The 2021 Cadillac models are here, rolling out in a new video advertisement that puts the entire lineup on display. The new ad is called “No Barriers,” hitting the airwaves as the first piece in Caddy’s new “Make Your Way” advertising campaign.
The video is just a minute long, with the tune “Nobody Speak” by DJ Shadow featuring Run The Jewels providing the soundtrack. The ad is set in a city, where we find several individuals placed in a variety of different environments, including in a business meeting, at a coffee shop, and in a library. The different characters then catch a glimpse of various Cadillac models driving by, and become so enamored, they go to heroic lengths to chase the vehicles down.
The ad is meant to symbolize success gained through strength and determination, with the various characters breaking through any barrier that might stand in their way to achieve their goals.
The ad also provides a nice look at the complete 2021 Cadillac lineup. This includes the Cadillac CT4, Cadillac CT5, Cadillac XT4, Cadillac XT5, Cadillac XT6, and Cadillac Escalade, not to mention the all-new next-gen 2021 Escalade.
Notably, the Cadillac CT6 is missing from the lineup, which isn’t all too surprising considering its exit from the U.S. market back in February.
Nevertheless, seeing the 2021 Cadillac lineup make its appearance in this ad is pretty cool, giving fans a chance to see all the vehicles side by side.
The end of the ad features a quote from award-winning actress and director Regina King: “For those who make a way, find a way, and challenge the rest to get out of the way. Others talk about the road to success, we make cars for it.”
The new “No Barriers” ad spot first ran during the Oscars award show earlier this year, and is now running nationwide.
What do you think of the new video ad, dear reader? Does it paint to the 2021 Cadillac lineup in a favorable light? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac news and ongoing GM news coverage.
This post was created in collaboration with our sister publication, Cadillac Society.
Comments
Don’t like this ad at all. Stupid, who runs in the street after cars? You don’t even see the product (the cars) for long enough to recognize them. Very silly. They should focus on the product, the styling, the technology, the engineering! That’s why we buy cars.
I’m not necessarily disagreeing with the notion that the notion that people running after cars is strange. But would you rather have a full minute of pure cars driving around? That would work so well, that the watch rate would be about 10 percent (people would tune out after watching 10 percent of the ad).
At least people running after cars communicates the message that people desire these cars… not everything has to be interpreted literally. If that were the case, advertising and motion pictures (movies) would be very boring.
I’m a GM guy through and through, but most of their film ads are weak. Cadillac is trying to present an image here. This isn’t the Chevy Silverado with it’s invisible trailer cam here, it’s an aspirational vehicle. Or, it should be. I would have loved to be able to tell the vehicles apart, the XT4 and XT5 are almost identical looking. The CT6 and CT5 I’ve seen, but I think the CT4 was in the add, too. Very quick cuts.
Also history…. But I’ve seen no Super Cruise ad despite this being the best technology on offer.
Being a Caddy owner, I fine these new commercials horrible. They do nothing to encourage me to consider a Cadillac over the competition. Seeing a bunch of adults running after the car to take a look is just disturbing. I want to see the beauty of the vehicle, its performance, its interior and what it offers.
I am a CTS-V owner and on my second one. Show me a Cadillac performing in front of people not people running after one …
Same here..as an ATS-V owner I fail to see the lure of these offerings. The CT4-V is way to small, the CT5-V is uninspiring and they both have a basic interior that just looks plain. With all the criticism of past interiors where was the effort in these…….
As an existing Cadillac owner that’s familiar with the awesomeness of the CTS-V, you probably only need to be made aware that a new model is out when it goes on sale (CT5-V Blackwing). That could be done with a short commercial spot.
It’s the attention of the new potential customers that are harder to grab.
I NEVER saw an ad for the Black Wing, and it sold out in days. That model might not need advertising, unless they don’t limit production.
Of course it sold out. It was limited to 275 units. Does GM only want to sell 275 units of the CT5? A new vehicle needs to be introduced to the public at large, not just the Cadillac faithful.
