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GM's marketing makes no sense



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 27th 13, 04:07 PM posted to rec.autos.tech
Nate Nagel[_2_]
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Posts: 4,686
Default GM's marketing makes no sense

Just saw an ad for the Caddy ATS on TV late last night. Supposedly it's
a really nice little car; I don't know, I haven't driven one. But all
the reviews I've read/watched position it as a legitimate competitor to
the BMW 3-series.

The specific ad that I saw made a big deal out of the headlights that
apparently swivel slightly to follow the road. Which is a great
feature, I agree.

Difficulty: the BMW 3er has had "adaptive headlights" since sometime in
the middle of the E46 (two generations ago) production run.

Now WHY if you are aiming a vehicle at a target market of owners of a
very specific popular vehicle, would you advertise that *your* vehicle
has a great new feature when your target market is going to see that ad,
think "oh, really, my ten year old BMW has that" and immediately make
the assumption that Cadillac is playing catch-up to BMW?

I would really like to see the day where a friend of mine could roll up
in a new Cadillac or Lincoln or whatever and I'd look it over and take
it for a spin and then say "f**k yeah, America's back!" But with
advertising blunders like this... never mind the merits of the car, how
can you succeed when you're in effect acknowledging that you're playing
follow-the-leader to your most direct competitor?

Or does Caddy's marketing department not agree with what seems to be
obvious to everyone else, namely that the ATS is specifically designed
to win over current and potential 3-series drivers?

nate

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  #2  
Old June 27th 13, 06:14 PM posted to rec.autos.tech
.[_13_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 45
Default GM's marketing makes no sense

"Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
...
> Just saw an ad for the Caddy ATS on TV late last night. Supposedly it's a
> really nice little car; I don't know, I haven't driven one. But all the
> reviews I've read/watched position it as a legitimate competitor to the
> BMW 3-series.
>
> The specific ad that I saw made a big deal out of the headlights that
> apparently swivel slightly to follow the road. Which is a great feature,
> I agree.
>
> Difficulty: the BMW 3er has had "adaptive headlights" since sometime in
> the middle of the E46 (two generations ago) production run.
>
> Now WHY if you are aiming a vehicle at a target market of owners of a very
> specific popular vehicle, would you advertise that *your* vehicle has a
> great new feature when your target market is going to see that ad, think
> "oh, really, my ten year old BMW has that" and immediately make the
> assumption that Cadillac is playing catch-up to BMW?


The Tucker had such a feature nearly 70 years ago.


  #3  
Old June 27th 13, 06:52 PM posted to rec.autos.tech
JR[_8_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 625
Default GM's marketing makes no sense

On Thursday, June 27, 2013 12:14:00 PM UTC-5, . wrote:
> "Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > Just saw an ad for the Caddy ATS on TV late last night. Supposedly it's a

>
> > really nice little car; I don't know, I haven't driven one. But all the

>
> > reviews I've read/watched position it as a legitimate competitor to the

>
> > BMW 3-series.

>
> >

>
> > The specific ad that I saw made a big deal out of the headlights that

>
> > apparently swivel slightly to follow the road. Which is a great feature,

>
> > I agree.

>
> >

>
> > Difficulty: the BMW 3er has had "adaptive headlights" since sometime in

>
> > the middle of the E46 (two generations ago) production run.

>
> >

>
> > Now WHY if you are aiming a vehicle at a target market of owners of a very

>
> > specific popular vehicle, would you advertise that *your* vehicle has a

>
> > great new feature when your target market is going to see that ad, think

>
> > "oh, really, my ten year old BMW has that" and immediately make the

>
> > assumption that Cadillac is playing catch-up to BMW?

>
>
>
> The Tucker had such a feature nearly 70 years ago.


Citroen had them too.
  #4  
Old June 27th 13, 10:19 PM posted to rec.autos.tech
Geoff Welsh
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Posts: 171
Default GM's marketing makes no sense

.. wrote:
> "Nate > wrote in message
> ...
>> Just saw an ad for the Caddy ATS on TV late last night. Supposedly it's a
>> really nice little car; I don't know, I haven't driven one. But all the
>> reviews I've read/watched position it as a legitimate competitor to the
>> BMW 3-series.
>>
>> The specific ad that I saw made a big deal out of the headlights that
>> apparently swivel slightly to follow the road. Which is a great feature,
>> I agree.
>>
>> Difficulty: the BMW 3er has had "adaptive headlights" since sometime in
>> the middle of the E46 (two generations ago) production run.
>>
>> Now WHY if you are aiming a vehicle at a target market of owners of a very
>> specific popular vehicle, would you advertise that *your* vehicle has a
>> great new feature when your target market is going to see that ad, think
>> "oh, really, my ten year old BMW has that" and immediately make the
>> assumption that Cadillac is playing catch-up to BMW?

