Cadillac takes Gold Marketing Achievement of the Year award

Attended by nearly 500 business and marketing communications professionals from around the Gulf, the glittering event saw a number of the world's top international brands come together with some of the region's own success stories to celebrate their achievements in marketing excellence.

"The judges were unanimous in their selection of Cadillac for the Grand Prix," said Peter Barton, editor of Gulf Marketing Review. "They were especially impressed with the sheer attention to detail that Cadillac brought to every aspect of its marketing mix; from advertising creative to distribution network, media execution to public relations and new products, the breadth of activity undertaken by Cadillac in its mission to revitalize the brand is a great example of marketing in action."

Generating more than 100 entries from every Gulf state, the Marketing Achievement of the Year Award was judged from the winners and highly commendeds of the night's other 12 categories by a seven-strong panel of judges, comprised of industry experts and academics, with no involvement by the magazine, its editor or publisher to insure total impartiality in the selection.

"We were delighted with the standard of most of the entries as well as the level of detail which entrants included in their submissions," added Barton. "Gulf Marketing Review is committed to seeing the Marketing Effectiveness Awards move from strength to strength on coming years, showcasing the good work that is being done in this region and bringing GMR closer to the best people in the industry doing the best things."

"We were delighted to receive the inaugural Marketing Achievement of the Year Gold Award," said Fadi Ghosn, regional marketing manager for premium brands, General Motors. "Cadillac has invested US$4 billion in repositioning itself as a younger, sharper brand: we sent the vehicles back to the drawing board for a design-led renaissance, we took advantage of the regional trend towards growth in the luxury segment, where sales are growing twice as fast as the industry average and we worked to build a rock-solid retailer network across the region, backed by unforeseen levels of customer service."

As a direct result of the new design investment and focus, a new breed of Cadillac models has been launched over the last five years, taking the world and the region by storm with their sleek lines, angular planes, powerful engines and highly sophisticated technology.

The brand has a long history in the Middle East of being a status symbol. This implicit association between Cadillac and the trappings of success was a key advantage, but in an increasingly competitive market place, Cadillac realised the need to hit all targets of the expanding luxury market - hence the introduction of a line up of striking new models that compete in almost every segment of the luxury market.

One of the key elements of the renaissance strategy was to select one dedicated premium dealership in each country that combines GM premiums brands Cadillac, Hummer and Saab, allowing for higher levels of customer service and a reinvented ownership experience. Since their appointment of one premium dealer for each market, the region has seen a number of dedicated luxurious showrooms open. This shows that GM's investment in brand was matched by retailers keen to demonstrate their own commitment to the brand - 2004 saw eight dedicated showrooms open across the region, with more planned in 2005.

As the renaissance moves the brand from technology to emotion, from science to art, Cadillac will continue to break new ground, employ imaginative marketing techniques and continue to get foster market growth across the region. Evidently the Middle East region is catching on, with total Cadillac sales for 2004 up by 50% over 2003. Cadillac retail sales in the region have quadrupled since 2000.