You’re right. They don’t know how to sell the cars they have. They don’t want to get rid of the XTS for the older buyers, or the ones in the snow belt that don’t want to pay $2,000 to upgrade to AWD. They don’t know what to do with the CT6, the best looking Caddy sedan in years. The CT5 look better in person than on the page or screen. The XT6 was rushed to market and isn’t Premium enough to make somebody jump from an Enclave. What would be cool, and probably asking way to much of the ad geniuses, is to show what the strivers do with each car when they catch it. But that’s probably too much to ask.
They’re not sold out. I know where there are several for sale . Lindsay Cadillac in Alexandria, Va. (703-998-6600…ask for Tom O’Neill) has a Black, 2020 CT6-V, new, for sale , with $3000 off MSRP…. give them a call if you are looking for one.
I recently bought a 2020 CT6 Platinum with Cashmere interior, the best looking, because I wanted Super Cruise, and better semi-analine leather. It has the Blackwing with 500hp. I have a 2017 CTS-V with 650hp.
Still have the 2018 CT6 Platinum, my favorite.
There are CT6 Blackwings out there. Scoop one up.
The ad is inelegant. Cadillac’s strong point has always been elegance, which this ad does not demonstrate. Cadillacs, formerly decades ahead of European luxury cars in technology, (e.g., Rolls Royce used GM Hydramatics), are no longer rolling works of art. They no longer look better nor do they run better than cars half their price. This ad does nothing to further Cadillac’s position.
Is “elegance” something that current and new waves of luxury car buyers looking for? If so, how important is it?
Do realize that there is significant market research performed prior to marketing endeavors… or any endeavors at Cadillac (and GM). Nothing gets done without research, data and numbers. So there’s probably some success taking place with this ad that it passed and made it to broadcast.
And then there’s this nugget of bull:
“They no longer look better nor do they run better than cars half their price.”
Riiight. So please tell me which NEW (not used) $15,000 vehicle drives as well as the Cadillac CT4. Also, which $20,000 vehicle drives as well as the Cadillac CT5. Make sure they have all the standard technology and features that the CT4 and CT5 have at those price points, too. I’ll save you the trouble and say that there aren’t any.
I’ll just sum up your comment in one elegant phrase: full of falsehoods, hyperbole and bull$hit.
There should be significant market research done but I am not so confident it is done as well as it should be. The idea of advertising should be to arouse the viewer attention towards the product being advertised. I fine these days many of the ads arousing my attention elsewhere and when I think back at the commercial, I have difficulty in recalling what the product is and only remember non product details. For a commercial to be effective, you need to remember what is being advertised. Although this doesn’t total apply to these Cadillac commercials it does to many others. When you see and remember people running, are they advertising the item they are running after or the attire they are wearing to run with?
Just for comparison purposes… Lincoln does a commercial where they show a mother arriving at home after a tough day only to find her family playing games or into mischief in the living room. What does she do, she goes back out the door into her nice luxury vehicle, sits down in the comfortable front seat to relax in its luxury. I get to see the nice interior and it sticks in my mind and plants the idea of luxury in the commercial.
What do I get out of the Cadillac commercial? A few people crashing through through windows, running down the street chasing a few cars which I barely get to view, They finish running and look at each other. All it leaves me with is the memory of them running after cars and no idea as to why they bothered.
Thing is Cadillac has nothing to focus their ads on, Lincoln focused on their comfy interior and features. Cadillac until the Escalade arrives has neither interior designs nor any features you can focus on cause it’s nothing special. Same goes for the powertrain offerings, the upcoming real V’s are basically just carryovers that they never took the time to highlight to the average consumer.
I have to agree. The Lincoln ads convey luxury and serenity in a far too tumultuous world. In fact, thinking about it the Lincoln ads are set in a tranquil place and are the polar opposite of this Cadillac ad depicting the woke crowd running through an urban jungle. The vibe of the two companies advertising is at opposite ends of the spectrum. Think of McConaughey fishing on a frozen lake vs. this; it’s the complete opposite mood. Or, the Nautilus owner living deep in the woods peering out her window to see a Continental loaner car winding its way down her driveway. Again, the opposite feel. Tranquility vs. a mad dash.
The Lincoln ads cause me to pause, rewind, and watch again. This Cadillac ad is one I’d skip through and that’s coming from someone who purposely watches old Cadillac ads on YouTube but this doesn’t elicit the same good vibes. I’m sure genius Deborah Wahl might say I’m not enough of a striver to understand.
