothing to do with product development.
That marketing money might be better-spent marketing the cars, given that the brand seems to go into hibernation for long periods of time.
Fashion’s a ‘nice to have’, but it just seems like Cadillac has other marketing priorities that would take precedence.
Like I said this is just one block in a much larger plan. These kind of projects make little change in other marketing programs.
Also they are just now marketing the new models and they are well funded. They are mostly just waiting now to get them well on the way to the dealers. In the past Cadillac has marketed cars that you could not find a the dealers rendering marketing useless.
The Fashion industry can be lured to use this money to use the Cadillac as a back drop in their own projects. It is kind of like the Goodyear Blimp. The blimp has nothing to do with tires but is seen in many places. The Cadillac will be seen in photo shoots and magazines as well as TV shows because of this.
The Escalade really took off as for where it was seen and just who was driving it. You can build the best car in the world but if it holds no image in this segment many will pass it by.
Besides this is cheaper than some golf sponsorship that generally seldom shows the car.
Being a luxury car is not just about being technically right but also about the style, and image it project to and on the customer.
Like when you see a Well styled Bentley coupe you see the owner and you wonder what he does for a living and what power he holds to be able to afford a car like this. It demonstrates power and success in the image of the car.
Here’s the deal, guys: we pursue these kinds of marketing initiatives because it doesn’t matter how great our products are if no one can see themselves in a Cadillac. It doesn’t matter that we have the world-beating CTS-V or the amazingly advanced CT6 if the brand is the barrier.
Four years ago, you couldn’t sell me on the awards, design, quality or driving dynamics of a Cadillac because CADILLAC wasn’t a BRAND for me. That’s why we’re in fashion, design and travel. That’s why we’re championing the creative entrepreneurial class and those who dare greatly.
We’re reaching for audiences that normally wouldn’t give us a second look when shopping for a car — and we’re trying to reach them by aligning with their areas of interest. Our marketing strategy is one of placing the brand in unexpected places, but places of cultural relevance so that we can begin to build our relevance.
But we want to do it in a way that goes beyond championing and sponsorship and extends to enabling people — fashion designers among them — to achieve greater levels of success… to drive the world forward. Retail Lab is just one program, in one area. Our engineers and designers are doing everything they can to build the best products out there, and our job is to bring people to Cadillac so they’ll experience, and ultimately buy, the cars. One can’t happen without the other.
Give this a chance to work. Let us do something different because what has been done for decades is not working. You will see the loftier aspirations of Dare Greatly begin to flow to the communications behind our vehicles. But job #1 today is restoring the luster of the brand, and that has to be done by putting Cadillac squarely back into popular and creative culture. Our terrific products deserve nothing less.
Great speech Melody, I like how Cadillac is finding creative ways marketing products and something have to be unique to bring awareness to Cadillac. Traditional marketing like showing ads on TV is great and all but if a certain percentage of people does not watch television or go onto internet much, you have to think a more creative way to bring awareness.
First DeNysschen, now you? Extra props for Cadillac. Thanks for joining us.
“Four years ago, you couldn’t sell me on the awards, design, quality or driving dynamics of a Cadillac because CADILLAC wasn’t a BRAND for me.”
Why not?
Because the brand image was still one suitable mostly for the elderly or patriotic, but out of touch. Product-wise, perception was that of poor quality cars with floaty suspensions and barge-like dimensions.
Some people just don’t get it.
They think that Caprice based Bench Seats, Column Shifted and Wreathed Emblem ed cars are still the way forward.
As you can see with the down votes these people would rather leave things as they are till they close the doors vs. giving it their all to turn things around.
Even worse they think you can turn it around in a year or two?
While it may not always appear by some comments some of us get it and stand by what you and the others at Cadillac are doing.
Melody, thank you for engaging. It’s always appreciated when you guys are willing to chat with us here.
“the brand image was still one suitable mostly for the elderly or patriotic, but out of touch. Product-wise, perception was that of poor quality cars with floaty suspensions and barge-like dimensions.” – Yes.
Though, the equity of the Cadillac brand seems to fluctuate throughout history by how good of a large vehicle it could make. 1957 Eldorado Brougham vs 2001 Eldorado, for example. I think it’s even fair to say that this mystique could be why the big Escalade continues to be such a success for Cadillac. Why not leverage this large-vehicle heritage in a positive way?
Thanks for posting here. I wish more would come here and try to explain the full picture.
Right now so many think that Companies like this are fixed with a couple models and some commercial that connects. The few of us who get how image is earned not just purchased in 60 second spots can not get the point across at times.
Like the Dare Greatly. Many though the first commercials were it. Some of us tried to explain that this is something the will grow and change as Cadillac grows and changes.
Right now the German brands are vulnerable as they are not a the top of their game anymore. Now is the time to connect with younger people even if they are not buyers now to change their impressions. Just as Cadillac lost their image they can earn it back the same way it was taken.
I would love to see Cadillac do a modern take of the Penalty of Leadership ad form 1915. This was one of the greatest ads of all time. The Dare Greatly kind of reminds me of this in attitude.
I hope you and others from Cadillac connect on web sites like this as it really does make an big impression. I have been lucky to get to know many inside GM over the years and it is a shame more could not see how good their people are and how for the first time in years are now being enabled to do the things they could not do in the past.
Thanks you for your time and please visit more often.
as a young man in the car business I was just trying to sell a few cars and make a living .I had owned Hondas and maybe a used ford escort but I never understood why people where brand loyal . I sold this guy a preowned 2006 cts he traded his Honda accord coupe his wife was having a baby and he needed a bigger car.he didn’t see himself as a Cadillac man or as a fancy type of guy .four months later I was walking into service and the cts was on a flatbed truck the car was destroyed it had mud and grass hanging off the bumper the windshield was shatterd and the air bags was deployed .I rushed inside and called him I was worried about his family his wife who was so nice .I never saw him after he had the baby so I prayed that everyone was ok .he answered the phone and said greg whats up man I said hey are you ok he said I was just talking to my wife about you .that car saved my life and my familys life I got cut off and ran off the hwy into the woods and flipped over we walked away .thank you he has brought seven cars from me since cts sts srx dts and today hes coming in to look at the CT6 . I would like to say I made him into a Cadillac man but the truth is he made me into one. Cadillac the brand is only as strong as the salespeople .these products are world class luxury performance or professional Cadillac has a vehicle for you .