MISTAKES WERE MADE.

Editor's Note: This week, Peter blasts GM and its marketing 'brain trust' for the abysmal TV spot they're running for the magnificent Cadillac Celestiq. A major marketing misstep that is both painful and pathetic, but not entirely surprising given the players involved. In On The Table, we take a detailed look at the 2025 Cadillac Escalade. Peter tells us about George Levy's superb new book, TEXAS LEGEND. Jim Hall and his Chaparrals. It is the definitive biography of one of racing's most influential talents. We also preview the new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+. And, we take another look at a new limited-edition Audi, along with the latest EV bike from Maeving. Our AE Song of the Week is "I Melt With You" by Modern English. In Fumes, we bring you the next chapter of Peter's much-talked-about motorsports series, "The Drivers, Part XV," which this week features the great Ken Miles. And finally, in The Line, we'll have INDYCAR results from Iowa. We're on it. -WG



By Peter M. DeLorenzo

 

Detroit. When I first became aware of the Cadillac Celestiq, I was thrilled that GM was finally going to compete at the highest levels of the game. With the capable talents of the True Believers peppered throughout the GM organization – from Design, Engineering, Product Development and more – I was quite sure that GM could deliver on the promise of the Celestiq: a machine that could be and should be the "New Standard of the World." 

 

For the most part, I was not disappointed. In person, the Celestiq nails the concept of design “reach” with aplomb, as GM Design, firing on all cylinders, hit this one out of the park. Many automotive journalists initially commented that the Celestiq looked “just like” various cars that came before (one favorite comparison was to the Jensen Interceptor), but that was a knee-jerk reaction. When you see the Celestiq in person, it becomes apparent that it is a singular design triumph, with a bold, unexpected presence – its scale is impressive – and it delivers an emphatic message of confidence unlike anything else on the road.

 

And all the signs indicated that – at a price starting at $300,000+ – this EV machine would, in fact, be an extraordinary presentation in every respect, a true bespoke automobile that prospective owners would be able to spec out to the last detail, at a special building at the GM Tech Center created just for that mission. The way GM/Cadillac operatives were handling the Celestiq made it seem that much more special. This would be, finally, the technological tip of the spear – as brought to the fore by Cadillac – a machine every bit as significant for the company as the various high-performance iterations coming for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette.

 

Since its public introduction, however, the Celestiq seems to have lived in the shadows, which really wasn't a surprise. After all, I didn't expect Cadillac – or Celestiq buyers – to promote this "exclusive" manufacturer/customer relationship. Instead, I expected to see the Celestiq "arrive" at all the finest events and destinations in the U.S. and beyond, with minimum fanfare and maximum impact.

 

Then, unexpectedly, something very strange and extremely disappointing happened. The GM/Cadillac marketing "brain trust" decided that now was exactly the right time to do a TV commercial for the Celestiq. And after watching the spot entitled “A Bespoke Journey” at least a dozen times (see it here -WG), I have to say that I grew more shocked – and pissed-off – after each viewing.

 

First of all, the spot comes off as an advertisement that could easily be for the latest Genesis luxury entry, and not for a handbuilt, triple-six-figure engineering tour de force. In fact, other than the fact that the Celestiq looks so visually distinctive when presented on screen, the spot has an unmistakable air about it of being remarkably ordinary, complete with the obligatory supers touting its features, as a colleague texted to me, “like a Kia spot.” (Oh, and by the way, “Super Cruise” is available? WTF? For 300 G’s everything should be standard. What GM minion thought that would be appropriate? Just ridiculous. -WG)

 

At no time does the commercial say that the Celestiq is the most technologically advanced Cadillac ever built. At no time – other than the way the machine looks – does the spot say or imply that the Celestiq is the “New Standard of the World.” At no time does the spot give you a sense that this machine is in a class with a Rolls-Royce. (And yes, there’s a reason why you don’t see a Rolls-Royce spot on TV. It’s really quite simple – in the stratosphere that company operates in, its management operatives have found that there are other, more appropriately focused avenues to court its clients. And after pricing the Celestiq at $300,000+, you would think that GM/Cadillac marketing operatives would have at least a shred of understanding about that, but no. Anyone? Bueller?)

 

I find everything about this spot for the Celestiq to be misguided, inappropriate and flat-out excruciating. Again, it bears repeating, why does this commercial make the Celestiq seem so completely ordinary? What the hell were these GM operatives thinking? Oh, I get it now, clearly, they weren't, as in, why was this spot even created to begin with? Was it for image enhancement? Was it to do a “halo” thing? Was it because there aren’t enough customers yet and people are getting nervous? Whatever the reasons, it was wrong-headed and pathetic.

 

I have to assume that this spot is a by-product of the new marketing regime at GM. These are the operatives who deemed it necessary to upend the agency roster working on GM and its divisions’ advertising business. Needless to say, this spot, and the thinking behind it – if you can call it that – are not exactly a ringing endorsement of their capabilities. (Even if the spot originated with the “old” ad agencies, it never should have seen the light of day. In fact, it never should have received even a momentary thought – nothing more than a shrug and a collective “nah” at the end of a meeting.)

 

A few more things about this tragic spot. There’s no sense of history, no sense of what Cadillac stands for, no sense of what the Celestiq represents. “The Seamless Union of Power and Grace” are nice words, but they hang in dead air like an afterthought. Because they don’t even begin to describe what the Celestiq is.

 

The fact that this poorly-thought-out spot saw the light of day is exactly why I started this website 25 years ago. People in this business need to do better, especially marketers charged with crafting images for superbly rendered products. I have repeatedly called out those people over the years when it’s needed and justified – and it is especially justified in this case.

 

Making a difference in this business requires full commitment, and more than a modicum of expertise and understanding. This commercial is such a huge miss that it’s painful and pathetic.

 

Mistakes were made.

 

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG