Because I am in the biz, I like to think that I am unaffected by marketing, particularly the advertising wing. Wrong! The truth: I am unaffected by bad marketing, which I think is best represented by much of today's advertising.


Don't blame the creatives. They are just as innovative as before. Blame the executives who are out of touch with their customers.
What brings me to write about this? Yesterday, I spent six hours on America's highways and byways. So bored that I began paying attention to the cars around me. First, I am not a car guy. I drive a 10-year-old Ford because I got a good deal on it. But yesterday, my emotions responded every time I saw a Cadillac. To the point that I announced to my wife that "I want one of those," and she responded, "I know. You have been saying that for a year."
Wow! She's right. Without being conscious of it, Cadillac has gotten under my skin and in my heart. But why? I believe it is because of the auto-maker's most recent advertising campaign. Here is an example:

But what makes that ad or any of Cadillac's recent ads grab my attention? Could it be these old but proven techniques?
1. Storytelling.
2. Futuristic show and tell.
3. The use of analogies that everyone can relate to.
4. The selling of different and special.
5. Great views that put me in the car.
6. Charged my imagination to create the potential for a great experience if I buy a Cadillac.
Can't say for sure because I can't read my heart. But I suspect I am grabbed because of those things and more. Cadillac has turned on my senses and awakened my emotions. Most marketing doesn't do that.
What ads touch you and why? Can you see what I see in the Cadillac ads? If you were the advertising/marketing god, what would you change about today's campaigns, if anything? What would you keep the same?