If there’s one piece of American culture that stick out like a sore thumb, it’s the failure to fall in line with the rest. Hell, the country was built on rebellion. Cadillac wants to do the same thing, resisting to chase the German automotive brands.
Cadillac CMO, Uwe Ellinghaus, caught up with Ad Week where he spoke of the brand’s marketing goals and aspirations, and also explained the process is not going to happen overnight. In particular, he suggested the marketing tactics at work are beginning to convey Cadillac is not just another luxury brand. Specifically, the 2016 Cadillac CT6 helps usher that idea in.
“The CT6 is a great example—we said the world doesn’t need another 7 Series or S Class. The Germans build terrific cars and always will, but they’re a little bit ubiquitous in suburbia. People always want to differentiate themselves, and it’s probably more promising territory to go after those customers,” Ellinghaus stated.
As for opportunity with the youngsters, he has carved out an intricate plan to appeal to Generation X and Y.
The critics and the cynics have a view that Cadillac is a grandfather’s car. We’ve been building a grandfather’s car for a long time, but the grandfathers of millennials are sitting in BMWs, Mercedes and Audis. [Millennials are] more open to think twice about Cadillac and form their own opinion than probably their parents were. It’s better territory for us. Younger generations don’t want the same brands that their parents or grandparents have. Rather than trying to win over cynical baby boomers who already walked away from Cadillac, millennials have no preconceived notions about it.
The conclusion? Give it time, Cadillac faithful.
Comments
I’ll admit at first I thought that the dare greatly campaign commercials were mediocre but the new ones i have seen have changed my mind . I think they are good and marketing is going in the right direction, so long as they keep pumping out more commercials.
It even seems that some Germans are being influenced by the new Cadillac commercials….
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-QfRAwg3gkM
Looks familiar to anyone? ( not the car)
Yes this program is about steps or building blocks that over time spells out the entire narrative.
So many saw this and just expected the whole message was in the first 60 seconds while this will unfold while Cadillac refits.
Also we all need to remind ourselves we have not seen anything and I no product that has been touched by JDN and crew yet.
The latest models were done before the new present Cadillac management arrived and there was little they could change in the XT5 and CT6.
Now are they going to fix it all? Not sure as we have yet to see a sliver of anything they have planned product wise. I feel they will make some substantial and shocking changed that many just do not see coming. But till we start to see that new product we can neither praise nor condemn any product yet.
Once the new stuff hits the you can intelligently pass judgment.
Targeting the younger buyers is just what BMW did as they never addressed my father but they did address my generation and made many gains. Smart move.
that’s the sign that Cadillac is still not as good as the germens.
I think a lot of these car articles and the posters who respond to them are making a blanket assumption that the key to making Cadillac the top luxury brand would be to compare and compete with “so called” european or german luxury. In my view, a bmw is not technically a luxury car. its more of a sports type car. same with most of the other european brands they consider “luxury”. A true luxury car is a car thats got good power, but not of “joe racer” proportions as its not needed or necessary. then the car should be lavish and sumptuous inside with lots of room and comfort. whether anyone wants to admit it or not the old twin comfort lounge type seats in an old style Cadillac or Lincoln are unsurpassed for sheer comfort and luxury. those cars were so quiet that it seemed if you set off a grenade outside the car, you’d barely hear it inside. they also could swallow up potholes and speed bumps as if they weren’t there. then the cars themselves were an impressive sight to behold. Nobody could mistake a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham or a Eldorado Biarritz for a honda or toyota. i have a hard time differentiating a toyota/hyundai and honda from a bmw at any distance. so for me, i am always hoping they will bring back a true, bonafide “luxury car” befitting the Cadillac heritage and not another smallish, hard riding sports type car. with the tech stuff. sometimes i feel the car companies go overboard with that to compensate for the car not being basically a good car. they try to dazzle customers with these whiz bang things that are hard to figure out how to use. but the car itself is so-so.
RH you bring up a good point here.
It is not so much that BMW and others are just sports sedans and not Luxury. It is that the luxury segment has changed and is much different today.
Luxury today brings expectations of a sporting and power nature with today’s models.
Also you will find many luxury models are now SUV models.
The days of the floating ride and large bench front seats are gone and are now replaced with cars that not only perform but yet are comfortable in ride.
Also note more attention being paid to the back seats in many of the larger cars. China demands back seats that are pure luxury. Many have reclining seats with many options and features. The back seat is very important to many in China and all makes that are there will address it.
The days of the Lincoln Town Car and Fleetwood are over.
JDN has stressed Cadillac heritage and that means they will remain very American. This is why they do well in China. Also they will focus on top luxury but in today’s terms as I have out lined.
They are targeting younger people not blue hairs and snow tops.
With things like the magnetic suspension they will be able to provide top handling and the best ride. Look for this system to continue to improve and to be more available. Heck GM even offers it on GMC now.
