Cadillac Rebrand
CHALLENGE
Young luxury buyers weren’t buying into the legacy
Despite fresh product innovations, Cadillac’s legacy wasn't translating to a new generation of luxury buyers. To re-establish the brand as a modern symbol of American achievement, we didn't just need a new advertising tagline. We needed to completely rebuild how the brand behaved across its entire digital and physical footprint.
SOLUTION
A REIMAGINED MODERN LUXURY BRAND SYSTEM
To shift Cadillac's outdated brand perception, I led a team committed to building an "always-on" modern luxury brand system. We developed a unified creative strategy that established exactly how the brand appeared, spoke, acted, and engaged at every consumer touchpoint.
MY ROLE
Creative lead responsible for building the team from the ground up and setting the creative vision. I hired, structured, mentored, and worked shoulder-to-shoulder with a fully integrated, cross-discipline creative team.
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
5.2%
Increase in global sales
(GM Authority)
1000+
Brand assets refreshed across all consumer touchpoints
Top 6
Brand quality perception
(Consumer Reports)
35-49
Increase in Buzz & Consideration among this key growth demo
(YouGov BrandIndex)
ALWAYS-ON
LUXURY
A modern luxury brand doesn't just launch campaigns. It sustains a persona. We developed a comprehensive brand system ensuring Cadillac engaged its luxury shoppers with one unified experience.
THE ART OF
THE SYSTEM
To elevate the brand, we had to rewrite its visual DNA. We implemented a lighter, premium palette, rigorous Mondrian-inspired layouts, and cinematic photography. Paired with a more confident, clever tone of voice, this systemic approach allowed us to roll out a flawless luxury experience across every digital and physical channel.
PRODUCT LIFESTYLE
THE EDITORIAL LENS
Capturing the persona
We reimagined traditional automotive product photography with high-end editorial storytelling. Partnering with fashion photographer Patrick Curtet, we developed a dynamic suite of product, detail, and persona "vibe" shots. This beautiful-but-badass aesthetic gave us the flexibility needed to build out the world of each vehicle across digital, print, and social.
DATA-DRIVEN LUXURY
THE CONCIERGE ENGINE
MODULAR CRM
To give Cadillac a direct line to its buyers, we engineered an email program that functioned as a digital concierge. Driven by user behavior, this modular CRM system delivered a highly personalized four-touch journey—serving the exact right mix of cinematic storytelling, specs, and timely nudges based on where the shopper was in the funnel.
TACTILE LUXURY
To reimagine direct mail as a luxury brand moment, we created meaningful physical experiences:
Date Night Test Drive
A VIP test-drive invitation delivered with a $100 dining card.
EV ORIGAMI
A sculptural mailer that unfolded to reveal the artistic design of Cadillac's first electric vehicle.
THE DAILY PERSONA
AT THE SPEED OF CULTURE
REAL-TIME CRAFT
An "always-on" brand system can't just be consistent, it has to be agile. To sustain our new persona, we built a social capability that allowed us to react to culture in real time without sacrificing craft.
From designing vintage movie posters during the live Oscar broadcast, to creating bespoke vinyl-inspired art for Record Store Day, we injected Cadillac directly into relevant cultural conversations with speed and undeniable style.
EARNED MEDIA & PARTNERSHIPS
SEIZING THE MOMENT
Promise To Rose
When we heard top NFL draft prospect Teddy Bridgewater had promised to buy his mother a pink Escalade if he went pro, we pivoted our 2015 reveal strategy to make it happen.
Partnering with director Spike Lee, we created a bespoke pink Escalade to surprise Teddy’s mother on Mother's Day. By acting fast on a culturally resonant story, we transcended traditional automotive media—generating over 10 million earned impressions across ABC's Good Morning America, ESPN’s SportsCenter, and global lifestyle outlets.
