• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, December 4, 2014

In September, when Cadillac and Interpublic killed off Rogue, the holding company’s dedicated Cadillac agency, and made Lowe & Partners the lead agency on the account, Cadillac CMO Uwe Ellinghaus said: “The realigned Lowe and Partners network has the talent we need to help continue to build the Cadillac brand globally.”

What a difference three months can make.

Apparently, Ellinghaus saw the new arrangement as a test drive. The results are in — and it turns out he wasn’t crazy about the ride. The General Motors’ nameplate confirmed today that it has anointed Publicis Worldwide as its new global creative agency of record. The appointment is effective immediately. U.S. spending on the account is estimated close to $300 million according to Kantar. 

Commenting today, Ellinghaus said: “This appointment is designed to accelerate the global expansion and elevation of Cadillac into a truly global luxury brand.  We have spent much of this year refocusing on the core values of our brand. Adding Publicis Worldwide to our team — with its undisputed expertise in luxury brand building — will further our progress globally.”

The car company said that a “fully dedicated team, comprising key managers from Publicis Worldwide, will lead the account and have access to specialist and premium resources within the larger Publicis Groupe.”

Of Lowe, Ellinghaus said: “We sincerely appreciate the dedication and service the Lowe team has brought to our brand. The agency has aided Cadillac in a time of transition and contributed significantly to the development of its brand positioning.”

The dedicated Rogue agency was formed just last year. It was under the Rogue regime that the controversial “Poolside” TV spot was created with actor Neal McDonough touting the American work ethic and seemingly taking a swipe at other cultures (mostly European) that take the month of August off.

Ironically, the account is now handled by a Paris-based agency. Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Worldwide said: “For us, this appointment is an honor and a privilege. We will work passionately with the client leadership team to strengthen the power of the Cadillac brand.”