ECONOMIC OBSERVER (China)
BEIJING – From Brangelina to Bradillac? You have to be in China, but car lovers and movie fans now have a new automotive pinup after Brad Pitt was named official spokesman for the luxury Cadillac XTS sedan, being rolled out especially for the Chinese market.
The parent company of the Cadillac brand, Shanghai GM, is betting big on Pitt’s star power. Cadillac only sold 30,000 cars in the Chinese market last year, well behind other premium carmakers such as Audi, BMW, and Volvo.
Beijing’s Economic Observer reports that several more Chinese automobile companies are now negotiating with other A-list Hollywood stars to endorse their cars. Last year, Volvo hired Jeremy Lin, the Taiwanese-American NBA basketball star, as the latest celeb to tout Western wares, becoming the face of the VOLVO S60.
Economic Observer notes that the company that attaches the greatest importance to celebrity endorsement is Mercedes-Benz China, which has signed up George Clooney, Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant.
Brad Pitt, himself, made advertising waves last year by becoming the first man to hock Chanel perfume. A true Oscar-caliber performance…?
