Cadillac spent much of 2017 doing its best to flex branding and marketing muscles with limited new product, but for 2018, that changes. The luxury brand’s banner ad spot for the 2018 Oscars stakes out Cadillac’s territory and proclaims the future is here today.
The narration poses challenges and confronts them with Cadillac’s solutions and products that are here today. Not a distant concept, not an idea, but tangible product on the market now.
Cadillac worked to highlight its performance arm with the V-series and its victorious DPi.V.R, define luxury with the Cadillac Escalade, tackle new challenges of vehicle ownership with Book by Cadillac and show off its technical prowess with the CT6 sedan and Super Cruise. It’s no coincidence the Super Cruise-equipped CT6 merges and passes a Tesla Model S in the ad, either.
We even get a lengthy preview of the 2019 Cadillac XT4.
The tone is an abrupt shift from previous ads shown during the Academy Awards, which often aligned with big ideas and current social challenges. It’s also a calculated one, as Cadillac noted the need to focus on itself, its products and services.
This is the kind of Cadillac branding we’ve been waiting for.
Comments
Finally top end models in ads who would have thunk that? What happened to the base 2.5L ATS driving around the city. If you want your brand out there show off the gold that’s what really gets customers into your brand
Might note at 37 seconds the CT6 in super cruise is passing a Tesla S.
The past 3 Cadillac ads have really said something…….. Uwe WAS the problem.
Personally, I liked the CT6 Super Cruise ad the best.
I agree. I wish Uwe well with his health problems, but he was the wrong person for the job. He just didn’t “get” what Cadillac meant to Americans and how to sell Cadillacs to Americans. Renée Rauchut is already off to a great start.
Love the 3 ads so far.
Cadillac finally stepped up their marketing ads. seems whoever replaced uwe has a better idea of what to do. cadillac has a few great product that don’t get any recognition. every dare greatly ad was a CT6 or the chubby looking XT5 strolling through the city. the CTS V is a beast of its own and needs more air time. glad to see it.
Showing the V models, two of the greatest cars in the world, strutin their stuff, wow, what a great idea. Hey GM/Caddy, I need a job and since I advocated this advertising direction three-years ago, I’ll take a position as back pay-thanks.
Great commercials though-better now than never.
GREAT Ad !!!!
Finally
Armchair quarterback here.
If it began with
The future is a dare …
A dare to …
(Then don’t overdo it)
A dare reference halfway through
A dare to exceed expectations again, etc @ the end …
The Dare Greatly line @ end (unspoken) gets the definition it’s been missing.
Either way, progress is being made.
I like the ads. Now they need to follow it with real products in the showroom.
The Oscars ? Seems there would be a better venue to present your message than with a phoney group of actors.
There’s are so few premium ‘appointment viewing’ oppty’s – Oscars, Super Bowl – Oscars are what they are, but guessing their demo is right for Cadillac.
The other oppty’s – NBA finals, Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes, Masters, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open – The Voice finals. I can’t think of broadcast oppty’s that draw like the Super Bowl, and to a lesser extent, the Oscars. (Oscars should probably mkt themselvesclike the SBowl – bring your best ads: it’s a destination).
I agree with Mr. DCar that the Oscars might not be the best place for Cadillac to advertise, though it’s still an opportunity to reach a sizable audience. The new ads are more muscular and more product focused then Uwe’s touch-feely ads. Frankly these new ads would be better for Super Bowl and other major sports events. But the Oscars are also a place with a large affluent audience.
I don’t want to sound gender biased, and there are clearly exceptions to the trend – but from what I’ve observed, the Oscars are generally watched by women and by men who aren’t likely to watch sports. So the Oscars yield a rare opportunity to reach that audience.
However it always seemed silly for me for Uwe to not advertise during the Super Bowl and feeling that the Oscars gave the brand enough exposure, that an SB appearance was not necessary. Advertising during both would make some sense. Maybe Cadillac had already reserved space at the Oscars under Uwe, so Renee is just using that time for the ads she thinks are best or everyone. I would like to see these ads run elsewhere too, during sports as well as dramatic programming.
