Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobiles produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory alone. During its time as a division of General Motors, Oldsmobile slotted into the middle of GM's five divisions (above Chevrolet and Pontiac, but below Buick and Cadillac), and was noted for its groundbreaking technology and designs.

Over 1 million Oldsmobiles were sold annually each year from 1983-1986, making it one of the highest-selling automakers in the US, but by the 1990s the division was facing growing competition from premium import brands and sales declined. When shut down in 2004, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile marque, and one of the oldest in the world, after Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Renault, Fiat, Opel and Tatra (but under the name Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau).

• Come away with me, Lucille
  In my merry Oldsmobile
  Down the road of life we'll fly
  Automobubbling, you and I
  To the church we'll swiftly steal
  Then our wedding bells will peal
  You can go as far as you like with me
  In my merry Oldsmobile.
  • Vincent P. Bryan, chorus of "In My Merry Oldsmobile" (1905), composed by Gus Edwards. Widely popular in the early 20th century United States, the song and particularly its chorus became closely associated with Oldsmobile in American popular culture, with references to it being made long after the song was first released, such as in the television series M*A*S*H in the 1970s.

• Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man.
  • A Christmas Story (1983), directed by Bob Clark. Written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark, based on Shepherd's short stories, contained in the books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories.

• The period immediately following the 1970s oil crises wasn't nicknamed the "Malaise Era" for no reason. Many American car brands were forced to undergo radical changes in their manufacturing processes. This led to various experiments to try and keep companies afloat, with this era giving rise to some bizarre creative decisions from American automakers. For instance, Oldsmobile tried to repurpose a diesel engine in its Cutlass model, which ultimately flopped. Then there's the infamous Chevette, which was essentially created when GM was in full-blown panic mode and needed something that could sell like hotcakes.
  • Madeline Cuccio, "Why The 'Not Your Father's Oldsmobile' Campaign May Be What Killed The Brand", SlashGear, 17 August 2025

• By the 1980s, Oldsmobile was sharing GM's lackluster image and had garnered a reputation for being — bluntly — cars for the elderly. They weren't particularly bad cars, per se, but they were viewed as cookie-cutter, badge-engineered, and boring. The brand was on the verge of losing its audience because its main demographic was aging, and its appeal to younger buyers was nonexistent.
  In a desperate effort to curb plummeting sales, GM launched the "Not Your Father's Oldsmobile" campaign in 1988. This featured several commercials showcasing new models that were meant to appeal to a younger generation. However, it was far too little, far too late to alter Oldsmobile's fate. Ultimately, it may have even hastened its demise.
  • Madeline Cuccio, "Why The 'Not Your Father's Oldsmobile' Campaign May Be What Killed The Brand", SlashGear, 17 August 2025

• Oldsmobile attempted to draw in new buyers through a self-deprecating ad campaign that featured past-their-prime celebrities and their largely unknown children, neither of which rang any bells with the target demographic. In the commercial for the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass, for example, viewers watched Mission Impossible star Peter Graves drive the car through explosions in a chase scene. After the driver makes it to safety, he pulls off a mask to reveal that it was actually Graves' daughter, Amanda, behind the wheel the whole time. A choir then sings, "This is not your father's Oldsmobile," and promotes the vehicle as part of the "New Generation of Oldsmobile."
  These commercials were so bizarre that they failed to connect with both younger and older audiences. Nevertheless, Oldsmobile held onto this advertising campaign all the way until its dying days in the late 1990s. However, it was purely delaying the inevitable: Oldsmobile eventually flopped, closing up shop after its last ever production car, the Alero, left the factory on April 29, 2004.
  • Madeline Cuccio, "Why The 'Not Your Father's Oldsmobile' Campaign May Be What Killed The Brand", SlashGear, 17 August 2025

