'Break Through' Ad Campaign Highlights Cadillac's Bold Design, Product Innovation

FOR RELEASE: January 22, 2002

'Break Through' Ad Campaign Highlights Cadillac's Bold Design, Product Innovation

DETROIT - Cadillac's bold new product lineup will be backed by a unique and compelling advertising campaign to match. Debuting February 3 on the Super Bowl broadcast, the new campaign invites consumers to "Break Through" and experience the design, innovation and spirit of today's Cadillac.

Carrying the "Break Through" theme throughout, the integrated campaign builds divisional identity, while highlighting the breadth of the portfolio with products such as the new CTS, XLR, Escalade and Escalade EXT. Cadillac will use high-profile events such as the Winter Olympics, Academy Awards, Wimbledon tennis and Ryder Cup golf, along with the Super Bowl and various prime-time programming to deliver its message.

Television spots will feature the high-energy song, "Rock and Roll," by the rock group Led Zeppelin. The song ties in with the tone and emotion of the "Break Through" campaign. This is the first time the band has sold their music commercially.

Kim Kosak, Cadillac director of advertising and promotions, said Cadillac's goal with the new campaign was to regain relevancy and connect emotionally with luxury buyers. "We wanted the 'Break Through' campaign to communicate a unified Cadillac message. The music lends a consistent message and tone throughout, and also adds an emotional element to all the spots," Kosak said.

The "Break Through" campaign reflects Cadillac's return to its heritage of producing vehicles known for head-turning design and innovative technology.

For a century, Cadillac has been known for breakthroughs such as the self-starter, the first mass-produced V8 engine, the first high-volume car to be designed by a stylist, and the first mass-produced vehicle stability system.

Cadillac's tradition of pioneering technical advancements with real customer benefits continues today, with technology such as Night Vision, OnStar, XM Satellite Radio and Magnetic Ride Control, the world's fastest-reacting suspension.

"The new campaign helps the luxury vehicle buyer understand that Cadillac is back with a bold new product lineup," said Mark LaNeve, Cadillac general manager. "All of our advertising will stress the clear brand benefit of Cadillac - namely, breakthrough leadership in bold design and product innovation."

The campaign will launch with a 60-second commercial, "Highway," on the Fox broadcast of the Super Bowl. The spot opens on a city street in the 1950s, where the driver of a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado - a breakthrough car with its iconic tail fins - is stuck in traffic. Breaking away from the pack, the Eldorado drives through a desert setting where the driver encounters two of today's breakthrough Cadillacs, the CTS and the Escalade EXT. The spot ends with a glimpse of the next breakthrough Cadillac - the XLR. The commercial was directed by Scott Hicks, known for such movies as "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "Hearts in Atlantis," and features the new voice of Cadillac, actor Gary Sinise, best known for his role in "Forrest Gump" and who will be starring in the new movie, "Imposter."

Cadillac is the official vehicle of the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl, under a three-year agreement running through 2004 with the National Football League. In addition to the 60-second in-game commercial, Cadillac will air a 30-second EXT spot called "Parking Space" after the game and prior to the post-game show. During the post-game show, the NFL will award the most valuable player of the Super Bowl an Escalade EXT.

"Parking Space" communicates the innovative nature of the Escalade EXT. In the commercial, the EXT and a small sports car both eye a parking spot in a crowded lot. Parking the sports car in the EXT's bed solves the problem.

Additional 30-second commercials will break on the NBC broadcast of the Winter Olympics, beginning Feb.8. "Crossing" is set at a railroad crossing. But instead of traffic stopping, two trains pause in order to pay homage to the world's most powerful SUV, the Cadillac Escalade. Another spot, "Glow," highlights the edgy styling and outstanding performance of the CTS. In the commercial, a silver CTS begins to "heat up" as it performs; when it comes to a stop light, the color fades back to the original hue.

Magazine advertising begins with February weeklies and with March monthlies. Cadillac will pursue a strategy of using a targeted list of publications, but dominate those books through the use of multiple ads and prominent positions in order to ensure breakthrough in a cluttered environment. Ads will appear in a selection of auto enthusiast, epicurean, travel, business and finance, and affluent lifestyle publications.

Print ads use simple, clean executions that enable the vehicles' distinctive styling to stand out, punctuated by snappy headlines. An ad, featuring the XLR, the CTS and Escalade EXT, is headlined "The legendary bloodline is about to boil." Another ad reads, "And in this corner in all black" which features a black Escalade.

Cadillac DeVille and Seville will be featured in regional advertising breaking in mid-February under the 'Break Through' campaign.

As part of its launch, the new CTS also will be featured in a pair of spectacular outdoor ads. In New Orleans, a copper-colored CTS will be featured on a building wrap on the First Bank Center Building beginning Jan. 18. The wrap - 110 feet high and 75 feet wide - will carry the message, "CTS Cajun Style," and will be seen by an estimated three million people during festivities for the Super Bowl, National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention and Mardi Gras.

In New York, the CTS will be featured in Cadillac's prominent outdoor board in Times Square beginning in the spring. The three-dimensional CTS display will protrude more than 5 feet from the front of the board with its headlamps on, revealing the front grille and a portion of the car's front profile. Above the CTS will be a large Cadillac wreath and crest, backlit for increased visibility.

On a daily basis, an estimated 1.5 million will see the Times Square display. The CTS launch also includes a six-city blitz to expose the product to potential buyers in Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago. An assortment of vehicles - mostly CTS, along with Escalade and Escalade EXT - will be brought to each market for a series of programs designed to reach young, affluent prospects at venues such as restaurants, hotels, malls, private schools, large business locations and test drive programs.