What do you mean by “the woke crowd”?
Young, well-educated socially aware urban dwellers. Those who seek out injustices and spend their spare time in protest of racial, gender, or any other cultural biases against classes of people.
I think that’s who Cadillac’s marketing folks see as their new demographic; the “strivers”. They are those who fought back, refused to accept the status quo, crushed the barriers, and not only overcame it all to change their world but forced change upon the whole world.
Cadillac once marketed their products to the suburban country club set of affluent traditionalists who spent their time playing tennis, golf, or polo. Those relaxed genteel ads have given way to urban ads of folks breaking through windows. The metaphor obviously signifies a person unwilling to settle for the traditional.
Very good points. But do those people targeted want to buy American? Or, are they brainwashed by the Black Forest?
To reach that audience, show what the car can do. Make the cars the stars.
Alex, I’m surprised that you believe your own “bull$hit”. Luxury flagship sedans have always been about elegance and luxury. The “S” Class, A8, 7, and now 8 Series, LS500, and even the Genesis G90.
I have driven the CT4, and CT5. They are sorry excuses for “luxury ” automobiles. The CT4 has absolutely no rear seat legroom. If you don’t believe me, look at the video on YouTube.
You previously mentioned that you have a an ATS , and, if I’m not mistaken, a Mercedes. It’s too bad that you didn’t get to spend some time with a CT6 Platinum. If you had, you would never call the CT4, and CT5 luxury automobiles.
This bull$hit about “TRUCKS” being flagship vehicles, is just that.
1) In an SUV, your trunk is IN your car. Whatever is in the back of your SUV, is in your car…whether it is a bag of garbage, lumber, plants, bags of mulch, whatever, and flagship vehicles don’t haul this crap.
2) ‘Stuff” can bounce around a hell of a lot more in an SUV than it can in a “flagship sedan”….
3) With that third seat up, you have virtually NO space for luggage for several people. An Escalade, is, in reality, a six passenger vehicle. A CT6 can be a 5 passenger vehicle, with plenty of room in the “trunk” for luggage.
4) Most SUV’s are noisy, have some body flex noises, and do not isolate the passengers from the rear of the truck like a CT6 does. When you open that back tailgate, and it’s 20 degrees outside, the entire passenger area is exposed. The Escalade rides on a truck chassis, the CT6 has the Omega, the best chassis in the world.
5) Seniors struggle to get into, and out an SUV. I personally know of an 85 year old woman who broke her hip, when she fell from trying to get into an Escalade…..
“They no longer look better nor do they run better than cars half their price.” The same could be said for many MB and BMW products. As for the looks, I can only comment on what I’ve seen in person (CT5, CT6, etc). Cadillac’s vehicles never appealed to me in print or video. In-person, they are subtly stunning, and I love that. On top of that, you can’t mistake them for anything else on the road.
I’m a Cadillac owner- Luxury ATS- and I’d like to think we’re too dignified to do all of that. We make success look easy and classy.
I think ads that focus on individual models are better for the TV commercial format. The full lineup is better for print ads.
Also – I wish the CT6 had at least one quarter to sell without the XTS competing with it for sales.
It’s a smoke & mirrors campaign and nothing more. The intention is seen but weak without context for reference.
At the very least, pick one topic, whether it be feature(s), performance, engineering…, and highlight how the brand has broken thru what was previously considered a barrier or barriers or has developed something improved or groundbreaking.
This here is nothing more than distractive theatrics (people running thru glass, chasing cars, a female jumps from an overpass and lands like an action flick superhero) that amounts to such cheesy overkill that the message can’t be taken seriously.
How many companies have done ‘market research’ only for the campaign to see the light of day and flop?
Whatever entity did market research for this campaign needs to be relieved of their duties post-haste. This is on par with ‘The Caddy that Zigs’ campaign from years ago.
OMG the Catera! Remember that pos. A barely started up Cavalier. What a piece of junk. When they had the Allante they did nothing with it. Same with the XLR, never cashed in on the Corvette’s cousin. All versions of the CTS-V were woefully under advertised, as have been ALL V series cars. If they want to be a luxury brand show the luxury. If they want to compete with AMG, or the M Series, or Panameras highlight the V-Series. GM’s advertising has lagged behind for years. And I don’t get it.