Another thing about the Oscars – today the audience for it skews very liberal in politics and culture. Even many of the people who enjoy certain movies made today don’t care to have Hollywood politics and views shoved at them. Not to mention that when Hollywood wants to make an award to itself, they’d rather go with a “statement” movie that is generally at odds with the views of the majority. That’s fine for a narrow slice of the public, but the rest know it isn’t going to appeal to them, so Cadillac is missing a lot of potential buyers if they think the Oscars are far-reaching in terms of audience.
Also, liberals tend to view American cars with disdain, so you average Oscar viewer is not particularly likely to even consider a Cadillac. Then again, that could work in Cadillac’s favor, as they don’t want to only appeal to people who already view Cadillac in a favorable way. But the point is that the vast majority of Cadillac customers and potential customers don’t watch the Oscars. Uwe seemed not to understand this in the way an American would have understood it. It’s not that Cadillac shouldn’t advertise on the Oscars, it’s that it doesn’t have the impact that Uwe thought it did, and Cadillac needs to find additional ways to market the cars. I’m glad to see that the new marketing boss realizes that Uwe’s touchy-feely thing wasn’t working very well, and has gone in a different direction in terms of the commercials.
I don’t care how Hollywood votes or what Hollywood thinks of the American political establishment. A luxury car needs to flatter them and stroke their egos just like it does everywhere else on Earth. Mercedes does it. BMW does it. Lexus does it…
…and even Tesla does it, so I really don’t buy into the idea that Hollywood views “American cars with disdain”. If the plastic Hollywood celebrities have the money and they want to look and feel special behind the wheel of a Cadillac, then it really isn’t worth it to upset them because they don’t vote the way you do.
All of Hollywood is ultra-superficial and loves to pat itself on the back, but as much as Hollywood thinks their own feces doesn’t stinks, the money matters more to GM. The careful placement of a Cadillac in Hollywood will do what GM’s advertising arm hasn’t been able to do properly in decades. To get hung up on how they vote or what they believe in politically will only serve to harm Cadillac.
Grawbuddy wrote: I really don’t buy into the idea that Hollywood views “American cars with disdain”
Great news! Cadillac actually had a starring role in the film that won the “best picture” Oscar last night. Who says liberal Hollywood views “American cars with disdain? Oh that’s right, I did.
I should have written that Hollywood views American cars and virtually everything else American with disdain, including the USA itself. Particularly the tidy suburban-homed America that existed in the 1950’s/early 1960’s, and worried about a silly little thing like communist dictatorship encircling the globe.
The Oscar-winning movie last night was “The Shape of Water”, set in early 1960’s America. Written and directed by a foreign-born (Mexican) director, Guillermo del Toro. The bad guy in it is the only main character who is White, male, straight, and American. He’s so bad that he’s actually decaying (his dying fingers turning green) as well as sadistic and murderous.
The sadistic murderous American bad guy eats green candies and loves his new Cadillac (yes Cadillac has a starring role in this “best picture”), which is green also – like his dying fingers – purchased in a Cadillac dealership featuring green paint and green lighting. He loves Cadillac because it represents “the future”, and the Cadillac salesman tells him him he is a “man of the future”.
But of course that couldn’t be more wrong, as obviously America is a decaying sadistic culture represented by the villain and by Cadillac itself. I’m pretty sure that in giving out its top award to this movie, Hollywood was not exactly showing its love of the USA or Cadillac.
^ Looks for meta narratives in a completely fictional movie to hitch his identity politics to. ^
Really, you should be concentrating on what makes Cadillac an object of desire, not opportunities were you can run off on a tangent rant.
I don’t care what movie won what, as the totality of such facts are meaningless to every single thing in the adult world apart from film majors. Outside of that, yesterday was a Sunday and today is a Monday, and the rest of the world simply ignores Hollywood.
You’d do yourself a favour to not invest so much interest in what Hollywood produces, and might do yourself some good taking up a constructive hobby.
