That Cadillac Ad Everyone Hates? They’re Not Supposed to Like It

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You do understand that the new Cadillac commercial with Neal McDonough extolling the virtues of good old-fashioned, America-style hard work is a bit of a parody, right? Granted, there are asshats like this in America who make you want to take a shit on the hood of their brand new Cadillac but consider this, those are the people who can afford to buy a Cadillac.

Like it or not, asshat or not, this ad perfectly targets the Cadillac buyer. Or, at least, the stereotypical version of the Cadillac buyer. And isn’t that what advertising’s all about? Slicing consumers into categories and then creating caricatures of of those categories to better identify with a particular slice?

Most people won’t/can’t buy this car. That’s why most people don’t like the ad.

And, besides, you have to admit, it’s pretty awesome for its non-formulaic approach to car advertising.

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Picture of Steve Hall

Steve Hall

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