Cadillac’s exclusive advertising rights at the Oscars brought three new ad spots to television screen across America this past Sunday. And they were a major departure from what we’ve become accustomed to.
The news ads were upbeat, fun and positive, shying away from deeper messages and connections with social movements and politics. Dealerships applauded the messaging and tone, but what did you think?
The three ads had different purposes, though all of them arrived with a sort of spunk we haven’t seen from Cadillac in years. More importantly, they focused on product and services available today.
Ad one, titled “Future Cars,” pokes fun at the promises of days’ past for self-driving cars and future technologies. We see shots from “The Jetsons,” “Minority Report” and “Back To The Future” to highlight the dreams of technologically advanced cars. Cue Super Cruise, the brand’s semi self-driving system.
The second ad, which GM Authority covered extensively, spotlights the forthcoming 2019 Cadillac XT4 luxury crossover. The ad points to Cadillac’s challenge to not simply write a sequel, but introduce a fresh take on the luxury CUV.
Finally, the final minute-long spot, titled “The Future Is Here,” sums up Cadillac today and points to the near future. Images from the Escalade, CTS-V, Book by Cadillac and more fill the spot.
We feel it’s Cadillac most successful round of ads in recent history. Not only do they pay respects to Cadillac’s legacy, but it offers immediate solutions with product and services here today. We loved seeing the Escala in last year’s “Pedestal” ad, but it’s tough to advertise a car that doesn’t actually exist.
What say you? Vote in our poll and talk to us down below.
Comments
The new campaign makes complete sense to me. Last year, no new products so you reinforce heritage and play to nostalgia and the significance of the Cadillac brand throughout history. Now with XT5 selling well, XT4 and face-lifted CT6 just a few months away, it’s time to start selling product and sizzle… I like all the ads.
Good ads- will buy XT4 when it arrives.
Didn’t watch that crap.
I didn’t watch the Oscar telecast, but the 3 Cadillac commercials are very well done. A welcome departure from the touchy-feely (but not much in the way of actual product) Cadillac Oscar commercials of the recent past.
That being said, Cadillac couldn’t have picked a worse venue or worse year to advertise, and in particular to have ads that portray Cadillac as “the future”. One reason being, the movie that Hollywood awarded the “best picture” (The Shape of Water) is blatantly anti-American, anti-White-Christian-hetero-male AND the movie links all these bad traits with Cadillac itself. The movie even derides Cadillac as being “the future” in the eyes of the sadistic, murderous, racist, misogynist bad guy (in other words the typical White straight American suburban male, according to the movie).
I wonder how many times the America-hating “academy” laughed at Cadillac for paying the bills at their vile shindig and advertising Cadillacs as “the future”. While their first choice in film actually derided Cadillac and mocked any concept of Cadillac being “the future”. They might as well have had the Oscars spell it out: “Cadillac – the choice of sadistic, racist, White straight Americans who foolishly think Cadillac is the future”. And now a word from our sponsor, Cadillac, about the future.
Next year Cadillac should return to the Super Bowl (after a brief absence under Uwe’s term), and should completely shun the Oscars. Why should the brand pay for a bunch of clowns that clearly hate the brand so much, along with hating and mischaracterizing the rest of “flyover country” America? Cadillac/GM’s money and advertising creativity would be better utilized elsewhere. And maybe it would deliver a message that if “the academy” chooses to honor films that deride Cadillac (and its customers), Cadillac will remove its sponsorship of their party.
Have you even seen the movie? You don’t sound like someone that actually paid to go see it.
And you don’t sound like someone who watched the movie. I suggest that since you want to support Hollywood so badly, pay your money, watch the movie and THEN tell me that there are no digs at American culture or Cadillac.
By the way, did you have to see “Fast and Furious” to know that car racing was involved? Did you have to see “The Crying Game” to know what happens? Do you go to movies with no idea what they are about, ahead of time? Did you go to “Batman” thinking it was about baseball?
I agree.
These celebrities are there to entertain me. They have no business shoving their political beliefs down my throat!
Whether they decide to keep advertising during the Oscars is up to them, but I do think Cadillac is stupid for not putting out at least one ad for the Superbowl. Especially when Audi is one of the biggest know “players”.
“*drew dribble*”
I thought I told you to go fuk yourself or find yourself a constructive hobby. Why are you still full of empty complaints about a fictional film?
You seem to be worried most about the film’s impact, when it seem like the film had the most impact on you.
Perhaps you should find a film news blog.
Big surprise drew found some crotchety old man complaints to make …. don’t you have buddy’s at the retirement home you can whine about this too??
Grawbuddy, your language shows that you have some sort of mental/emotional problem. Good luck with that.
Cadillac needs to play catch-up real fast cause they are lagging in the SUV department.
What are “Oscars” and why would Cadillac sponsor or put commercials in a TV show that no one watches?
If you didn’t watch it, another 300 millions viewes did.
26 million people watched. It was the lowest Oscar rating EVER, considering viewership had never dipped below 32 million. Take a nap.
You’re both wrong.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-worldwide-tv-audience-867554
Your source is from 2016. 2017 hit a new low with 32 million US viewers. This year, it broke that record with a mere 26 million US viewers.
Dear celebs, you’re job is to entertain, not to force your disconnected political views on the average, run of the mill, US public.
Cadillac was a partner of the Oscars. This was year five of a five year agreement.
Too short to even get someone interested that does’nt own a Cadillac. I wanted more because I own a Cadillac and I’m interested in getting a smaller CUV like the XT4.
I’ve only seen two of the three commercials mentioned but it a more upbeat message coming from Cadillac . And it should be as they are starting to bring to market a whole new product line which according to the plan is to re-create their image .
The Oscar commercials were seen world wide as the Oscars are a big deal , not just for American audiences . With all the award shows this one is a celebration of the Hollywood elite for the movies they made that are seen in theaters in many countries .
Although the commercials are better than the dark days of ” Dare Greatly ” , Cadillac is going to have to keep it up with atleast a new one for every new model coming out . All of that costs money but you have to advertise when something is new whether in print or a National campaign and these days on the WWW, more people are getting their news or info from social media that’s probably the biggest market .
Now we just need to actually see this XT4 minus the smoke and mirrors and hope it will live up to the current upbeat messages from Cadillac .
Never know if Oscar viewership (or reviewership) is gonna be high or low.
20-20 hindsight sez Pyongyang would’ve been good, but Sochi had bad numbers (Cadillac ran the weird Cleopatra Escalade comm’l then), so Winter Olympics are unpredictable too.
Be good for Cadillac to be more aggressive on the marketing/advertising front – the current group of ads is more fun & better than years past.
THESE ADS ARE FANTASTIC!!!
Finally Cadillac is making ads that are actually good and promote the product, not just some crazy idea. The Escalada commercial last year was the absolute worst….. promoting a car that doesn’t actually exist? how stupid! That’s like making a commercial about soda and showing a bowl of soup. (and yes, I understand that it was not about the actual car, but about the direction and future of the brand, but most other people probably didn’t get it).
My personal favorite part was the clearly audible engine/exhaust note coming from the Escalade and the whine of the supercharger in the CTS-V. The second best part was the music. I would’ve loved to see an EV1 in the “future cars” commercial. 😉
Congratulations to Renee Rauchut, what a superb job she did !
Dare Greatly ?? What a crappy slogan , this is Cadillac and not an also ran trying to be great . You wordsmiths in GM’s la la land can do much better than this !!