Detroit News: Buick teams up with Martha Stewart-It's a Good Thing

[SweetHemi1]

Martha plugs Buick -- it's a good thing

Brett Clanton / The Detroit News

December 1, 2005

In a bid to pitch its graying Buick brand to a younger, more affluent audience, General Motors Corp. has selected a familiar celebrity partner.

Martha Stewart -- queen of a home living empire and recently discharged inmate from a West Virginia federal prison -- has been tapped to showcase the new Buick Lucerne sedan in two of her TV shows.

Stewart featured the Lucerne in a Wednesday night episode of her Donald Trump-style reality show "The Apprentice" and follows up today with another pitch on a live broadcast of her talk show "Martha" (10 a.m. WXYZ-TV Channel 7).

The two product placement efforts come as GM is launching a new ad campaign for its struggling Buick brand, whose average buyer is 63 years old. While Stewart is 64, she appeals to a somewhat younger, more upscale demographic that Buick covets.

Her Martha Stewart Everyday line has helped Kmart attract shoppers who otherwise wouldn't have considered the chain.

Even so, hooking up with Martha is not likely to be a magic pill for Buick even with its revamped vehicle lineup, said Wes Brown, an automotive marketing analyst with Iceology Inc. in Los Angeles. "Unfortunately," he said, "Buick is still regarded as being for someone who is old."

Buick's new marketing campaign -- developed by Birmingham-based McCann Erikson Worldwide -- features the slogan "Beyond Precision," which is meant to highlight the engineering expertise and attention to detail that goes into Buicks.

The ads replace a short-lived campaign called "Dream Up," which featured Aerosmith's classic rock anthem "Dream On."

But rather than helping, Buick's rotating ad themes may have the effect of fatiguing customers who often respond better to a consistent, clear message, Brown said.

"If you're the consumer, it seems like every six months that they seem to find a new tag line and a new position for the brand," he said. "It makes the consumer very confused."

Last year, the Buick brand was rumored as a possible target for elimination in GM's ongoing restructuring -- an idea shot down by the company. But with GM's financial troubles mounting, executives again are being forced to defend why GM needs eight vehicle brands.

"I don't think it's how many, it's how you manage them is always the way I've looked at it," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America's vice president of marketing and sales in a recent interview.

While Buick sales are down 8.5 percent this year, GM said new models such as the Terraza minivan and LaCrosse midsize sedan will give Buick the ammunition it needs to boost sales and widen its appeal.


Read the whole story at:

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...TO01/512010367

[wolverine]

One old "has been" promoting another old "has been". Typical GM. Get a convicted felon to hype your wares. Too rich.

[VibenPontiac]

I seriously doubt most people really think "felon" as the first way to describe Marta Stewart. Regardless though the real problem is no-one is watching Martha Stewart's Apprentice show.

Didn't see the show but did see the commercials while skipping channels. I was struck by my brother's comment during a Lucerne commercial. "Yeah right Quality in a Buick". He was quite surprised when I told him of Buick's consistently highly quality ratings. He did like the heated wiper fluid though!

GM needs to press the quality message over and over and over until it is imbedding in everyone's (target customers or not) head. Ask the average consumer about Lexus or Toyota and the first thing they say is "Quality". Buick needs to be in this group too if the're to have any chance of surviving.

[CHRISGTO04]

Originally Posted by wolverine

One old "has been" promoting another old "has been". Typical GM. Get a convicted felon to hype your wares. Too rich.

Remember a fella by the name of Delorean. He was convicted of cocaine use and the Delorean sales started to erupt. Maybe Buick is going for that scaled down bad boy appeal

[Ming]

GM needs to press the quality message over and over and over until it is imbedding in everyone's (target customers or not) head. Ask the average consumer about Lexus or Toyota and the first thing they say is "Quality". Buick needs to be in this group too if the're to have any chance of surviving.

I'm not impressed with GM's advertising strategy. It's only marginally different than what we've seen before. GM needs a clear, striking, jump out of the TV kind of ad that trumpets GM quality, and yes, even lashes out at the competition when needed. People will tune out lukewarm typical advertising and fall back on old stereotypes like your brother. How many people know that Buicks are often ranked for quality above Toyota brand cars? Not many. Not enough. GM's quarterly shifting strategies and fire sales don't help their image, either.

