Cadillac shifting marketing focus

[regfootball]

Lustful Leanings

autoweek

DETROIT -- General Motors' first work for Cadillac from new agency Modernista, Boston, aims to "put a little lust back into the brand."

So said Liz Vanzura, marketing director of the luxury marquee, in unveiling new print work from the agency, which replaced Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett, Detroit and Chicago. The car brand is dropping the former shop's "Break Through" ads after a four-year run. Vanzura said the new push aims to boost consideration of the Cadillac brand among three main targets younger than its current owners. She calls them "alphas," "hot moms" and "move-ups."

"Our mission is to reignite people's love affair with Cadillac," she said.

Cadillac still plans to keep its loyal older owners, and while it wants to attract more baby boomers, Vanzura said this group is the most difficult to reach because "they are really stuck on Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW and see no reason to switch."

She said extensive consumer research earlier this year revealed some startling findings: Many younger consumers knew Cadillac's Escalade sport utility vehicle but were unfamiliar with other models. Many didn't see the brand as having a vehicle for them.

Vanzura said the new blitz will "romance" the brand's crested logo to show off its iconic nature. Gary Koepke, executive creative director and co-founder of Modernista, said the Cadillac print work has a three-pronged approach. Some work highlights the crest; other shows people, "to inject an attitude"; and the rest focuses on a single product to help build model awareness.

[Croc]

This sounds really promising! I can't wait to see the ads that cater to the latte-spilling, botox-injecting I'm-40-and-buy-pink-Juicy-Couture-velour-track-suits crowd.

[76ChevyTrucker]

I woudln't mind seeing some more youth-focused Cadillac ads.

[Flybrian]

If you look at the progression of Cadillac advertisements (including this latest movement), it makes perfect sense. The older, staid commericals followed by the Break Through hard-rocking spots for the middle-aged set, followed by the hip contemporary nature of these latest spots.

[76ChevyTrucker]

Yeah, it does have a sort of natural flow, or evolution to it.

[tmp]

This sounds really promising!  I can't wait to see the ads that cater to the latte-spilling, botox-injecting I'm-40-and-buy-pink-Juicy-Couture-velour-track-suits crowd.

173612[/snapback]

Croc, that was the best laugh I've had in days....

[PurdueGuy]

saw a Caddy ad the other day... and I could've sworn it was made by the same people doing the Pontiac ads. Lots of the car slowly spinning under a spotlight in an otherwise dark room kind of thing...

[4gm]

She said extensive consumer research earlier this year revealed some startling findings: Many younger consumers knew Cadillac's Escalade sport utility vehicle but were unfamiliar with other models. Many didn't see the brand as having a vehicle for them.

This is what happens when you replace memorable model names with forgetable alpha numerics. Nobody remembers what kind of cars you sell!

Edited July 31, 2006 by 4gm

[Croc]

What's the new ad song gonna be? Fountains of Wayne, "Stacy's Mom"?????

[Croc]

is Mary Kay pink gonna be a new standard option from the color palette?

[Flybrian]

The modern Mary Kay DeVilles actually have a pretty decent pink pearlescent paint job.

[Croc]

The modern Mary Kay DeVilles actually have a pretty decent pink pearlescent paint job.

173671[/snapback]

I know! It matches the clothes really well:

Edited July 31, 2006 by Croc

[Flybrian]

By the way, why do rich people wear really crappy clothing?

[balthazar]

Dunno. Perhaps much like cars, they're told what's 'cool' by the companies with the most ad dollars.

[Croc]

By the way, why do rich people wear really crappy clothing?

173705[/snapback]

Crappy? That $h! is hot. Except I like the girls in the ones that ride low with the jackets that end right under the boobs...now THOSE are hot!

EDIT: guess they don't make those anymore but how can you tell me this isn't hot:

Edited July 31, 2006 by Croc

[Flybrian]

Yeah. Sorry. That's really not that hot. Plus, she looks digital.

[Croc]

cmon...back me up somebody...bimmer? reg? cmon...

[pow]

saw a Caddy ad the other day... and I could've sworn it was made by the same people doing the Pontiac ads.  Lots of the car slowly spinning under a spotlight in an otherwise dark room kind of thing...

173633[/snapback]

Yeah, those suck. Even as I car enthusiast, I switched to another channel. What's the point of seeing a common car spinning around for 30 seconds?

[regfootball]

cmon...back me up somebody...bimmer?  reg?  cmon...

173737[/snapback]

flybrian is right

sorry

now THIS is hot

Edited July 31, 2006 by regfootball

[ellives]

They look fake (the boobs I mean.)

[Bimmer325]

cmon...back me up somebody...bimmer?  reg?  cmon...

173737[/snapback]

If only you could see the mothers that belong to the country club I work at. It's shocking.

[The O.C.]

Crappy?  That $h! is hot.  Except I like the girls in the ones that ride low with the jackets that end right under the boobs...now THOSE are hot!

EDIT: guess they don't make those anymore but how can you tell me this isn't hot:

173723[/snapback]

It's not hot.....

BUT...Croc....

If you put a picture of yourself up there.....wearing a tight-fitting belly-shirt....

THAT would be HOT....!

[Croc]

No thank you.

[Sixty8panther]

This sounds really promising!  I can't wait to see the ads that cater to the latte-spilling, botox-injecting I'm-40-and-buy-pink-Juicy-Couture-velour-track-suits crowd.

173612[/snapback]

Isn't that technically YOUR demographic? I mean you used to drive your

mom's Mercedes SUV.

Balthazar is right: rich people often times do not think for themselves,

they act like good little "consumers" by scooping up all the crap in the

latest issue of Cosmopolitan, GQ & whatever their fellow friends deem

to be worth buying THIS week.

[Cadillacfan]

flybrian is right

sorry

now THIS is hot

173755[/snapback]

That's manufactured Hot. She got a nose job a few years back. Not making this up.

[Hudson]

Why does this "new direction" for Cadillac remind me of the "Merlettes" ad campaign where Cindy Crawford in her leather miniskirt chauffeured an animated duck around in a Catera? I don't recall that one working either.

[Satty]

Why does this "new direction" for Cadillac remind me of the "Merlettes" ad campaign where Cindy Crawford in her leather miniskirt chauffeured an animated duck around in a Catera? I don't recall that one working either.

174981[/snapback]

What are you talking about? I went out and bought a rubber ducky the day after I saw that ad for the first time.

[regfootball]

They look fake (the boobs I mean.)

173771[/snapback]

NO, THEY ARE EXTREMELY REAL AND WONDERFUL

[regfootball]

Caddy should have Scarlett in their commericals. sales would EXPLODE is she was riding in one.

there's a marketing strategy that's guaranteed.

Edited August 2, 2006 by regfootball