Ha! Cadillac Commercial

[EdithKeeler]

I had to laugh; someone posted this on my Facebook. I don't have TV, so I hadn't seen either one of these commercials. I think it's pretty funny what Ford did, but it struck me that the Cadillac commercial people TOTALLY would not get the ERE goal/lifestyle of minimal-consumerism.

And though I may not have a TV, I think it's kind of an interesting choice to pick the actor who played a pretty mean organized crime villain on "Justified" to play the Cadillac rich dude...

Both commercials are included in the article.

And that Ford lady ROCKS that afro!


http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-des ... -ad-2014-3

[jacob]

Damn! Good show, Ford.

I saw the Cadillac ad (I think it first appeared during the superbowl?) and almost lost hope.

[JohnnyH]

I still found the Ford ad cringe worthy hyper unrealistic pander (but maybe I'm wrong and their new 2015 Ford Whatever is perfect for hauling shit and other compost around the urban landscape).

... But the Cadillac one... Wow, no words.

[dot_com_vet]

The best comment regarding the Cadillac ad:

"Yet people that take July off created the kind of cars Cadillac tries so hard to imitate..."

[Felix]

I tend to hate marketing with a passion, but that Ford ad was funny. Damn you, Ford!

We should make an ad for a bicycle or just plain walking actually in that style.

Man looking at a fish pond:
Why do we work so hard? I don't have a clue. Other countries take August off. Why don't we? Because we are insane, that's why! We even stopped the space program because it wasn't economical enough. I worked hard and you know what I got? Bored! So I left.

Me, I walk. I have way more than just August free. You have to believe anything is possible.

As for all the stuff: That just isn't worth the pointless work. N'est-ce pas?

[Ian]

I find the attitude present in the Cadillac commercial frustrating, because there's no real way to open dialogue with someone like that. I'm glad we've moved to a place where it's considered open for mockery.

[stoneage]

Is the cadillac ad really to be taken seriously ???

[Dragline]

Not by us -- but for people who are likely to be in the market for such a thing -- yes, it is directed at affirming their life choices, along the lines of that maker/taker meme. Its specifically directed at men in their late 40s and early to mid-50s.

I've learned that the less you watch television, the stranger and more disconnected it appears.

The Cadillac and Ford commercials seem to represent the Boomer approach to consumerism and the late Gen-X/early Millenial approach, respectively. For the former, it is its own reward -- its the goal. For the latter, "correct" consumerism (e.g., buying green products) expresses a certain communitarian value.

But don't be fooled -- both are designed to induce you to buy brand new shit you probably don't need.

[jennypenny]

But don't be fooled -- both are designed to induce you to buy brand new shit you probably don't need.

Ha, that's what I was afraid to say. They are both selling status symbols, only to groups who define status differently. In both ads, they hardly mention the car. It's all about who drives it.

[stoneage]

They are both selling status symbols, only to groups who define status differently. In both ads, they hardly mention the car. It's all about who drives it.

Definitely, however :

that Ford lady ROCKS that afro!

Yeah !

[dragoncar]

Oh god, the comments...

[Ian]

Oh god, the comments...

Don't do it! Save yourself!

[JohnnyH]

I found the comments rather refreshing... Compared to Bookface at least.

I saw a half a dozen references to 'hard work'. Yet no where in the ad is that mentioned outside of "Why do we work so hard?" -I would say that you don't... You work loooooooong. You're are at work a lot... Most likely at a threatened job with stagnant wages. Paying high taxes with few benefits... Producing little to nothing of value, probably doing more harm than good.

Then, ironically, several references to "believing"... Have FAITH people. Keep working and you will be amply rewarded in the kingdom of afterlife (retirement at 72.5 years of age with Money!® Magazine approved 3.65 million dollar retirement account).

My favorite comments (for variety of reasons):
Michael Liu on Mar 27, 5:10 PM said:
The ads are targeted to 2 different demographics. No one destroyed anyone. Geez....

Rockwell on Mar 27, 5:28 PM said:
I'll take the one with the successful guy vs. the one with the chick who makes dirt for a living

Just A Guy on Mar 27, 6:46 PM said:
At least we are superior to the poor in every way. Enjoy your slavery, plebians.

as an aside on Mar 27, 6:29 PM said:
If you ever catch me spending a millisecond thinking about whether or not my food was "grown locally" please put me out of my misery, and fast.

Sable on Mar 27, 6:46 PM said:
Do you know any young Black people like the girl in the commercial?

Anne S on Mar 28, 2:57 PM said:
The first time I saw the Cadillac commercial, I was excited to hear someone addressing vacation time in comparison to the rest of the world - most other industrial countries have a minimum of 7 weeks a year. Great - improved quality of life, more family time! But no, this was an executive sending the same old message - be happy you have a job, work harder for less, and increase the gap between the wealthy and the shrinking middle class. Noses to the grindstones America - those CEOs need their pools!

Heather Ann on Mar 28, 4:25 PM said:
I found the Caddy ad to be obnoxious and insulting. I don't want more meanigless materialistic crap to fill up my empty work-a-holic life; I want more free time to spend away from the grind with the people I care about. The Europeans understand that, and have a far better quality of life than us. Compared to most of the other Western countries, we Americans work ourselves to an early grave and what do we have to show for it? A pile of mediocre, ugly, overpriced cars and houses chock full of worthless gadgets. I'd sooner buy a Ducati than a Ford, but good on them for addressing the BS of greed and overconsumption.

[Dragline]

Sable on Mar 27, 6:46 PM said:
Do you know any young Black people like the girl in the commercial?

Yes -- Sable needs to get out more. They are all over. Here's one I used to work with:
http://www.breathesxm.com/teachers/