The 2019 Cadillac XT4 is the luxury brand’s latest product to hit the market, selling 212 units through September. Keep in mind that the launch of the vehicle is just beginning to happen, so we expect numbers to increase sharply when Q4 2018 sales come in. To help drum up excitement for the new model, Cadillac released a new promo that does little to highlight the new product, and is more about celebrity.
Nick Kroll and John Mulaney portray old New Yorkers, reprising their characters from their Broadway show “Oh, Hello,” as Val the Vlogger, played by Awkwafina, drives them around in hopes of getting the underground tour of New York City.
Kroll and Mulaney are great—even if the characters feel a bit cliche. But they easily steal the limelight from the Cadillac XT4. The ad feels like Awkwafina drove the two around who just riffed and improvised a series octo-generic one-liners, and the editor spliced together the best ones to make this commercial.
The commercial also tries to incorporate the “Is that a Buick?” flair where people act suspired that this new vehicle just so happens to be a Buick. The Cadillac ad tries to do the same. After Awkwafina returns to Kroll and Mulaney’s apartment, the two are seen sitting outside as another 2019 Cadillac XT4 drives up. Kroll says, “Now that is a cardiac.” Mulaney says, “You mean a Cadillac?” Kroll says he’s having a heart attack. It’s an interesting play on words, we guess.
Not every commercial will land with everyone, but this one, titled “Now That’s a Cardiac,” feels like an ad you release six months after the crossover hits the market. It would have been the perfect opportunity to lay out the features and amenities of the 2019 Cadillac XT4. Have a look for yourself in the video above, and let us know your thoughts below.
Comments
Anything’s better than what they’ve been doing.
That is the stupidest commercial I’ve seen in years. WTF were they thinking?
That’s exactly what I thought when I saw it on Instagram!!
THIS SH*T IS JUST AWFUL!!!!
It was not funny even a little bit, it was extremely cringe-y, and just plain annoying. who TF even were these so called “famous” actors in the ad?
The marketing department is on some serious drugs!
It’s actually quite funny, albeit long to watch
Oh my Gawd that was horrible.
#1 New Yorkers are annoying if they are not funny. These guys are not funny.
They should have gone straight to Jerry Stiller and got the real thing that is funny. Then paired him with his son or Paul Rieser.
I am pro Cadillac but now I am left thinking do I want to be associated with a product that was represented this way?
To be honest comedy is how you sell food or cute low end cars not Luxury. Class and style is needed here.
I hope this is never shown on TV in a cut down form.
Burn it and burn it now.
If you are trying to get to a younger crowd you do not plant two fake old guys in the car.
If you do you have their younger kids taking their car because they like it better than their Audi.
How about Johnathan Goldsmith is available. He no longer is playing the worlds most interesting man. Use him as the Cadillac owner and have his son or daughter come to borrow his Cadillac not because their car is broke but because they like his better.
Tag line “Stay Comfortable My Friends.”
‘That’s not a Buick’ meets ‘That’s not a
Cadillac’? Shortage of marketing ideas?
I like the backdoor method the ad uses. A hip millennial appears quite at home in the Cadillac and that’s the whole object.
A young person behind the wheel of a Cadillac makes the brand relatable while making humor with the brand’s previous demographics. You’re ahead of the curve. +10. Many won’t catch on. Commercial could’ve been a bit better but it accomplishes exactly what you indicate; backdoor method.
The XT4 will sell well regardless.
Some of the talking heads predict that Cadillac’s new XT4 is positioned to be the brand’s best selling product in the company line; the XT4 is Cadillac’s most affordable vehicle and is almost $5K less than even Cadillac’s ATS.
At least there was more visibility of the XT4 in the commercial. The guys were not funny and to be quite honest, I wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying. I was paying more attention to the XT4.
The girl is so tiny, she had to reach up for the steering wheel. That’s not good if the car is designed to sell to women.
The Cardiac bit was funny. Owning a Cadillac joke that people have been using forever.
Cadillac marketing is stuck between a rock and hard place. They try way too desperately to be hip and cutting edge but they at the same time have to be “safe”. This a lame riff on Comedians getting Coffee in Cars (ala Jerry Seinfeld) which has already been played out. Cadillac is a day late & dollar short marketing wise. These vlog vids are supposed to be real and Caddy manages to make it look contrived. Not great but anything is better than the typical arrogant DB marketing Caddy used to do.