RH. You must be a middle aged or older gentlemen. Quite frankly, Cadillac could care the less what you or any older folks think! All they want you to do is die off and let them cater to the young ones. If you haven’t been able to discern a lot of sarcasm there is some but also a lot of truth!
And herein lies the current problem for Cadillac! The existing customer base is being told to go take a hike before Cadillac has the reputation or products to attract the young whipper snappers they so desire! Sadly my opinion is the current plan may be harikari! Most consumers satisfied with a product, specifically automobiles have no desire to try an alternative unless it is substantially better than what they drive now, a situation Cadillac is probably not in with any of their current vehicles! Competitive maybe –better probably not!
Cadillac has the key of performance; but lacks a bit aggressive and sharp, sassy direct mail.
Today what impresses new customers is the interior design and especially entertainment technology and general equipment
Sticking out like a “sore thumb” and rebellion is exactly why the United States became a global economic and military superpower in less than 200 years, leaving the old money and elitism of the rest of the world in their dust trail. Cadillac needs exactly the same sort of attitude, backed by outstanding and flawless quality and features, to once again reassert itself as a global superpower.
This is the year of rebellion…Let’s hope Cadillac can join that party.
Oh so glad you detailed quality! This is the cornerstone of any chances of reaching the next level. Cannot be features alone!
CUV/SUVs attract young people….. why don’t they just build utility vehicles/wagons that are as good as the BMW 7 and S-Class.
utility vehicles or wagons = younger buyers………sedans are for older buyers
Cadillac well need a CT8 sooner or later.
It’s a tough job Cadillac has to get the new generations interested in their cars . They need to offer the latest in technology that these customers want and wrapped in a shell that will grab their attention . Gone are the days when you could get away with plastic wood and pleather ( plastic leather ) with poorly fitting pieces in the interior that squeeked and rattled .
The millennials want quality in the items they purchase and if you don’t have the goods they will look elsewhere . It seems the newer generations don’t have the same attitude about buying a car from the Big-3 like the boomers and their parents did .
It is good news that Cadillac doesn’t feel the need to build their cars to emulate the German nameplates . That even seems to be a change in culture since the intro of the CT6 . There was a time recently that this car was going to compete withe the S-class and backed away from that later on .
Cadillac needs to be a purely American luxury automaker with it’s own image . And if China or other parts of the world like what they see then what could be better than that . You don’t follow , you lead .
And to be fair to the Baby boomers , we endured alot of junk from the Big-3 for years , however I wouldn’t count them out because that is where the old money is and if Cadillac starts building solid quality again this is a market not to forget .
Cadillac should be all of those things.
top comfort.
top quality.
top performance.
top tech.
I don’t understand why Cadillac dose not start using “Cadillac Touring 6, 5, 4 and so on. For one thing it sounds more prestigious plus it will still get the point across on thier lineup numbering system. Cadillac itself said the T stands for Touring, so then why not use it more in thier marketing.
What do people want out of future Cadillacs,??
Low fat???!!???!!
I wounder what a 1985 Cadillac smelled like inside when it was brand new….did it had that new car smell ??
Not to over simplify, but……….. they moved the HQ to NYC, they opened a coffee house that displays cars with a dash of art and fashion. Now, Uwe and Co. are setting back , they “dare” people to look at a Cadillac and ultimately they wait 2,3 even 5 more years and hope that millennials will consider a Cadillac? What a plan!
In reality, it appears that GM is much more interested in growing the Cadillac brand in China and making that the #1 market over the US. Going forward, look for a similar pattern that currently exists with Buick, China gets the new models first, followed by US a short time later. Only models that have a solid Chinese business plan will be approved and……..more Chinese assembled vehicles as well. The Envision and CT6 PHEV are just the beginning.
Models made in North America are assessed a 35% Chinese import duty, correct?
And the proceeds of models made in China as part of the SAIC partnership are split 50-50 (China keeps half).
If China ends up being GM’s epicenter, sales numbers and profits from China should be viewed accordingly, it seems. Unless I’m missing something.
Maybe there are tax advantages (or something) that make China make more sense than I presently understand.
I think Mr. Ellinghaus needs a crash course in Marketing 101. It doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist to recognize that Cadillac’s problem is its stupid advertising campaign. If you disagree, just compare it to the ad campaigns for the luxury brands that are selling. Mercedes and BMW are both outselling Cadillac. Their ads show the cars in Action, usually racing down a mountain road and generally doing things that most of us would never dream of doing, but it demonstrates the car’s capabilities, even if exaggerated. Their ads make people what to drive one. Watching a Cadillac move slowly through a city street while pedestrians walk backwards simply does not encourage me to schedule a test drive.
Cadillac makes a great car. The 2014 CTS was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. It competed head to head with both the E-Class Mercedes and the 5-Series BMW and beat them both. At first it was too expensive, but it appears that the pricing has been brought under control. The only possibility for the Sales Failure is the advertising campaign. I spent more than 15 years in advertising. I know good advertising, I also know bad advertising. Trust me when I say, The Dare Greatly campaign is VERY BAD ADVERTISING !!!