What is GM thinking with this new Cadillac ad?

[Sweet Freedom]

"There are plenty of things to celebrate about being American, but being possessed by a blind mania for working yourself into the ground, buying more stuff, and mocking people in other countries just isn't one of them."

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/03/08/what-is-general-motors-thinking-with-this-new-cadi.aspx?source=eogyholnk0000001

[newfie11]

1. It is a stupid commercial

It irritates me every time it comes on.

[Sweet Freedom]

9. It is obnoxious.

I would always tune it out when it came on. It wasn't until recently that I even realized what the commercial is for.

[TransitJohn]

11. If you read the linked article to the end, it explains

that it's really a smart commercial. It's just not talking to us.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. It was probably thinking that...

people who don't like the ad probably wouldn't buy a Caddy no matter how they advertised it.

[MADem]

3. It's just AWFUL.

The poor actor playing the part, from what I understand from a person who knows him, is nothing like that noxious shitbird he portrays in the ad.

I think a rich, hard working feller would be savvy enough to dig his ill fitting shorts out of his asscrack....that's my take-away with that ad.

Who was that country singer who said "That don't impress me much?" That's my sense of the advertisement!!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

19. Shania Twain - inre:

Who was that country singer who said "That don't impress me much?"

[MADem]

25. THAT's the one!!!! nt

[Go Vols]

4. Makes me think of this old PSA.

[Sweet Freedom]

7. Forgot about that one! /nt

[Lonusca]

5. They may have been thinking

we have a great ad on their hands. The exposure and debate has been far reaching. Somewhere around a conference table a few months ago I'm pretty sure someone did say "this will make us look like pompous assholes". And then someone said "Yes it will - air it".

Like the message or not - this has been a very successful campaign to bring awareness to the ELR. Whether any of that translates to sales or not will be determined.

[Sweet Freedom]

6. Maybe

I don't necessarily agree that talking about an ad = success, but if it actually makes money for the company, then yes.

[Lonusca]

13. If everyone's talking about an ad

then it's a successful ad. It garnered way more awareness than they could have hoped.

[Sweet Freedom]

17. Than we can agree to disagree

I think if a paid advertisement does not generate intended sales then it's a failure. If the intention was to generate buzz and that's all, then ok, but I don't subscribe to the belief that all publicity is good publicity when it comes to products.

[Lonusca]

21. Yes, we can agree to disagree

As someone mentioned down thread - this is a branding ad. It wasn't a President's Day "We pay the tax so get down here fast" ad.

How or if Cadillac can play in the luxury hybrid field is TBD.

I don't subscribe to the belief publicity is good publicity when it comes to products either. Tesla battery fires are not good publicity.

[PCIntern]

8. Fugly Car too...

Classless and indistinct. Could be a Nissan or Toyota.

[Logical]

23. LOL, ok. n-t

[former9thward]

30. You can say that about most every car now.

Very few have any distinctions and the ones that do are ugly.

[Blecht]

10. They understand their audience

Sociopaths born into money who think they've earned it will lap up this crap.

[pintobean]

12. It's a parody.

[Hestia]

27. That's the way I took it too - parady! satire!

[enlightenment]

29. As satire it is funny.

I would love to think that it is, rather than this sad reflection of how far we have regressed.

[jollyreaper2112]

31. Is it?

If this ad was in the new rococop I would have thought it perfect. But it's for a real company and a real product. Can you really sell a car on edgy?

This is like Burger King running with the creepy-as-fuck king mascot. What are they selling? They did a sponge bob commercial with a square butt parody of baby got back. Are we sexualizing kids cartoons to sell happy meals? Again, it would be funny as an snl skit for product placement gone wrong but it's real.

[Blue_Tires]

14. The ad community is mostly split on it, too

As evidenced by the comments:

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/cadillacs-new-ad-totally-inspiring-or-completely-repulsive-155703

[Rex]

15. A reflection of the times we live in.

Greed is STILL good, never left the 80s.

[penultimate]

16. I'd guess they are trying to attract conservative types to the electric car market

[jmowreader]

18. It's a car for the Sergeant O'Learys of the world

The second verse of Billy Joel's "Movin' Out":

Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mr. Cacciatore's down on Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
Yeah, he's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac-ac-ac-ac
You oughta know by now
And if he can't drive with a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders."

Americans have been insulting the French for decades because they have two-hour lunches with wine and the country shuts down in August. There must be something to two-hour lunches and month-long vacations because French people live two years longer than Americans and they're not pissed off all the time.

[Marr]

20. There are two kinds of ads: Who You Are, and Who You Want to Be

Who You Are ads are common in things like cold medication ads, cleaning supplies, etc. Car commercials are almost exclusively Who You Want to Be-- *especially* the luxury car market. These are products people buy because they want to project and image.

Sam Hamm does the voiceover in the Mercedes Benz ads, even though his voice is wholly unremarkable. Mercedes Benz knows that doesn't matter-- what matters is that they've got Don Draper in their ad, and a big chunk of their audience likes to think of themselves as Don Draper.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

34. Then they got ripped off. John Hamm is Don Draper.

Not sure who Sam is. Sam I Hamm.

[Marr]

40. God, that must be the fifth time I've called him Sam Hamm.

Sam Hamm is writer.

[Logical]

22. We did go to the moon. No reason not to be proud of that. n-t

[distantearlywarning]

24. Somebody brought up this ad in the DU Lounge last week - this is what I said:

The first time I ever saw it (during the Super Bowl), I actually started yelling at the TV.

"No, I don't 'n'est-ce pas', you arrogant, deluded jackass!"

I find this ad repulsive to the point of outright offensiveness. Workaholism is not a fucking virtue, and the meaning of life is not to acquire as much random consumer crap as possible. Also, it would be fucking AWESOME to live in country like France where everyone gets 6 weeks of vacation a year.'

The best part: I am actually in an income bracket where that car would be within my reach. And I would MUCH rather live in France, with higher taxes but mandatory vacations, then have that car. Fuck that car. Fuck overwork. Fuck "stuff". Fuck this shitty, sad American mindset where these kind of jackasses think that what people will wish on their deathbed is that they worked more and had more stuff. What a horrible lie this commercial is feeding to the American public.

[MADem]

26. I couldn't afford that stupid car if I won it!

The insurance and taxes would take too big a bite.

Like I said, though, who would take advice from a guy who can't even buy a pair of shorts that fit? Those things are crawling up that guy's ass...that's not a swagger; he's probably trying to dislodge the damn things!!!

[ileus]

28. One nice looking car...

[jollyreaper2112]

32. And according to the comments thread there

This was one successful ad. God, we are a dumbfuck nation.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

33. As Motley Fool said, if you didn't like the ad

(which I didn't) then it almost surely isn't targeted toward you.

[Populist_Prole]

35. That's the bad part

I actually know people who think ( and say ) the exact same way the protagonist in the ad does. Flag-waving US chauvanist workaholics that always gotta be #1 in some way.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

36. A lot of them drop dead from heart attacks at 50

Never having grabbed hold of anything resembling an authentic, fulfilled life.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

37. A lot of them drop dead from heart attacks at 50

Never having grabbed hold of anything resembling an authentic, fulfilled life.

[Populist_Prole]

38. Some are so brainwashed they'll die thinking they did the right thing doing just that

Either they're very religious "honor thy boss....no matter what" types who take the "protestant work ethic" bullshit to the extreme, or they are/were power hungry sorts that have to be on top of the heap always....even if they die trying....happy knowing they did their best.

I'm not kidding or using hyperbole: I know people just like this. Some are even family

[bemildred]

39. "Fools and their money ..." nt