Have you seen the new Cadillac ads on TV? The ones featuring Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”? Damn, those ads just rock, don’t they? Except that they’re some of the worst ads on television, and it has nothing to do with Zep or selling out or anything like that.

The spots juxtapose a gorgeous, mint 1959 El Dorado with some of Cadillac’s new models (the CTS, XLR, Escalade and Escalade EXT) in an attempt to “leverage” (as we say in the corporate world) the legendary style of the ’50s, when cars were bigger than life. They’re using the classic Caddy, which we associate with all kinds of rose-colored Americana, to “give the rub” (as they say in the “sports entertainment” biz) to the new breed. They’re putting the two together and asking you to conclude that, damn, these new Caddies are every bit as stylish and cool as the originals. They’re American classics! Continue reading →