Ms. Adverthinker

An interesting video about the ways marketing has changed.

The Cadillac commercials featuring Kate Walsh have been our for a while, but they must have just increased their media buy, as I have started seeing them again.  I remember when I first saw the commercials: I talked with friends about my affinity for the commercials.  They made me want a Cadillac.  This was, of course, before I was in the market for a car.  And, by the time I was in the market, I had forgotten about Cadillac.

But, I digress.  The commercials are playing again, and again, I asked a friend: is it weird that I really like these commercials?  This sparked an interesting conversation about who Cadillac is really targeting.  I assume that it is single, successful females-without young children-who connect with the the Addison Montgomery character of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.  My friend agrees because this spot is so different from “safety, family, convenience” message that is typically targeted to women.  Women who are moms, of course.  Not all women are moms.  Nor do all women want to be moms.  So, the question arises: how many women are there who are single and can afford a $60,000ish car?  Is this a viable target for Cadillac?

[A note on the lesson I learned by being forced to think about this just a little past "I like this spot": Just because the commercial appeals to me, does not mean the brand is targeting me.  As advertisers, we sometimes have a hard time distinguishing our reactions from those of the consumers we target.]

As I continued to ponder this question, I remembered that women always want to see themselves as younger than they are (the opposite of children, who want to see themselves as older).  So, when targeting a 40-50 year old woman, brands feature a mid-30’s woman using the product.  Makes sense.  Luxury cars are really for that boomer audience, who can actually afford them.  But, Cadillac has a bit of a stodgy association, right?  I think of it as my grandfather’s car.  And, boomers don’t think of themselves as old.  In fact, they desperately try to avoid any association with it.  Perhaps Cadillac chose Kate Walsh-who is about to turn 41-as that person who will appeal to the boomer target and make the brand feel a bit younger.  She makes the brand “cool” again.

I wonder if this strategy will work for Cadillac?  I suspect it will take a couple of years to see the difference this “when you turn your car on, does it return the favor” positioning makes, but I think it will make a difference in the type of person you see driving a Cadillac in the future.

For your reference, here is one of the Kate Walsh spots:

This article in Brandweek hit home for me, being in the age group surveyed and having made some of these same decisions lately.  While we have been hearing for some time now that the economy is hurting, it seems as if the reaction has been a bit delayed by consumers this age.  The brand list below was startling to me, especially among a group that is as brand conscious as Gen X/Y’s.  Missing from this list is a technology brand and I wonder how long it will be before this groups stops buying new computers, cell phones, music players, etc. and what kind of increased impact that will have on the economy.

“Consumers 21-39 years old are feeling the economic pinch, according to a study conducted online by the Zandl Group on May 23.  Sixty-one percent of the 312 men and women surveyed said they have become more frugal of late.  Almost half (48%) said they frequent bars and clubs less, 39%  are driving less and 35% are eating out less…This has a severe impact on what brands they are choosing.  Here is a list of what companies and categories are keeping into favor and which are falling out of favor.

Popular

• Trader Joe’s
• Walgeens
• Craigslist.org
• Forever 21
• Target
• Paperbackswap.com
• Dollar Stores
• Fuel-efficient sedans

Unpopular:

• Whole Foods
• Starbucks
• Sephora
• Room & Board
• Nordstrom
• Netflix
• American Apparel
• SUVs

Check out a cool experiment by blogger Noah Brier: Brand Tags.  This experiment proves that consumers control brands - brands are what consumers say.  On this site you can tag brands yourself, or you can see what others are saying about brands.  Very cool and fun.  Enjoy.