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NEW YORK - Cadillac is about to bet big-time that in five seconds, it can convince consumers of one unlikely selling point: Its cars are darned fast.
The General Motors division today will announce plans to broadcast a series of five-second TV spots that show vehicles from its new lineup accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour. An off-camera announcer will remark: "How fast? That fast!"
While speed isn't new to automotive advertising, it's a new wrinkle for Cadillac, which is working overtime to embrace a younger audience. The ads will begin to air during the National Football League playoffs on Jan. 15 and continue into the Super Bowl on Feb. 6. They also will air during the Academy Awards on Feb. 27.
Five-second ads are somewhat of a novelty.
While sponsors have used them before - particularly during broadcasts such as football bowl games - they're usually static shots of product logos with a voice-over uttering a company slogan.
These Cadillac ads will be anything but static.
The purpose of the lightning-fast ads: to demonstrate the quickness of the new vehicles - "V" versions of the XLR and STS revved with higher horsepower and V-8 engines, says Jay Spenchian, marketing director for Cadillac.
"The whole idea is to attract the attention of those who hadn't considered Cadillac until this point," Spenchian says. "This is a dramatic way of getting their attention."
But critics say that speed doesn't just sell - it also can kill.
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The General Motors division today will announce plans to broadcast a series of five-second TV spots that show vehicles from its new lineup accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour. An off-camera announcer will remark: "How fast? That fast!"
While speed isn't new to automotive advertising, it's a new wrinkle for Cadillac, which is working overtime to embrace a younger audience. The ads will begin to air during the National Football League playoffs on Jan. 15 and continue into the Super Bowl on Feb. 6. They also will air during the Academy Awards on Feb. 27.
Five-second ads are somewhat of a novelty.
While sponsors have used them before - particularly during broadcasts such as football bowl games - they're usually static shots of product logos with a voice-over uttering a company slogan.
These Cadillac ads will be anything but static.
The purpose of the lightning-fast ads: to demonstrate the quickness of the new vehicles - "V" versions of the XLR and STS revved with higher horsepower and V-8 engines, says Jay Spenchian, marketing director for Cadillac.
"The whole idea is to attract the attention of those who hadn't considered Cadillac until this point," Spenchian says. "This is a dramatic way of getting their attention."
But critics say that speed doesn't just sell - it also can kill.
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