Reuss: Cadillac Move To NYC Will Elevate Brand Profile
Now that Cadillac and 50 of its B&B have packed up and moved out of Detroit for the American hustle of New York, what do those closest to the brand have to say about the move? General Motors product boss Mark Reuss has a couple of cents to spare.
According to Autoblog, Reuss believes the move to New York will help “elevate” Cadillac’s profile onto the radar screens of “some of the people we’d to be on,” particularly those on the coasts who are smitten with BMW, Mercedes and Lexus.
With the premium brand now calling the neighborhood of SoHo home — engineering and design left behind in Detroit — Reuss says brand president Johan de Nysschen and marketing officer Uwe Ellinghaus will be able to better re-examine where Cadillac stands in the luxury game.
Meanwhile, GM CEO Mary Barra had this to say to The Detroit News and other reporters after her appearance on a panel at the annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York:
When you look at how important Cadillac is, we need to have that team dedicated — thinking Cadillac day in and day out. When you think about New York, it’s the perfect place to be. It’s where a lot of luxury is defined. It’s trend-setting — so I think it’s going to be very, very positive.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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I think that XflowGolf and dal20402 have a good handle on this. The problem isn't just that Cadillac build quality isn't what it should be, or that Cadillac should recreate the last-gen Town Car, or that they should chase Mercedes or Lexus. Doing any of those things - as positive as they may be in the short run - will only yield a me-too product. Cadillac, it seems to me, is in the midst of an existential crisis - what does the brand stand for? This goes way beyond - and in fact precedes - a product discussion. It's hard to know what a "good" or "competitive" product is without knowing what the brand stands for. What makes people aspire to a Cadillac - or an iPhone or a Rolex or any other premium brand? If you're only getting your cues from other luxury car brands, all you'll do is attempt to recreate someone else's brand image... and you probably won't do it as well. What GM seems to have perceived is that its Cadillac division needs a dose of creativity that can be catalyzed by exposure to other industries. And conversely, staying in a company town is way too likely to result in a rehash of the same old, same old. Please, don't think that moving key planning/marketing folks to NYC has anything to do with asking NYC's "man-on-the-street" what he or she would like to have in next year's Cadillac. If that were all they were trying to accomplish, there are any number of easier and more accurate ways of capturing that intelligence. Instead, if I were GM top management, I'd ask their leadership to understand other brands that are perceived as luxurious, trend-setting, iconoclastic, and distinctive. I'd look long and hard at fashion, jewelry, media, consumer technology, and more. Learn what makes people desire a brand - then you can think product planning, then you can think engineering. Will they succeed? IMHO, it's a long shot because so much damage has been done to a treasured brand; it's almost like starting over. But I'd give them a better shot with what they're doing than just hunkering down in Detroit.
"...“elevate” Cadillac’s profile onto the radar screens of “some of the people we’d to be on,” " Ahem... some Ukrainian prostitutes on the back seats ? and, well, some Serbian body-parts in the coffer ? I'm hoping for American decency. With that Cadillac touch, still, of course...
I have to say, Tesla moving to Nevada and Caddy to New York, may help explain why one of the key honchos has made billions at least partially off of his decision making astuteness...
When all we hear how companies flee NYC (and NY) for TN and FL, this is an unusual move. Take that, libertarians! Executives are not afraid of taxes!