Reviewing Cadillac's Don't You Dare... Speak?

Although not strictly a high tech ad, Cadillac's latest "Don't You Dare" commercial had enough high-tech references in it that I felt compelled to review it here.

Let's watch:



There are 10 stories in this one-minute commercial -- three from women, and seven from men. Thirty percent female coverage seems to be the norm in ads that feature multiple genders, which is a step up from the historical 17% in crowd scenes, but is still far less than the 50% of space that women occupy on the earth.

The ad focuses on people being told "don't you dare" do something, and then shows how they dared to do just that thing and found success with it.

The men were told don't you dare: play with your food, change the rules. get any big ideas, stay up all night on the computer, take that apart, play games with me.

While the women were told don't you dare: paint on the walls, tell stories, raise your voice.

It is a sad commentary on our society that "speaking up" is a dare for women, but sadly it's true. Still to have TWO of the three women's stories be about simply speaking (and the other one about expressing herself in the wrong place -- the walls)... That's even more sad.

Men are shown as being a prosthetics pioneer, a wearable tech innovator, fashion industry upstart, teen gastronomist, college admissions reformer, and national chess master. The women are a mixed media sculptor, a digital activist, and a biotech venture capitalist.

(Extra points for one of the women (Laura Deming) saying scientists were her superheroes. Too bad she dropped out of MIT to accept the Thiel Fellowship and go into the world of venture capitalism instead.)

But points taken off for showing no women in STEM-related careers beyond Laura. For example, there are many women in robotics that Cadillac could have shown in place of Easton LaChappelle.

So while I applaud this ad for its message, it didn't do all that it could have to further inspire women to new things.

Grade: C+.