Cadillac gained weight over Christmas…

…Like, a lot.

While we were all too busy wishing one another ‘Happy Honda Days’ and ensuring it was a ‘December to Remember’, no one remembered to tell Cadillac to go easy on the sugared cookies.

And now, this:

There’s more to love at Cadillac!

…Or not. Yeah, DEFINITELY NOT.

The new look scraps the laurel wreath, making room for the adjusted (read: inflated engorged) iteration of the signature crest.

Developers maintain the new mark matches the brand’s forward-thinking mantra “lower, longer, leaner” – a promise embodied in the brand’s current and near-future automotive designs.  Is it just me, or does the Cadillac fleet seem to place emphasis on the exact opposite? Tall, slim, sharp featured headlamps and taillights; emphasizing narrow, vertical height -- it's a style in glaring contrast with the now horizontally-focused brand mark.

Sorry, but I’m not buying it.

While I commend the brand’s refresh for adopting the less-is-more trend in sharp, streamlined design, I can’t get behind the increase in total surface area and disproportionate balance top/bottom, left-to-right.

It looks like some graphic design intern didn’t know they were supposed to hold shift when they tugged on the corner.

It’s both clunky and garish and looks extremely down market for a brand intended to compete against foreign luxury nameplates.

Size matters.

And when it comes to applying brand to car, one size does NOT fit all.

Mercedez-Benz and Volvo, YES – bigger does seem better.

Cadillac, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

The new look is slated to hit the streets this summer with the delivery of the 2015 ATS Coupe. Let’s hope it gets some toning time in at the gym before then, ‘cuz this brand is by NO MEANS beach-ready.

Happy New Year!
-DS :)

Twitter hacks ain’t so bad.

Seriously!

First Burger King, then Jeep – last week was HUGE in hacking.

Both accounts seemingly breached by the same outfit (@DFNCTSC – a Twitter account with no tweets; apparently stands for Defonic Team Screenname Club – a collective of hackers once associated with breaching Paris Hilton's T-Mobile account in 2005).

No doubt both will bring up serious concerns over cyber security and corporate protocol around social media. But really, how bad were these two most recent hacks?

@BurgerKing – Mon. 2/18, approx. 12 noon EST.

The hack alleged a takeover by McDonald’s, however in-eloquent. Tweets rambled on for nearly an hour before Burger King/Twitter finally caught on to the act, suspending the account and blocking delivery of new lascivious tweets.

@Jeep – Tue. 2/19, approx. 1pm EST.

Jeep’s hack followed similar suit, intimating a business takeover by Cadillac (nameplate under GM). Again, tweets were far from funny – nonsensical ramblings and obscure drug and gang references. And the folks at Chrysler were “back in the driver’s seat” before the afternoon was out.

So, why is it good?

It doesn’t negatively impact brand value. – Quite the opposite, actually. Members of the twittersphere can immediately recognize a hack, and just like that, disconnect any negative sentiment that may arise from offensive language. Instead, it seems to stimulate a sense of empathy and reality for the account, re-engaging users upon the  legit owner’s return.

It adds followers. – Burger King gained 30k followers; Jeep gained a (more) modest 3k. And isn’t audience growth one of the most important things? Like when celebrities decide to self-destruct in 140 characters or less, people tune in for the drama, but getting ‘em to stay is another story. Again, content is king and the pressure is on to retain new minds.

So, while we’ve established that the brand gets something with their hack, what do we readers get?

Not much.

Is it too much to demand a higher breed of comedy?

More satire, less sass. – Acting like McDonald’s purchased its arch-nemesis is a great concept. But the intimation stopped there and the predators opted for messaging no more thoughtful than that of a novice, self-involved amateur user. Superfluous street slang, cheap drug humor, and poor spelling don’t feel like a McDonald’s run Burger King Satire – and that’s what new followers tuned in to see.

How about a Ronald vs. King Mascot face-off? Maybe a Big Mac/Whooper menu mash-up? Get creative in a way that McDonald’s would NEVER in a real Burger King take-over!

Makes you wish these hacking outfits could add a few über-creative marketers, even comedy writers to the payroll. It would make their reign more entertaining and engaging.

Where should I submit my résumé? :)