Cadillac: Super Bowl Spots - 'Break Through' Advertising

Cadillac Returns To Super Bowl With Another Round Of 'Break Through' Advertising

DETROIT - Cadillac returns to the Super Bowl with bold new executions of its "Break Through" advertising that deliver further evidence of the brand's rebirth. The advertising will kick off a year with three product launches and be part of an integrated marketing effort built around Cadillac's product renaissance.

In addition to being the Official Vehicle of Super Bowl XXXVII, during the game Cadillac will air a 90-second spot - the first 90-second spot for an automotive company in over a decade - that expresses the enduring essence of the brand. The commercial, "17th Street," connects great Cadillacs of the 1950s era with four compelling vehicles that are part of Cadillac's modern product renaissance: the CTS luxury sport sedan, the Escalade SUV, the 2004 luxury utility SRX and the 2004 XLR luxury roadster. Immediately following the game, Cadillac will showcase a 30-second spot. Television spots continue to feature Led Zeppelin's high-energy song, "Rock and Roll," as a brand anthem.

In addition to the in-game advertising, Cadillac will be the official sponsor of the post-game show on ABC and will be part of the award presentation for the game's Most Valuable Player award. The Cadillac XLR will be awarded to the MVP on the field with the notion he will have the ability to choose the Cadillac of his choice.

As the "Break Through" campaign evolves, Cadillac advertising will remain focused on the head-turning design and innovative technology of its products, according to Cadillac General Manager Mark LaNeve. An infusion of dynamic new products has enabled Cadillac to build positive momentum, with a 16 percent growth in sales in 2002 compared to the previous year, LaNeve said.

Launched on the 2002 Super Bowl, the "Break Through" campaign has helped increase awareness and opinion of Cadillac products, according to Kim Kosak, Cadillac director of advertising and promotions. From an automotive perspective, Cadillac will own the event - from highly impactful pre-game advertising, to the 90-second in-game spot; from being awarded to the game's MVP, to owning the post-game show, Cadillac will be hard to miss, Kosak said.

Shot in London, the "17th Street" commercial follows a businessman dressed in mid-1950s style through a '50s subway train station, past a giant poster of a Cadillac Eldorado convertible of that era. Then, as the train moves through the subway, the man sees the '50s era Cadillac come to life, followed by moving images of modern Cadillac products - the CTS, Escalade, SRX and XLR. At the end of the spot, the man is dressed in contemporary clothing, and he has arrived in a modern train station that features a poster of the XLR. "You could have seen it coming," says voiceover (actor Gary Sinise).

The "17th Street" commercial connects today's Cadillac brand with its unsurpassed heritage of boldly styled, technologically advanced products, said Gary Topolewski, chief creative officer at the Detroit office of D'Arcy Advertising, which created the campaign. The commercial affirms that this breakthrough style and technology is part of the bloodline and is the basis for Cadillac's resurgence, Topolewski said.

"Bulls" and two new CTS spots will air during the post-game show. "Bulls" showcases the power and presence of the Escalade franchise. Set in a small Spanish town, the spot depicts a "running of the bulls" event - with the twist that the bulls are being followed by a pack of Escalades: an Escalade SUV, an Escalade EXT sport utility truck and an Escalade ESV, the largest full-size luxury SUV available.

Other Super Bowl tie-ins include a presence on the NFL and Super Bowl web sites (nfl.com and superbowl.com), where fans can click through to cadillac.com and vote on which car the game MVP will pick.

In addition, Cadillac will run four-color spread ads in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times on both the Friday prior to the game and the Monday after it.

Super Bowl marketing is part of Cadillac's strategy to showcase its products in premium properties that help establish a leadership tone, such as the Academy Awards, NCAA Basketball tournament, Wimbledon, PGA Championship and Monday Night Football.

Cadillac vehicles are the stars of print executions that emphasize the bold lines of today's Cadillacs. One spread features the CTS, SRX and XLR; another spread highlights the Escalade, Escalade EXT and Escalade ESV; and single page ads will feature each vehicle in the product lineup.

As part of its Super Bowl presence, Cadillac will sponsor a display tent at the NFL Experience, an NFL-produced football theme park at the Embarcadero in San Diego. Cadillac's display celebrates the "Defining Moments" of the first 36 Super Bowls while displaying a CTS, Escalade EXT and Escalade ESV. Cadillac also will display the vehicles along with two large MVP replica trophies on game day in Qualcomm Stadium's "Fan Zone."

Cadillac also will reach out to its target audience in innovative ways. Echoing the "17th Street" commercial, riders on subway trains in Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York will see movie-like images of the XLR on the subway walls as they move between stations. Created by Submedia, Cadillac will be the first automotive company to use the technology. The effect is created by the movement of the passengers past a series of large stationary photos.

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