What We See: This is the 90-second teaser commercial that Cadillac made to draw attention to its new ad campaign via social media prior to airing the "No Regrets" spot prior to and during the Academy Awards on ABC last night. Although it has quite a few individual cuts, it is essentially one scene: a slow-motion drive through lower Manhattan, shot in subdued monotones, and seen from the point of views of the unidentified vehicle's driver and passenger. Along the way, we see a lot of people—mostly young, definitely diverse—as they walk by. We also see tree branches, a pigeon in flight, and a lot of buildings . . . but no Cadillac.
The soundtrack includes a hodgepodge of abstract effects, including something that sounds like Chewbacca (at the :16, :57, and 1:13 marks). Above all this, we hear a woman reading Teddy Roosevelt's 1910 "Dare Greatly" speech with a great sense of self-importance. Like most of the sound effects, the words don't line up with what we see.
What We Think: Used properly, teasers do in fact generate curiosity and interest. Mercedes' teasing of its "Big Race" Super Bowl commercial proved that. But this strange commercial creates more confusion than interest. For starters, why would they use an execution so blatantly similar to another car's commercial? Much of the footage looks like it was lifted from Chrysler's iconic 2011 Eminem spot. But that one made sense: Chrysler was boldly repositioning itself as being imported from Detroit, and the script, gritty footage, product shots, and presenters combined to make a compelling statement. But not here.
That's because, oddly, this commercial is punctuated by a feeling of failure, with Cadillac seemingly aligned with one "who errs, who comes short again and again . . . and if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." Yet as we learned with last night's ad (embedded below for your pleasure), the campaign's real mantra is "greatness is a function of daring to believe in yourself," not "failure is a prerequisite to success." But in the end, it makes little difference: Within minutes of airing the new spot, the automotive internet—including our own site—was buzzing about the fuzzy (and possibly CGI) "preview" footage of the 2016 CT6, not the ad campaign. Because ultimately, Cadillac's success is going to hinge on its products, certainly not a short-lived, confusing teaser whose budget would clearly have been better invested in buying more airtime for commercials like "No Regrets" that might actually tease buyers into a test drive.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Here's the ad that aired showing the CT6:
- Cadillac's Marketing Boss Calls Germans "Sterile", Pushes Alphanumeric Badging
- CT6 to Use Lots of Aluminum, Cadillac Dealerships to Be Upgraded
- Cadillac CTS Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
Award-winning ad man–cum–auto journalist Don Klein knows a good (or bad) car commercial when he sees one; this is his space to tell you what he thinks of the latest spots. The ad's rating is depicted on a scale of one (terrible) to five (transcendent), but everyone has an opinion when it comes to advertising, so hit Backfires below and tell us what you think, too. And be sure to read more of Don's advertising critiques here.
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