Grawbuddy, I agree that most of the USA (and Canada to boot, eh?) doesn’t care what Hollywood thinks. But Cadillac did spend a lot of money advertising on the Oscars, which is the topic of this thread.
And perhaps Cadillac shouldn’t support the Oscars next year, given that this year’s winning movie was both anti-American and anti-Cadillac. At the very least, Cadillac should go back to advertising in the Super Bowl, something that ended under Uwe.
You have absolutely no understanding of marketing terms such as target market and market demographics and that movie isn’t anti American or Cadillac. Go and see it before you comment.
Very glad that guys like you aren’t running the MKG dept. @ GM.
Just because you hate United States values does not mean Cadillac is anti-American; it means you are.
_vorg wrote: “Just because you hate United States values does not mean Cadillac is anti-American; it means you are.”
I wrote some comments regarding a movie that was just given the “best picture” Oscar. It’s very obvious that the movie was an attack on the USA – especially early 1960’s America – as a rotting, torturing, murderous society, thanks to White straight males. And Cadillac gets tarred with that same brush. If you can’t see the obvious in that movie, that’s your problem. It would be foolish for Cadillac to continue to support the Oscars after that attack on Cadillac and the USA.
At no point did I say I hated the United States, or that Cadillac is anti-American. In fact at no point were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this forum is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
“And perhaps Cadillac shouldn’t support the Oscars next year, given that this year’s winning movie was both anti-American and anti-Cadillac.”
Because Cadillac’s advertising mission doesn’t fit your little identity politics problem, it’s now Cadillac’s cross to bear?
Has anyone told you that that movie was entirely fictional? A fictional movie about a fictional woman falling in love with a fictional monster and a fictional bad guy was convinced by a fictional salesman to buy car that was once made by Cadillac in a fictional scene.
….but to you the overarching narrative of the entire movie was condensed into that one scene with the Cadillac, and all you think it could possibly mean is “America and Cadillac both suck”.
I mean Dodge never recovered from that scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious where the Challenger was beaten by the Eclipse Spyder and the Evo, so it only makes sense that the entire film was anti-American and anti-American values, right?
You might even try to desperately connect the success of the Eclipse and Evo in that fictional drag race to the Mitsubishi Zero’s success is the Pacific theater, but that’s simply low-hanging fruit for you to pick. I expect better from you, but you’re not even trying to put together a cogent argument.
I should also point out that the entirety of 2F2F was also fictional.
Get over yourself.
Or better yet, go fu_k yourself. I think that would do a world of good!
Grawbuddy wrote: “Or better yet, go fu_k yourself. I think that would do a world of good!”
Is that what passes for logical argument in Canada? I don’t think so. Now if you’d called me a hoser and told me to take off, that would be Canadian. Obviously though you can’t handle the truth, so you resort to pointless vituperation.
Just because a movie is fictional doesn’t mean there’s no point to it. I guess you could have read the book “1984” and said “there’s no point to it, it’s just fiction”. Again if you can’t see the obvious anti-Americanism and anti-Cadillac views being aired in that movie, that’s your problem, not mine. And remember, the motion picture academy VOTED IT BEST PICTURE, and that’s not fictional.
It is a catch 22.
While America as a whole have come to really start to hate the Hollywood wackos in the non coastal states they still tune in to the Housewives of Hollywood or look up the Kardashian’s.
Ratings have been down as the awards shows get political but we still watch the lifestyles of the rich and famous in detail.
There really is no clear path anymore. Years ago you get Gary Cooper seen in your Dusenburg and you sell cars.
Today it could be Paris Hilton this week to LeBron James next week or Taylor Swift behind the wheel the week after.
It is mostly placement and allocation of different sources of contact to the customer. This is why Cadillac is starting to use the many ways of the web today.
TV is really limited and this even with lower ratings is in the biggest targeted customers they can find with the money.
To grow Cadillac they will need to get more than the base behind them. If they can make the superficial people target them as the in product they will buy too.
This is were growing the image and selling attitudes pay off.
No one needs. Luxury car so you need to appeal to the ego.
Matters little if anyone in Hollywood would buy but it is important that the people at home associate them with that image as they are the real customers.
