The poor response to the launch campaign for the ATS didn't help Lowe CE's relationship with Cadillac, which cut ties with the agency again.

In baseball, it takes three strikes before you’re out. In the competitive advertising world, you seldom get two. But after first losing a 90-year relationship with General Motors’ big Chevrolet division, a few years back, agency Lowe Campbell Ewald has now been tossed again from the Cadillac account it took on little more than a year ago.

In a further sign that the luxury brand wants a complete break with the past, it has hired mega-agency Publicis Worldwide to handling its big advertising account, effective immediately.

“This appointment is designed to accelerate the global expansion and elevation of Cadillac into a truly global luxury brand,” said Uwe Ellinghaus, Cadillac chief marketing officer. “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.”

While Ellinghaus may have signed off on the move, insiders say the decision to drop Campbell Ewald clearly reflects the agenda set by Cadillac’s new global President Johan de Nysschen – who was recruited away from Infiniti, where he was spearheading a global expansion program, last summer.

The South African-born de Nysschen has wasted little time in shaking things up at Cadillac. Among other things, he quickly announced that the GM flagship brand would move its headquarters from the parent’s global office along the Detroit riverfront to new digs in Manhattan – ostensibly to get closer to the type of customer it has been craving.

It plans to give those exclusive buyers far more choice than they’ve had in the past. Among the many new models de Nysschen has confirmed are in the works are a trio of additional crossover-utility vehicles, a high-line sedan to be called the CT6, and an even more exclusive flagship model. He has indicated Cadillac hopes to press into ultra-exclusive territory, perhaps offering vehicles that could command as much as $250,000 apiece.

Meanwhile, Caddy is aiming to reach beyond its traditional, North American core market. It recently began building product in China and de Nysschen eventually hopes to turn it into a truly global brand that can attack arch-rivals like BMW and Mercedes-Benz on all fronts.

In the nearer-term, however, the company has to deal with weak demand at home that saw it actually dip into negative territory during the first half of the year, despite the addition of well-reviewed new offerings such as the compact ATS sedan and coupe line.

The original, splashy ad campaign for the ATS, dubbed “Cadillac v the World,” received mixed to negative reviews and questions about Lowe Campbell Ewald’s longevity began to surface even before de Nysschen signed on with Caddy.

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The firm, then known as just Campbell Ewald, was virtually synonymous with General Motors during much of the automaker’s history. It served as the agency of record for the vast Chevrolet brand for 91 years before being dumped unceremoniously in 2010 – when Chevy moved its own ad account to Publicis.

The jilted firm got a second chance in mid-2013 when it joined up with two other agencies, Lowe and Hill Holiday. Given the Caddy contract, it moved its headquarters from the Detroit suburbs to a building adjacent to – ironically – the downtown Ford Field football stadium.

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

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The ousted firm could not say what impact the loss of the Caddy account would have, but such developments typically result in a significant loss of jobs.

As for the carmaker’s new agency, Arthur Sadoun, the CEO of Publicis Worldwide, promised to “work passionately with the client leadership team to strengthen the power of the Cadillac brand.”