Cadillac’s new ad, which features on the Oscar show on Sunday, presents its idea of hope in a situation where rage and antagonism of the volatile political debate is playing out on the streets across the country. Cadillac’s positioning as a luxury automotive brand carries its point of view, which stands for the American Dream achieved by hard and honest work.
Cadillac asks Americans to “Dare Greatly.” Cadillac is trying to remove the perception that American people are divided. During the Oscar Awards show, the automotive brand will run a TV spot that conveys the message which is a difficult thing to do in today’s situation with violent public demonstrations almost every day against the Trump administration. Based on the concept of “Carry,” the ad visually depicts scenes where people help each other by literally carrying one another – American soldiers helping a wounded comrade and a flood victim being airlifted from an affected area.
Melody Lee, Cadillac’s director of brand marketing, says, “There’s quite a bit of soul searching going on in the nation right now, and the creative community, in particular, is experiencing it at an intense level. It was important for us, as a brand, to try to make a statement, not politically and not necessarily socially, but to remind the country that we’re at our best when we come together.” Cadillac considers the Oscars as best suited advertising event for its target market. Many other big brands use the Super Bowl platform, as a major advertising platform but Cadillac has avoided this event so far. The brand presented the “Dare Greatly” platform at the Oscars last year, where it targeted the younger entrepreneurs since the millennials now outnumber the baby boomers. In 2015, Cadillac undertook a rebranding exercise after moving its headquarters from Detroit to New York. It decided to target younger generations by positioning the brand as entrepreneurial and stylish with a strong focus on design.