Cadillac doesn’t care what flyover confederate America thinks. Those idiots can build steam cars and use their “clean” coal to power them. Cadillac is to be a world leader and doesn’t have time to cater to the scum of society.
Did you notice the keychain the woman was carrying to her Escalade , thats the hood ornament that Cadillac used on their older models . The Flying Lady ( name ? ) was on Cadillacs 1940’s cars .
Thought it was interesting as once she got in Escalade she stepped on it , flying down the road ( bad ex, I know )
Great commercial for the Oscar audience , they need to keep it up as all the new models come out .
The CT6’s Super Cruise passing Tesla was insane , as the dude sat there and crossed his arms . Mr. Musk must be a bit jealous about now , look no hands !
Zach, yes I noticed the hood ornament keychain. Subtle but nice connection to Cadillac’s past. I love the commercials that connect proudly to Cadillac’s past, such as “Breakthrough” and “Roll”. This is something that Uwe just didn’t get, that Cadillac had a past to be proud of, and that Americans wanted to be reminded of with the brand. I wish Johan would “get it” himself, but he’s a South African who grew up thinking that German cars were everything, and he acts on that belief.
Maybe they should show a DTS in a taxi guise and voiceover “this is the garbage we won’t make anymore” like some of the cabs I see here.
Can’t believe people want Cadillac to make crap they made a few years ago.
Another misleading comment by “Guestt”. No one is saying Cadillac should make replicas of their past cars. But like it or not, the DTS had better ride quality than any Cadillac today, in a brand that was known for their great ride quality. It also had more power – every DTS had a V8, even at the lowest trim level – than most of the Cadillacs sold today (when considering the trim levels offered). Every DTS had Xenon (HID) headlights and real leather seats, not like the cheapo “Cadillac” trims today with vinyl and halogen.
Obviously the DTS had be updated, just like any other car. It was basically the same as the 8th generation DeVille, which goes back to 2000. But it was not “garbage” nor was it unpopular, nor was it without massive profit to GM. The DTS sold over 58k units in 2006, its first full calendar year of production. The full sized CT6 sold fewer than 11k units in its first full year of production, in 2017.
I’ve written many times what I feel once were and should be Cadillac’s core traits. These include traits such as a roomy smooth comfortable ride, strong power, reliability and refinement, no cheapening of content below luxury levels, modern electronics, bold angular styling, etc. No one here has specifically disagreed with a single one of those. But the “Let’s just copy the Germans” crowd says “Oh you want to go back and build more DTSs”. Or other replicas of the past. No that’s not what I wrote, do you have any reading comprehension ability? Or do you just like setting up straw men that don’t really exist, just so you can feel good about knocking them down?
Go search for the Cadillac ads “Roll” and “Breakthrough”. That’s how you connect with a proud past, but with modern cars. Uwe never got that, he never understood Cadillac or the American market.
Another dissertation from Drew on why Cadillac need to make garbage with spin “facts” he have.
I see your novel skills are with Steven King and endless fwd drivel and love how you threw a cheap shot at me to make yourself “feel good”.
I’ve yet to here complaints on the ride and reliability on the CT6 in the negative also the full-size car market as a whole shrunk (especially after the recession) but you some guru that I have to take your word on, ok.
Very impressive! Now, cut up field, turn on the jets and score! Maintain momentum!
Nice, now Chevy needs a Camaro commercial that rocks too!
It’s so unfortunate that a discussion of Cadillacs wonderful cars and their new successful commercials, have mutated into a back and fourth about a bad movie and it’s depiction of our country in a past era. The fact is that the leftist progressives have so poisoned our great nation, that they attack everything including our great cars as icons of racist and flawed America. Hollywood is a broken town, filled with broken people, who stand for nothing but themselves. Let’s bring it back to the cars, I’m sure no one in Germany blames Benz or BMW for their past mistakes and those are big mistakes. The liberals are anti American because they want to change history to their own views, true Patriots embrace our history the good and bad, knowing we are the greatest country and ideal in human record and Cadillac is a part of that.