USA Today: In the latest marketing twist to burnish a venerable Detroit brand, every customer who buys a four-wheeled Cadillac car or light truck at Kay Blacklock’s Toronto-area dealership receives a free Caddy two-wheeler worth about $615.
Through a special licensing agreement with GM, bicycle giant Kent International has created a Cadillac Bicycles unit and is producing a line of mid- to high-end bikes carrying the vaunted Cadillac brand name and logo.
The decision to lend the Cadillac name and its aura of premium luxury to a line of two-wheelers was based in large part on a desire to reach a younger, hipper buyer.
“The more unexpected brand contacts we can have, the more surprising it is for the consumer and the more chances we have to break through preconceptions of what they think they know about Cadillac now,” says Doug Schumacker, Cadillac’s accessories manager.
The bikes range in price from $500 to $1,900.
Dealers will be able to toss in a bike to help close a sale, or give them away as gestures of appreciation to customers or to sales personnel who meet or beat sales targets, Schumacker says.
A few years ago a Caddy wasn’t even on the same planet as my consideration set. My 78-year old father owns one for Christ’s sake. These cars are still not really on my consideration set. But I could now be talked into at least thinking about putting them in my consideration set. And that is no small feat. Especially when you consider where this brand was not too long ago. I think the brand managers here deserve some real credit for making this brand relevant again.
The brand managers and the stars who drive Escalades deserve credit. Although, I’m not sure marketing had much to do with the rappers and movie stars getting behind the wheel of a Caddy SUV. Whatever the cause, they did get behind the wheel and the brand picked up a ton of street cred in the process.
It’s also a good example of a brand going back to the drawing board on product. The models I’ve been exposed to are pretty much all they are cracked up to be.
Caddy bike followup
Followup on the Cadillac bike news over at adpulp. Although they take a more positive position on the issue, I cannot help to be anything but cynical. I know, I know, the bikes are not meant to be marketed towards