The Challenge

By 2010, Cadillac faced a perception problem.

While the brand remained synonymous with American luxury, it had become associated with an older generation of buyers. Younger consumers increasingly viewed BMW and Mercedes-Benz as the aspirational luxury brands, leaving Cadillac struggling to remain culturally relevant.

At the same time, Cadillac was undergoing a dramatic transformation. Under new executive leadership, the entire vehicle lineup had been redesigned with sharper styling, improved performance, and a distinctly modern design language. The digital experience needed to reflect that same evolution.

Digitas partnered with BBH and The Lab NYC to pitch Cadillac's launch campaign. BBH led the overall brand strategy, The Lab produced broadcast and campaign assets, and Digitas was responsible for defining how the new Cadillac brand would come to life digitally.

My Contributions

As Associate Creative Director, I led the digital experience from concept through production.

I was responsible for defining the user experience and creative direction while leading a multidisciplinary team throughout the pitch and implementation phases.

My responsibilities included:

• Leading UX strategy, information architecture, and visual design

• Establishing the creative direction for the website experience

• Presenting concepts directly to Cadillac executives during the pitch

• Directing a multidisciplinary team of approximately twenty designers, developers, producers, and project managers

• Overseeing day-to-day creative production and quality

• Collaborating closely with BBH and The Lab NYC to ensure a unified campaign vision

• Working alongside MMC in Michigan to transition the experience into production

• Guiding digital asset requirements during Cadillac's national photography and commercial production

Strategy

Our challenge wasn't simply to build a marketing website.

We needed to create a digital experience that functioned equally well as an emotionally engaging brand campaign and a highly functional enterprise shopping experience.

The strategy became rooted in Cadillac's own identity.

The iconic Cadillac crest represented the brand's enduring heritage and DNA, while the angular geometry of the redesigned vehicles inspired a new visual language built around precision, movement, and modern craftsmanship.

That balance between heritage and innovation influenced every design decision.

The goal was simple:

Create a digital experience that felt as refined and performance-driven as the vehicles themselves.

Designing for Scale

Although the experience needed to inspire, it also needed to perform.

Visitors had to seamlessly transition from discovering the brand to researching vehicles, comparing models, locating dealers, exploring specifications, and ultimately moving toward purchase.

Complicating matters further, the entire experience needed to operate within General Motors' enterprise CMS platform while supporting multiple vehicle lines with unique content requirements.

Rather than designing isolated pages, we created a reusable digital system that could scale across the entire Cadillac ecosystem.

Long before "design systems" became common practice, we established:

• Modular interface components

• Standardized page templates

• Interaction patterns

• Visual design guidelines

• Motion principles

• Photography standards

• Production documentation

These standards became the foundation for a much broader digital ecosystem extending well beyond the primary website.

Leading Beyond the Website

Following the successful pitch, my role expanded into implementation and governance.

I partnered closely with MMC in Michigan to ensure the production teams understood how the design system should be applied consistently across the enterprise. Together we established implementation standards, production workflows, and quality expectations that allowed the experience to scale without compromising the original vision.

I also represented the digital team during Cadillac's national production shoot in California.

The scale of the production was unlike anything I had experienced. Multiple sound stages operated simultaneously, each dedicated to different vehicles, television commercials, photography, and interior detail captures. Hundreds of creative professionals, directors, photographers, stylists, engineers, and production specialists worked together to produce what was reported to be a $58 million campaign.

My responsibility was to ensure the photography and video assets required for the website were captured correctly and met the standards established by our digital experience. Working alongside Cadillac's creative leadership, I helped inform the production team on framing, composition, asset requirements, and digital usage so the final experience would be as compelling online as it was across traditional media.

Building a Connected Digital Ecosystem

The website became the foundation for a much broader suite of digital experiences.

Beyond the flagship Cadillac website, our work extended into:

• National campaign websites

• Vehicle model experiences

• Campaign landing pages

• Cadillac loyalty initiatives

• Cadillac credit card branding and digital experience

• Email marketing campaigns

• Online advertising experiences

• Cadillac's early mobile website

• Brand standards and implementation guidance for regional and local marketing teams

This ensured that regardless of where customers encountered Cadillac digitally, they experienced a consistent expression of the brand.

Outcome

Digitas won the Cadillac business, securing one of the agency's most significant automotive engagements.

The website launched in the U.S. as the digital centerpiece of Cadillac's brand transformation, supported by a scalable design framework that enabled ongoing campaigns, vehicle launches, and enterprise marketing initiatives.

More importantly, the project demonstrated how a thoughtfully designed digital system could preserve creative ambition while supporting the realities of enterprise technology, multiple agency partners, and long-term operational needs.