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Melissa Grady Dias is the chief marketing officer of Cadillac. Over the course of her career, she’s also worked at brands and agencies including MetLife, Motorola, and TBWAChiatDay.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? I am very proud of our “Colors of Emotion” campaign. It was the grand unveiling of the Lyriq, Cadillac’s first all-electric vehicle, on the world stage. It was also the first campaign to feature the new visual identity and tagline, “Be iconic.” We felt we needed to revamp our brand strategy and look and feel for Cadillac’s transition to EVs. The entire process took two years, and to see the final product and culmination of it all was incredibly fulfilling for the entire team. At one point, “Colors” tested in the top 3% of all ads ever tracked by our GM research team across all industries.
What’s your favorite ad campaign? My favorite campaign right now is the Angi ad with the song from Black Sheep. I love the energy the music infuses—you can’t help but start to move, and it stays in your head. And the message is so clear—get some help from Angi, and you have the freedom to enjoy the things you want to do.
Another one I love that came out years ago is the “Beatrice” ad by Esurance. There’s a myth that people don’t like advertising, but people like good advertising that’s entertaining, memorable, and relatable. This one is the perfect balance of memorability and effectiveness. It clearly establishes Esurance as the tech-savvy option for big insurance savings, and I still quote and laugh at the punchline today!
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One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? I’m very into mindfulness and breathing exercises! A coworker introduced meditation to me early in my career. One night, when we were in the office working late, she made the suggestion of doing a few exercises after noticing that I was stressed and wound up. While I was a bit skeptical at first, it was the start of a journey of passion that continues today. I’m even involved in a mental well-being company, Ziva Health, as an advisor.
What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? It may be a predictable answer, but I’m very excited about the applications of AI in marketing. First from a personalization perspective, and the ability to create custom content experiences and product offers for the customer. Second, the ability to generate numerous pieces of content instantly across regions and languages to highlight and showcase our Cadillac products. It will be such a massive time and money saver for us.
The trend I’m least excited about is the rising cost of media across channels. Especially TV. It’s still the best way to reach a broad audience and build awareness.
What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? I’m a huge fan of the Pivot podcast hosted by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. They are both so insightful and have deep discussions on the latest industry trends, emerging technologies, political developments, and other major forces that impact our world and, by extension, the marketing landscape. They also have an incredible lineup of guests with amazing perspectives and stories of their own. They have a great dynamic, and their banter and predictions always keep me entertained.
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