Current model Buick advertising

[AK Buickman]

I haven't seen many newspaper or magazine ads for current model Buicks. I can't remember when I saw a TV commercial for a new Buick.

Does Buick advertise their new cars to the American public any longer? The press coverage seems to focus on Buicks sold only in China.

While I have to admit that I don't read a whole variety of national magazines, the main source of magazine ads to keep me informed about current Buick models is the Buick Club "Bugle."

When I think of magazines that Buick Motor Division put ads in during the '50's & '60's, I think of national, high volume magazines such as National Geographic, Life, even sports car and hot rod magazines--a whole variety of magazines. TV commercials for new Buicks were seen often back then.

Other Buick guys that I've talked to have also noticed this slow down, or lack of current model Buick ads. Am I looking in the wrong places?

Gary Klecka, BCA #1955

'49 Super Sedanet

'55 Roadmaster Riviera

'66 Wildcat 2-dr hdtp

'70 Electra 225

'72 Electra 225

[Reatta Man]

The 2010 Lacrosse is getting some advertising, but the car is silver, set against a gray backdrop of a large urban environment. In other words, you could see the ad and pay absolutely no attention to it.

And, the narrator isn't saying anything new; just comparing the Buick to a foreign car, etc., etc.....

As I'm typing this, the TV show "The Good Wife" is on CBS. The main character is driving a 2010 Lacrosse.....in silver. Which means the car totally blends into the gray street or when she pulls into a parking lot it is lost in a sea of silver Toyotas and Hondas. Stupid; you can barely see the great lines in the sheet metal.

Too bad; no one seems to know how to advertise a car in a bright color with PEOPLE actually enjoying it.

Oh, wait, Kia did that with the Soul......

Edited December 9, 2009 by Reatta Man (see edit history)

[Thriller]

That would imply they use bright colours as well.... I've seen a few ads for the Enclave, but they've slowed down recently, since they'd rather sell the Chevy Traverse on the same platform instead for less money. I've always been bitter about that...bad enough the Enclave sharing with the GM and Saturn versions, without diluting the platform with a Chev.

[rivgs]

Why couldn't they expand on this?

)

[LINC400]

That would imply they use bright colours as well....

So true. They all come in 5 colors now. Most of them a variation of gray.

When is the last time you saw an ad when the car wasn't silver?? Or as a distant second choice, black, to show how it stands apart from all the silver cars.

I've only seen the one new LaCrosse ad, and extremely infrequently. Tons of Chevy ads though.

[Thriller]

Hmmm...two tone LaCrosse at split at the body line...interesting? Part of the video Kevin linked had a glimpse - it may have been the way the light was striking it that made the upper look lighter than the lower colour.

[serb]

In my opinion: This type of commercial is absolutely useless. Before your eyes can focus in on a scene they are changing it. Besides, who wants to look at the non-car scenes. If I am going to buy a car, show me the car.

By the way, Tiger made a couple of cameos in this commercial.

[Guest my3buicks]

Several segments of that utube flick were already used as commercials and are a couple years old - my favorite was the black Buick passing the other cars on the hill, I liked that one when it was shown on TV.

[NTX5467]

Silver is a reasonably "popular" color, in general. Still, the car looks great in the crimson or dark blue and even white. I kind of think that it's the television show operatives that might have input on the vehicle colors more than the manufacturer . . . so if silver is highly popular, you show the public what they allegedly desire to see (and possibly buy).

An interesting question might be whether GM/Buick paid for the car to be on that show or if the producers requested it?

The other thing is that WE are looking at the CAR as the STAR, rather than the HUMAN driving the car, possibly?

Since mid-decade, the choice of all of GM's new car show show vehicles was silver, as if it was a corporate thing, at least until the first year the Enclave was shown in the darker brown metallic (which showed-off its great lines and styling . . . and CHROME-like trim).

What Derick saw was probably a lighting effect as I've seen no documentation on any two-tone paint combinations on the 2010 LaCrosse.

With the demise of "Life" and "Look" magazines, some of the best vehicle advertising venues are not here any more, unlike in the 1950s and 1960s when EVERY vehicle manufacturer had huge advertising spreads in those two magazines. Sometime in the early 1970s, the "Golden Age of Automotive Print Advertising" finally wound down to what we have in more recent times. That might also have coincided with the fewer number of humans in said print advertising that were looking like they were having a good time in/with the pictured vehicle? And that was probalby in the same general time that "surveys" of owners started to come into vogue as a selling tool for new vehicles, other than the somewhat unknown (at that time) "Consumers Reports" survey results.

Other than the depictions of life in America that were a key function of "Life" and "Look", it was always neat to see the car ads in those magazines, although they might not have been the same as you might have seen in "Hot Rod" or "Motor Trend" (more enthusiast-oriented).

With all of the "changes" in Michigan auto companies of recent history, one of the areas to see some changes was the advertising orientations and budgets. This might have resulted in some ads not being there as often as they used to be.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Reatta Man]

All products are definitely placed at a cost to the company making the product. The companies that do this are literally called product placement companies.

For example, if a woman opens the trunk of her car and you can read the brand names of the products in her shopping bags, every company paid for that placement. If not, the labels are turned around, or the brands are phony.

A little advertising trivia: a few years ago, one of the James Bond movies had so much product placement in it, the production costs were paid before the movie was even released! So, technically, the movie was a commercial success before it even opened because whatever money it generated was virtually all profit.

One other piece of trivia; in the 1960's, usually a show was dominated by one brand of car. Darren always drove new Chevies in Bewitched, the secretary in the Beverly Hillbillies always drove a new Dodge or Plymouth convertible, and Steve Garrett always drove a new black Mercury 4-door hardtop in Hawaii 5-0. And, everyone knows that Andy only drove a Ford police car in Mayberry.....

Joe

Edited December 17, 2009 by Reatta Man (see edit history)

[gungeey]

I just received a favorite magazine with a full page inside-front-cover ad for the lacrosse...can you guess which magazine??

THE BUGLE!

[Guest Skyking]

Last night while having supper with my wife she said while watching TV the night before she saw a car commercial. She said it was the most beautiful car she's ever seen. Now mind you, my wife never comments on cars, old or new, never. She asked me if I knew what car was in the commercial. I had no idea. She said it was the Buick LaCrosse. Apparently the car is catching on. I have yet to see one on the road. I don't think I could get myself to buy a new car. Maybe in a few years I'll think about buying one used. Our 2000 Century is running too good!