De Dylan De Ville

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Cadillac is a storied brand that hasn’t used celebrity much to push itself. It hasn’t needed to; celebrities just always drove the cars. So what imagery now captures the brand? Is it style-power-prestige or muddy roads? Who would have thought that Cadillac would be building trucks, SUVs and a crossover wagon? It used to be simple, ‘The American Standard for the World’ -- so much so that the phrase is still part of the pop culture vernacular.

Cadillac is running an ad with Kate Walsh, star of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and the new ‘Private Practice,’ for the new Cadillac CTS. She says, ‘When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?’ She’s sexy, the car is sexy, and it really makes you want to go get one -- now. By the way, it happens to be a great car, and I applaud Cadillac both on the car and the ad. But then there’s a totally different approach the brand is taking:

Bob Dylan (!) is the new pitchman for the Cadillac Escalade, in a multimedia cross promotion with XM Satellite Radio that has him starring in a TV ad pushing the vehicle, XM and, ultimately, his show on XM. This hardly conjures up traditional GM celebrity endorsements, like Dinah Shore singing ‘See the USA in your Chevrolet,’ but then, life has changed and so has Cadillac.

But I have concerns about the Dylan ad. Does it draw the buyer to the vehicle? It certainly draws you to Dylan nostalgia, but that recollection seems to run counter to the idea of him driving this SUV at all. It’s not an anti-establishment car. I think if Cadillac would just play the first 60 seconds of the opening of ‘The Sopranos,’ with Tony listening to Bob, and be honest about who the company is pitching to, it would sell more Escalades.

-- Josh Hancock