Cadillac drives with big boys in Facebook fundraiser

General Motors Co.’s Cadillac is striving to get back into the good graces of luxury consumers by letting them decide to which local charity a Fort Worth/Dallas auto dealership will donate via its Cadillac Cares Facebook challenge.

The four contending charities – Big Thought, Heroes for Children, The Family Place and Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas – are given the chance to receive money towards their radio, television and print advertising campaigns.  The contest begins April 9 and consumers can vote on the dealership’s Facebook page.

“We have been recognizing the community leaders in our market for over eight years, but it has always been from Cadillac’s point of view,” said Tom D’Angelo, regional marketing manager for Cadillac, Fort Worth, TX. “We believe the people who live here, who are impacted by these charities, who participate in these charity organizations have a stake in this, too.

“Additionally, we believe this challenge will help cross promote the four charities,” he said. “Each one of these charities works with children in some form or fashion.

“The ability to cross pollinate is very attractive to not only Cadillac, but to the participating charities.”

Driving donations
Big Thought helps Dallas children and families use creative learning at home, in school and in the community to reinforce traditional learning with a chance at a better future.

Heroes for Children provide financial and social assistance to families in Texas with children battling cancer.

The Family Place reaches out to thousands of victims of family violence each year with programs designed to keep women and children safe.

Finally, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. .

Each of the charities will have a description and a button where consumers can vote for them at http://www.facebook.com/MetroplexCadillacDealers.

Consumers who “like” the page can cast their votes for one charity once a day. The winner will be completely decided by the voters as the charity with the most votes at the end of the challenge will win the reward.

The challenge ends May 7.

The winning charity will receive $50,000 while the other three foundations will receive $1,000.

Each week, Cadillac will spotlight four of the charities’ volunteers who each have their own reasons for volunteering.

“It has been proven that followers of philanthropic organizations are extremely loyal and these followers don’t hesitate to tell their friends about their charitable passions,” Mr. D’Angelo said.

The will
Luxury brands routinely look for ways to pat themselves on the back for their charity work, and Cadillac’s latest initiative is no exception.

Cadillac has been trying to get back on the luxury map for some time now, and mirroring the work of other automotive brands could be the way to do it.

For instance, Lexus sponsored an obstacle course with basketball player Baron Davis to raise money for a mentoring program (see story).

Also, Mercedes-Benz raffled off cars at the National Capital Area Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 24th Annual Leukemia Ball in Washington in March (see story).

“Cadillac hopes to be able to help four organizations at a time when public donation dollars have been reduced by this economy,” Mr. D’Angelo said. “If Cadillac can help increase awareness for volunteers, donations or taking action of some kind, we have resonated with our community.

“If we are able to help make a difference in the life of one child, one family, then we will have done what we set out to do,” he said. “And we will continue to fight for these important causes, applauding and acknowledging their worth in the community until we can reach as many as we can.”

Final Take
Rachel Lamb, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York

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Tags: Cadillac, Facebook, Internet, luxury, luxury marketing, social media