>
> The Tucker had such a feature nearly 70 years ago.
>


you beat me to it!
GW
  #5  
Old June 27th 13, 11:05 PM posted to rec.autos.tech
Nate Nagel[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,686
Default GM's marketing makes no sense

On 06/27/2013 05:19 PM, Geoff Welsh wrote:
> . wrote:
>> "Nate > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Just saw an ad for the Caddy ATS on TV late last night. Supposedly
>>> it's a
>>> really nice little car; I don't know, I haven't driven one. But all the
>>> reviews I've read/watched position it as a legitimate competitor to the
>>> BMW 3-series.
>>>
>>> The specific ad that I saw made a big deal out of the headlights that
>>> apparently swivel slightly to follow the road. Which is a great
>>> feature,
>>> I agree.
>>>
>>> Difficulty: the BMW 3er has had "adaptive headlights" since sometime in
>>> the middle of the E46 (two generations ago) production run.
>>>
>>> Now WHY if you are aiming a vehicle at a target market of owners of a
>>> very
>>> specific popular vehicle, would you advertise that *your* vehicle has a
>>> great new feature when your target market is going to see that ad, think
>>> "oh, really, my ten year old BMW has that" and immediately make the
>>> assumption that Cadillac is playing catch-up to BMW?

>>
>> The Tucker had such a feature nearly 70 years ago.
>>

>
> you beat me to it!
> GW


You guys are right, of course, my point was that I just don't see the
point of advertising features that your main competition has had for years.

Then again, if I *did* understand what was good advertising, I'd be a
lot more affluent than I am.

To be fair, I don't get BMW's recent price-based advertising campaign,
and my local BMW dealer's own ads are not borderline offensive, they
*are* offensive (the one that they run over and over is basically a well
dressed couple showing up outside a club apparently for a night on the
town, lady spots douchey looking guy in a new red 3er convertible, then
cut to shot of her getting in convertible with douche behind the wheel.
I mean, really! No, I don't patronize that dealership.)

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
  #6  
Old June 28th 13, 02:18 AM posted to rec.autos.tech
Ashton Crusher[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,874
Default GM's marketing makes no sense

On Thu, 27 Jun 2013 11:07:45 -0400, Nate Nagel >
wrote:

>Just saw an ad for the Caddy ATS on TV late last night. Supposedly it's
>a really nice little car; I don't know, I haven't driven one. But all
>the reviews I've read/watched position it as a legitimate competitor to
>the BMW 3-series.
>
>The specific ad that I saw made a big deal out of the headlights that
>apparently swivel slightly to follow the road. Which is a great
>feature, I agree.
>
>Difficulty: the BMW 3er has had "adaptive headlights" since sometime in
>the middle of the E46 (two generations ago) production run.
>
>Now WHY if you are aiming a vehicle at a target market of owners of a
>very specific popular vehicle, would you advertise that *your* vehicle
>has a great new feature when your target market is going to see that ad,
>think "oh, really, my ten year old BMW has that" and immediately make
>the assumption that Cadillac is playing catch-up to BMW?
>
>I would really like to see the day where a friend of mine could roll up
>in a new Cadillac or Lincoln or whatever and I'd look it over and take
>it for a spin and then say "f**k yeah, America's back!" But with
>advertising blunders like this... never mind the merits of the car, how
>can you succeed when you're in effect acknowledging that you're playing
>follow-the-leader to your most direct competitor?
>
>Or does Caddy's marketing department not agree with what seems to be
>obvious to everyone else, namely that the ATS is specifically designed
>to win over current and potential 3-series drivers?
>
>nate


As you said, two markets, those who own BMW who might be talked into
switching, and those who don't but who might buy either a BMW or New
Caddy. So that ad would be aimed at the "those who don't" who
probably don't know if or how long either car has had that feature.
There really are very few new features of any substance on any of the
new cars other then electronic crap no one actually needs. So what
can you advertise? Bun warmers, bluetooth, powered lift gates.
 




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