• Ultimately, the campaign created a paradox. Similar to Richard Nixon's "I am Not a Crook!" speech, vehemently denying something tends to paradoxically reinforce its opposite. In Oldsmobile's case, trying to say newer models were "not for your father" only aged them more. It isolated buyers who actually could afford newer models, without attracting the newer generation to take their place.
  This ultimately resulted in a car brand which appealed to no one, and sales figures started to reflect that. The 1980s regularly saw sales between 800,000 to 1 million units before those numbers started to drop. After 1990, Oldsmobile never again sold more than 500,000 units per year, no matter what campaigns it tried to enact to recoup losses. This can all be traced back to the late 1980s, when Oldsmobile unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way: Don't alienate your main source of income. It's a shame as well, considering the proud 100-plus year history of the company and the many important moments Oldsmobile enjoyed over that time.
  • Madeline Cuccio, "Why The 'Not Your Father's Oldsmobile' Campaign May Be What Killed The Brand", SlashGear, 17 August 2025

• My daddy bought this car before I was born
  Sure like the radio, I love the horn
  I love the great big shiny steerin' wheel
  Here in my daddy's Oldsmobile
  • Hal Ketchum, "Daddy's Oldsmobile", Sure Love (1992), written by Hal Ketchum and David Mallett

• Four kids can sure fill up a big back seat
  They used to stop and get us something sweet
  Now Mamma says: "Let's pray for one good meal."
  Here in my daddy's Oldsmobile
  • Hal Ketchum, "Daddy's Oldsmobile", Sure Love (1992), written by Hal Ketchum and David Mallett

• Mama kisses us goodnight
  Daddy reads his paper in the dashboard light
  Crushes out his cigarette, says:
  "Don't cry, honey, we ain't beat yet."
  • Hal Ketchum, "Daddy's Oldsmobile", Sure Love (1992), written by Hal Ketchum and David Mallett

• Another mornin' and we're up and gone
  Daddy says there's work in San Antone
  Two days of ridin', it ain't no big deal
  Here in my daddy's Oldsmobile
  • Hal Ketchum, "Daddy's Oldsmobile", Sure Love (1992), written by Hal Ketchum and David Mallett

• Our car was an Oldsmobile, delivered to our home by Mr. Olds himself. I recall how our family went out to the street curb to look at it. Mr. Olds worked quite a while cranking it, muttering something about each car having an individuality of its own. But after we began to make motors for him, father took the individuality out of them. After our own little Oldsmobile was properly equipped, it acted in quite an exemplary fashion.
  • Henry M. Leland, about the Leland family buying their first automobile around 1901. As quoted by Ottilie M. Leland, ‎Minnie Dubbs Millbrook in Master of Precision: Henry M. Leland (1966), p.

• The Best Thing On Wheels
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan in 1902, as seen in the Galveston Daily News on 28 December 1902

• The Car That Has Everything
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan, 1935

• You Can Always Count On Oldsmobile
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan, 1944, used as a dealership service advertisement since new Oldsmobiles were not being made due to U.S. civilian automobile production being suspended from 1942 to 1945.

• Escape From The Ordinary
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan, 1970

• Can We Build One For You?
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan, 1976-1978

• There Is A Special Feel, In An Oldsmobile
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan in 1984-1985

• The New Generation Of Oldsmobile
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan in the 1989-1991. This involved the use of television commercials that emphasized "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" in an attempt to market the brand to new buyers, which antagonized Oldsmobile's multi-generational customer base while attracting little new interest in the company. It was one of Oldsmobile's shortest advertising campaigns, dropped after only two years.

• The Power Of Intelligent Engineering
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan, 1992

• It's Your Money, Demand Better
  • Oldsmobile advertising slogan, 1993-1997

• Start Something
  • Oldsmobile's final advertising slogan, used from 1999 to the closure of Olds in 2004.

• It's the reason I'm ahead of the pack
  It's the reason I left them back
  It's the reason all the people say
  My '98 Olds blows 'em all away
  • Public Enemy, "You're Gonna Get Yours," Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987), written by Chuck D and Hank Shocklee

• Sidewalk suckers wanted to spill me
  So I got my crew and posse
  Took the girls and got them to thrill me
  Stepped outside, got in my ride
  Drove 'em around and I looked around town
  Caught 'em out there cold, ran 'em over and down
  They didn't get me and that's the truth
  ('Cause my '98-O is bullet proof)
  • Public Enemy, "You're Gonna Get Yours," Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987), written by Chuck D and Hank Shocklee