If I was in charge of GM, I'd risk controversy by having a Buick on top of an aircraft carrier, with a "we won't go down without a fight, and our quality (cite real ratings and show numbers above Toyohondassan, don't just say "JD Power blah blah") and know-how will take us to victory", with heavily America flag-waving image. Why not? Toyota touts how "American" it is with assembly plants all over the US.

One reason why this might not happen: Wagoner is a kum-ba-yah bridge-building weenie who would rather shake hands with Toyota top management and cut deals with them to build more GM badged Corollas than actually compete with steely eyed resolve and biting ads that resonate with consumers and get the message out. Anything to avoid rocking that Toyota-engineered, UAW-built NUMMI boat.

[VibenPontiac]

Originally Posted by Ming

I'm not impressed with GM's advertising strategy. It's only marginally different than what we've seen before. GM needs a clear, striking, jump out of the TV kind of ad that trumpets GM quality, and yes, even lashes out at the competition when needed. People will tune out lukewarm typical advertising and fall back on old stereotypes like your brother. How many people know that Buicks are often ranked for quality above Toyota brand cars? Not many. Not enough. GM's quarterly shifting strategies and fire sales don't help their image, either.

Couldn't agree more. I'm not that impressed either. I would let each brand go ahead with its own advertising strategy...some of them need a LOT of work!! But I would have a set of overall corporate messages too. You could use a lot of the American made flag waving stuff like you suggested but I would focus on the quality rankings GM achieves. Rapid fire ads with each and every award being flashed on the screen, "Best this", Best that, Most this, Most that" kind of things being narrated.

"You makes these leading cars and trucks..." the narrator says...Then fade to a GM logo with its brands listed below. "GM, where quality thrives" or something along that line. Flash and style sell, and like you said maybe even a little trash talkin too

[PURPLEIMPALA]

Why not get Bill Clinton ? If a recently-released prisoner can sell Buicks, what could top an impeached President ? He has gray hair too.

[nphillips]

Originally Posted by CHRISGTO04

Remember a fella by the name of Delorean. He was convicted of cocaine use and the Delorean sales started to erupt. Maybe Buick is going for that scaled down bad boy appeal

Get your facts straight. DeLorean was not convicted, however his company was ruined...He sold cocaine in an attempt to raise capital.

[jbartley]

Originally Posted by wolverine

One old "has been" promoting another old "has been". Typical GM. Get a convicted felon to hype your wares. Too rich.

that "has been" generates big money. if you watched the episode it was pretty good. Buick got free marketing ideas from the team that won, they even decided to use their idea.

In my opinion it was a very smart move.

[GotAWD]

Originally Posted by jbartley

that "has been" generates big money. if you watched the episode it was pretty good. Buick got free marketing ideas from the team that won, they even decided to use their idea.

In my opinion it was a very smart move.

wasnt that the apprentice with the pontiac solstice?

[parakleets]

I saw the show, and the Lucerne looked great. I saw one in person, for the first time, yesterday,and it does look even better in the flesh. Unfortunately, it looks like a HUGE Infiniti G35 (which is a fine car, in it's own right), with an old Mercury Sable face. Too bad Buick cannot make its own design statement.

[stormwatcher]

Buick's "Beyond Precision" slogan is almost laughable. Nobody views Buick as Acura or Lexus like, two brands who could credibly use a slogan like this. I wish Buick had stuck with the "Dream On" slogan and worked with it. Then, when Buick actually gets new platforms, new trannies, and new base engines, go to something like "Beyond Precision". Once again, advertising hokum tries to oversell a just OK product.

[cjrciadt]

I watched a little of yesterday's episode which featured the Buick Lucerne. All I can say about the entire effort was: "I was okay, not a big deal" Nothing to excite me, or motivate me to take interest in the Lucerne and Buick in general.

[Mvortec24]

Originally Posted by PURPLEIMPALA

Why not get Bill Clinton ? If a recently-released prisoner can sell Buicks, what could top an impeached President ? He has gray hair too.

No political discussions

[asim]

I really think Donald Trump was a better person to do this stuff...