The big winner on Inauguration Day was Cadillac.
The General Motors’ luxury brand—which was used to securely shuttle President Donald Trump throughout Friday’s long list of events—amassed $19.85 million in exposure value on Friday, according to Apex Marketing Group.
The Michigan-based company measured exposure for brands during the televised events on Inauguration Day, which included the motorcade to the U.S. Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony and the parade that followed. Several other brands won the day because of exposure from cable and online broadcasts of the event.
The specialty limo is actually an armored truck designed to have a traditional Cadillac appearance on the exterior. The Cadillac, known as the Beast, was first used by President Barack Obama. General Motors has a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to develop the next-generation specialty limousine for Trump.
Apex Marketing can measure brand exposure in two ways through straight line factoring and location factoring, said Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group. In this case, the company used straight line factoring, which means no matter where the brand appears on the screen—or how big it is—one second of exposure equals one second of equivalent value.
The company’s research division analyzed the audio and visual exposure of brands. GM, nor any of the other brand winners of the day, hired Apex Marketing to determine the value of its brand exposure for the day.
Apex tracks all major events, such as sports and historical milestone such as Inauguration Day. The marketing firm, which is hired by companies, sports teams, and brands, also tracks exposure in movies and TV through product placement.
The top winners, according to Apex Marketing Group, included:
- Cadillac at $19.85 million
- Ralph Lauren at $493,652
- Tiffany’s at $416,777
- Amtrak $70,657
Ralph Lauren became a brand winner after First Lady Melania Trump wore a sky-blue cashmere dress and suede gloves from the iconic American designer. Melania Trump wore the dress for the swearing-in ceremony and parade. For the inaugural balls she wore a dress, which she reportedly collaborated on, by designer Hervé Pierre.
Jeweler Tiffany & Co. gained brand exposure after the First Lady handed former First Lady Michelle Obama the trademark blue Tiffany box containing a gift.
Meanwhile, Amtrak attracted some brand exposure due to repeated mentions during televised broadcasts of the day’s events of former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill’s plans to take the train from Washington’s Union Station to his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden has taken thousands of trips on Amtrak—an estimated 8,000 roundtrips over more than four decades—between DC and his home.
