Cadillac is truly pushing to involve users -- whether it be through viewing others' videos, uploading their own content or commenting -- and has created a forum that makes this possible. The brand is also hosting a news blog to update users on the progress of the site and to announce celebrity participation on the site.
Overall, Cadillac wants to play into the nostalgic feelings Americans have with the brand by letting them share stories of Cadillac from their own personal histories. It's the perfect opportunity for future buyers and current owners to have a shared experience with this American classic.
-- Krisserin Canary, associate editor, iMedia Communications
I like this site. As web visitors to the homepage, we can start with Jay Leno. He shows us his car garage, which is really an entire airplane hangar, and tells us about an old guy who sold him a '68 Cadillac. Midway through the video, Jay gives us a sneak peek at the red hot, sexy '08 Cadillac CTS. Seeing these two Cadillac models over a 40 year spread, you truly get a feeling of the level of detail and craftsmanship that makes Cadillac one of the most enduring auto brands of all time. Jay connects with core Cadillac enthusiasts, particularly those from my dad's generation.
My favorite part of the site is the viral "Tell Us Your Story," which is the clear call to action throughout the site. This section of MyCadillacStory.com is powered by Google and YouTube, which is a familiar user interface and functionality for uploading videos, sharing them, rating them and, of course, for communal commenting. The stories of Cadillac owners young and old are entertaining, but the reason why they work so well is that they are about people's lives, not just selling features of the car. Let's get back to Tiki Barber. I gotta be honest -- his stories are my favorite on the site. A University of Virginia grad (like me), his story of seizing an opportunity and leading UVA's underdog football team over #1 ranked Florida State in '95… Tiki is magic, that video is magic and therefore Cadillac is magic. Before visiting the site, I thought Cadillacs were a thing of the past. Now, I'm a believer. Elegance and authenticity always win in the end.
-- Ryan Buchanan, CEO, eROI, Inc.
My own Cadillac story begins and ends with a plastic El Dorado I built in elementary school, circa 1977. It was pretty impressive, so I had some common ground with the Caddy "foamers" who would contribute to MyCadillacStory.com. Inexplicably, their cars seem to have a lot less glue sticking out the sides than mine did.
Conceptually, the idea of bringing together Cadillac fans to show off their love machines is both obvious and smart. It's the kind of brand, revered over decades, that you can count on for some great material coming in from people. Usually, this is the anxiety-fueled thing that keeps creative directors up at night. You can build it, but will anyone come?
So the idea is great, and the site is technically well done, but I'm not sure they fully stuck the landing. I was confused by the range of content here. Some homegrown, some hyper-produced, but all just kind of tossed into the same bin seemingly organized vertically by the video's production price tag. My greatest frustration was that the structure pushed the "real people" (i.e., not Joan Jett, Tiki Barber, Jay Leno) to the very bottom of the presentation. Those are actually the more interesting stories: a father (Vinny!) snapping at his son posed awkwardly but proudly in front of a lime-green '70s model with old-timey rims; a guy with somewhat suspect Caddy tattoos, et cetera. But to get to these, I had to hold down the scroll button for 27 seconds to get to the first non-staged, user-submitted stuff.
Certainly, the celeb videos provide some client-appeasing balance to the site. Well-produced and mostly engaging, no points off for including these. After all, middle-America hasn't read the brief and can't be counted on to reliably deliver the UVP (unique value proposition) support points.
-- Chris Wooster, group creative director, T3