Cadillac’s Deborah Wahl: From Selling Sizzle at McDonald’s to Selling Sizzling Cars

And why not McDonaldamp8217s amp160Wahlamp8217s work there centered on bringing younger patrons into the brand and thatamp8217s exactly her focus at Cadillac amp160Tesla brought George Blankenship over from Apple in 2010 because he also had experience in building excitement and enhancing the buying experienceCadillac does need a marketing makeover amp160Itamp8217s in a good position in China where itamp8217s a leading luxury brand popular with young buyers but not yet fully turned around in the US amp160The company is hoping an onslaught of SUVs starting with the XT4 a strong crossover seller in both the US and China will put the company on top again as the Standard of ExcellenceIn an exclusive interview with MediaVillage Wahl said that legacy companies such as McDonaldamp8217s and Cadillac actually have quite a bit in common amp160amp8220Cadillac has been around for more than 100 years and McDonaldamp8217s more than 60amp8221 she said amp160amp8220For these beloved brands you find some similar challenges amp160How do you continue to connect with the customer and still leverage off your heritage and the core foundations of the brandamp8221In 2019 that means SUVs and lots of them with different sizes and configurations appealing to different classes of consumers amp160Wahl said this is the companyamp8217s Year of the SUV amp160amp8220Weamp8217re entering some of the largest luxury SUV segments with new productsamp8221 she explainedamp160 amp8220This phase is incredibly important amp160We had the launch of the XT4 and this year during the Academy Awards we also gave a sneak peek at our next model the XT6 amp160Itamp8217s in the midsized luxury range with three rows of seats one of the fastestgrowing segmentsamp8221Cadillac gave the Super Bowl a pass and instead advertised during the 2019 Oscar ceremony because amp8220itamp8217s a very good match for us in the luxury world the secondmostviewed event in TV after the Super Bowlamp8221 Wahl notedamp160 amp8220Thereamp8217s not as much hoopla over it as there is with the Super Bowl but viewers pay a lot of attention to itamp8221Cadillac marketing is about more than youthfocused XT4 commercials Wahl said and includes 18 specific product videos on YouTube that cover what the car has to offer amp160amp8220Channel marketing is not quite as visible as a TV ad but we saw immediate takeup on the videos 10 million viewsamp8221 Wahl revealed amp160amp8220The videos are served sequentially on YouTube and we use some sophisticated customer data and targeting algorithmsamp8221Wahl is data driven and she acknowledges that thereamp8217s some evidence that young people of carbuying age may not want to own at all preferring to share vehicles amp160But thatamp8217s no reason to ignore a huge market amp160amp8220For younger buyers you canamp8217t underestimate the fun end and how it feels to be in a caramp8221 she saidamp160 amp8220This new generation of Cadillacs offer a very fun very different experienceamp8221Cadillac is also rejiggering its social media presence to add more fun activities such as the amp8220Love Cadillacamp8221 Twitter promotion on Valentineamp8217s Day and attending events such as ComplexCon where people gather to talk about the next wave of art and culture amp160amp8220We had a lot of people engaging with us thereamp8221 Wahl saidAnd then thereamp8217s the technology piece that Wahl says is a big part of Cadillacamp8217s story going forward General Motors used Cadillac to introduce Super Cruise its semiautonomous technology and Wahl says that touting its benefits and that of other tech to come is part of preparing the brand for the future amp160Cadillac is also preparing an electric SUV with a range of more than 300 miles and autonomous capability due in the 20202021 time frameamp8220We talk about being amp8216omnichannel all the timeamp8217amp8221 Wahl said amp160amp8220We have to be playing in all areas in a more complex and sophisticated manner than at any time in the past and be really relevant in speaking to different audiences in different waysamp8221In recent years automakers have been pulling back from the traditional reveal of new models on the floor of major auto shows Detroit New York Los Angeles Chicago and instead are bringing them out online or at offsite parties amp160Wahl is part of that amp160amp8220Social channels are a much bigger part of our mix nowamp8221 she said amp160amp8220Itamp8217s forced us to look at all these things differentlyamp8221Finally when asked about the ideal demographics for Cadillac buyers in 2020 Wahl said itamp8217s not one age group or one type of successful person amp160amp8220The definition of success and how it is perceived has changed dramaticallyamp8221 she assertedamp160 amp8220If you look at our commercial for the Oscars it shows people taking a variety of paths to success amp160So itamp8217s more broadbased and there isnamp8217t one single customer who you can say amp8216That person is itamp8217 amp160People will be buying Cadillacs when they achieve something when theyamp8217re at the next step in their livesamp8221Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Cadillac’s Deborah Wahl: From Selling Sizzle at McDonald’s to Selling Sizzling Cars

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

Jim Motavalli

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Cadillac’s Deborah Wahl: From Selling Sizzle at McDonald’s to Selling Sizzling Cars

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Jim Motavalli

Cookies