CADILLAC DRIVES ITS “ROAD TO SUCCESS” TO VICTORY

NEW YORK, NY –July 29, 2008 – Commercial Closet Association announced the winners of the 4th Annual Images in Advertising Awards, including the winner for Outstanding U.S. TV Campaign for the LGBT Market: Cadillac and its “Road to Success” campaign. The winners were announced Monday, July 28, at a ceremony at New World Stages in New York.
“So, when you turn on your car, does it return the favor?” asked Travis Parman, General Motors’ LGBT media relations manager, referring to the current Cadillac ad campaign. He continued, “Such recognition for our LGBT advertising certainly has us turned on. On behalf of General Motors, the team at Cadillac and our friends at Logo, thank you. This the first time that General Motors has produced LGBT-specific TV commercials and I guess this means we did a pretty good job. We’re very proud that we were able to work with the incredible producers at Logo to tell these powerful stories in less than a couple of minutes.”
As part of a first-ever partnership, General Motors and Logo launched the campaign late last year on Logo. The ads feature the stories of gay and lesbian individuals and their path to personal and professional success. Produced by Logo, the new 30 second to 1 minute 30 second spots for the General Motors’ brand Cadillac air exclusively on Logo’s 24/7 digital cable channel.
The Road to Success spots are presented by Cadillac – the carmaker’s first partnership with a LGBT broadcast media entity – and feature individuals whose life experiences and accomplishments are emblematic of Cadillac’s current “Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit” advertising campaign. The four individuals represent a diverse range of professions and experiences:
* Linda Villarosa – Founder of Essence Magazine, who now is a contributor to the New York Times covering HIV/AIDS issues. Watch it HERE
* Anita Lo – Entrepreneur and chef at Annisa, which she opened in 2000. Watch it HERE
* Rubin Singer – A fashion designer whose family emigrated from Russia. Watch it HERE
* Jeffrey Seller – Broadway producer of Rent, Avenue Q, La Boheme and his new play In the Heights. Watch it HERE
Other nominees in the category included: Levi Strauss – Levi’s; American Airlines; Subaru; and Harrah’s – Paris Las Vegas.
Saab was also nominated for Outstanding Interactive Campaign – LGBT Market for its “Because Not All Roads Are Straight” online ad for the 9-3 that is shown in Canada.

About the Images in Advertising Awards
Ads were nominated by Commercial Closet Association’s Executive Director Michael Wilke and finalists were selected by CCA’s Advisory Board. Winners are chosen by the group’s Governing Board and announced at the awards ceremony. A list of the Advisory and Governing Board members, composed of leading names in gay media and the advertising industry, is available at www.commercialcloset.org. Contact Commercial Closet Association for a complete list of nominees or view them online at www.commercialcoset.org/nominees along with 85 years of positive and negative GLBT images in advertising. To date, the site hosts 4,000 ads in its virtual library.