McNaughton Automotive Perspectives Building and re-building great automotive brands.

I can’t help but wonder if the goal of becoming a Tier 1 brand is a bit of a fool’s errand in today’s luxury segment.

Cadillac demonstrates that if you are a content provider "poseur" then you are implicitly breaking a promise to your audience and that's the kiss of death.

Wow.  VW just introduced a new people mover concept in Geneva that has everyone talking.  Understandably so, it’s called the “Bulli” and it’s great: Obviously this idea shares some genes with the original and iconic VW Bus which many of us associate with the ’60′s, hippies and perhaps a simpler time

What might have been in the Super Bowl: the message would have been simple...Mercedes-Benzes save the lives of people like me. Pretty powerful stuff.

Fortunately the people at Chrysler and their agency, Wieden & Kennedy had the courage to ignore all the reasons "why not."

Despite being one of the highest interest product categories with some often fantastic products, we seem to be unable to captivate the Super Bowl audience.

Strategically, I think this work is smart. I like the idea of setting up the other Tier 1 luxury marques as "blue-blooded" (cold, aloof, distant, rational) and juxtaposing Cadillac's "red blooded luxury" (passionate, glamorous, dramatic, daring).