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Ford Mocks Cadillac’s Controversial “Poolside” Ad

Cadillac’s “Poolside” commercial for the 2014 ELR spawned a lot of controversy, with the automaker being criticized for promoting the car with a mix of stereotypes, rather than highlighting the vehicle’s strong points.
Ford C-MAX Hybrid commercial 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
Specifically, the ad shows actor Neal McDonough delivering an chest thumping dissertation while trying to answer why Americans work so hard when they could act like people from other countries who “work, stroll home, stop by the cafe” and take the entire month of August off.

"You work hard, you create your own luck and just gotta believe that anything is possible. And all the stuff? That's the upside to only taking two weeks off in August,” is the answer provided at the end, when the 2014 Cadillac ELR finally shows up.

Criticized for using too many cliches, and often deemed as “obnoxious” and “disrespectful”, the commercial was recently mocked by Ford, who put together clip featuring Detroit Dirt founder Pashon Murray.

In case you’re wondering, Detroit Dirt takes natural waste from around the city, with Ford and General Motors among its sources, and turns it into fertilizer. Created by Ford’s PR agency, the ad provides a more meaningful answer to the “why do we work so hard” question and pokes at Cadillac throughout its 60 seconds.

In the end, Murray gets into a Ford C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid says that “helping a city grow good green healthy vegetables” is the “upside of giving a damn.” Pretty smooth, huh?

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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