Marketing to Women: Ford Parody of Cadillac Spot More Appealing to Women

Thanks to Adweek for alerting us to two spots that espouse totally different views on marketing Hybrid Cars – one spot from Cadillac and one spot from Ford.  Which one do you think appeals to women looking for a hybrid plug-in?  An insensitive male spokesperson who worships status toys or a confident female entrepreneur who wants to make the world a better place?

Here’s the facts:  Women purchase half of all vehicles sold in the US and take part in 80% of the car buying decisions.  And women request 65% of the service work done at dealerships.

The Cadillac Approach

Cadillac has been airing a well-criticized spot espousing that the American dream is based on taking less vacation and owning lots of things.  The spots seems to reek of elitism, egocentric views and insensitivity.  The  intent of the spot was to sell Cadillac’s CLR luxury plug-in but it seems to have struck a raw nerve with today’s more socially conscious consumer.

The Ford Approach

Ford took on the Cadillac spot with their own spoof of the spot posted on YouTube.  The focus of the spot is sustainability, entrepreneurism, and making our cities better.  The spokesperson couldn’t be more different — a successful black women Pashon Murray, the founder of a sustainability consultancy and advocacy group.