Ouch! Quite harsh on the Catera. 😝
It could’ve been a contender as it was an imported Opel; a totally different breed of vehicle than a Cavalier.
Even with the horrible marketing campaign, I had high hopes for Caddy when the Catera came to market here in the states. Seems GM didn’t learn from its past.
Kevin is mistaking a Catera for the Cimmaron.
Now that I think back, other than the CTS-V ad with it in the abandoned building doing doughnuts, I can’t recall any worthy add from Cadillac.
This ad suggest folks are willing to “jump through a pane of glass” and “run after vehicles in the street” to get a Cadillac.
I see nothing in the ad that informs, showcases or compels me to want a Cadillac…let alone run after one down the middle of the street.
i thought this was a trailer for a zombie movie.
🤣🤣🤣
Marketing research…Hmmmm
Must be the same group that did marketing research for the Chevy Silverado 1/2 ton
THE WORST CADILLAC AD EVER. CADILLAC IS NO LONGER A LUXURY CAR MANUFACTURER, THEY ARE NOTHING BUT MANUFACTURERS OF TOP THE LINE LOW AND MEDIUM PRICED VEHICLES. THE XTS AND THE CT6 HAD THEM UP THERE, BUT THEY NEVER ADVERTISED THEM CORRECTLY, WHICH KEPT THE COUNT LOW. NOW THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT A LUXURY CAR COMING OUT IN 2025, ELECTRIC AND $200,000. TALK ABOUT LOW VOLUME, LETS SEE HOW THAT WORKS. WAITING 5 YEARS FOR WHAT WE NEED NOW WILL LOSE OVER 50% OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEY ALSO NEED TO GET THE INTERIORS UP TO THE COMPETITION. THEY NEED MORE CHROME AROUND THE BUTTONS. IN CERTAIN LIGHTING I CAN NEVER FIND HALF OR THEM. I HAVE OWNED 2 NEW CADILLACS ALL MY LIFE AND I AM NOW DRIVING A 13 YEAR OLD XLR AND A 5 YEAR OLD XTS AND I AM NOT GOING TO WAIT 5 YEARS FOR A $200,000 CADILLAC.
Tell me about the XLR. Liked the looks of those more than the C6 Corvette.
Caps Lock is located on the left-hand side of your keyboard above ‘Shift’. If you want to use a capital letter, e.g. for a proper noun, just hold down Shift as you type and let go once you’re done typing what’s in all capital letters.
I think sometimes people do that to hide the fact that they don’t know how or when to capitalize.
He also may be using a five-level Teletype machine tied to a repurposed TRS-80 model one. No lower case letters available.
Boring. The Cadillac family all look alike and that is one of the reasons why I stopped buying Cadillac. And they are too pricey for what you get. I think they tack on and extra $10k just for having the Cadillac trademark on it. Lincoln is so much more for the price.
The ad barely shows the product, and the music is – being charitable – juvenile and grating on the ear.
Where to start?—the ad was terrible. Cadillac is losing its luxury footprint. Chartering off in an unrealistic path poses a difficult road ahead. From the top, none of the names make any sense. Cadillac is becoming just a “more expensive” Chevrolet with very little (if any) additional options. I own a 1964 Fleetwood and am proud of that Cadillac. I can’t comfortably say I’d buy a new one. Cadillac and GM need to refocus on the core of what made it successful years ago and introduce top of the line additions. I feel Cadillac has a strong focus on becoming primarily “performance” rather than luxury. Bad move and poor planning for struggling GM.
People that are woke
C’mon man!
I currently own a 2017 Cadi XT5 and I have to say that it is the worst Cadi that I have owned. They no longer have the smooth ride that I have become accustomed to. This thing bumps and bobbles around like I am riding on a mechanical bull. My last 5 cars have been Cadi’s, now looks like I am going to have to go in another direction.
Typical of Cadillac executives. Still trying to sell to a big city population where it cost 50 % more to live than the southern U.S., and $6,000.00 a month live in a shoe box apartment
Give me a 328i or X3 to hit the road to the mountains or Austin ( Pre COVID)
Get rid of the grill and logo, so I do not feel that my grandma will want borrow the car