My 2009 Pontiac G8 GT (or should I say Holden VE Commodore now) needed work done. So, I soldiered it up to my local Buick GMC dealer and, after diagnosing the problem, I was told it would take a week for parts to arrive and have them installed.
The dealer provided me with a complimentary loaner vehicle for the time being: a shiny-new 2015 Buick LaCrosse. Fully loaded, and packed to the gills with the latest from Buick, including OnStar 4G LTE wireless.
Was I thrilled to be driving a 2015 Lacrosse for a week? Not particularly. It’s practically the antithesis from the car I own. But I learned a lot.
Normally this is where we would begin going over specifications and sprinkling our opinion in about the Lacrosse, but what I learned after driving the 2015 Lacrosse wasn’t about the car itself, but Buick’s latest branding strategy.
Everyone has seen Buick’s “That’s Not A Buick” advertisements, normally featuring protagonists who are shocked when they learn the car in front of them is indeed a Buick. There’s no hiding from these ads no matter the television or YouTube channel you’re perusing. To the tune of peppy Matt & Kim music, they become lost in the back of your mind somewhere, but the marketing message has been decoded loud and clear.
Everywhere I went in the 2015 LaCrosse, there was somebody referencing the ad campaign. “That’s not a Buick!” Immediately, and seemingly the only proper response, I would shout back, “That’s what I told them!”
On paper, this seems meaningless. But think about it: there are some brands that would kill for that kind of brand recognition. And with an industry as large as the automotive world, it’s good to stand out. Marketing and advertising is an effort to create awareness for a product, and what better measure of success than real-life reactions?
Immediately after that brief exchange of mimicking the same ads many poke fun at, whoever I happened to be with wanted a look at the 2015 LaCrosse. Mind you, some of these people weren’t auto enthusiasts like you and I, so they enthused over the “sharp” exterior styling, the “eerily” quiet cabin and the “awesome” infotainment system. I felt as if the cameras should have been rolling on me.
Those silly ads evoked a whole new set of eyes to view Buick in, and it ranged from younger, to middle-aged adults.
Granted, this didn’t make them run out and buy a Buick LaCrosse the next day, but it’s the perception. Changing Buick’s perception is key for the brand to be successful as it continues to shake off the years of, let’s be blunt, the “Grandma’s car” stereotype.
When I sat down with Molly Peck, Buick’s head of marketing, at the 2015 NAIAS she described where Buick is headed as “affordable luxury.” That’s a far cry from “Grandma’s car,” it seems to moving in the right direction.
As Buick continues to parade its white space theme, wherever General Motors sees a niche to be filled, the tri-shield is there. Buick marketing has had their work cut out for them, and they still do. Proclaiming these new products are Buicks may be the simplest idea yet for the brand.
But, as far as I can tell, it’s working.
Comments
They desperately need to lose that waterfall grill, or make it more blunt / bold. Those skinny little lines just shriek “here comes an old guy.” I keep checking to see if those cars come with whitewalls, they’d fit right in.
No, they cannot! The Buick griil (and the tri-shield) is as classic as the Rolls-Royce grill (and the winged girl). Chevy may have the simplest “bow-tie” logo but their cars had many grill forms over the years. Same as Pontiac’s twin-nose grille and Cadillac wreath They made be modified but buyers and fans will always look for those symbols.
It is obvious that you were never a Buick fan. Iam, owning a Regal, and really enjoying it after over twenty years!
They are moving to a Avenir toned down and integrated grill.
I have noted many people taking notice of the slogan. I It has worked as well as Wendy’s where’s the beef? the only issue is they need to get the new car models out to capitalize on it. The Regal and Lacrosse while nice are very old and need replaced. Then people can really say so that’s a Buick.
i like the Buick LaCrosse….classy car!
A small car as far as I am concerned with Lexus looks
LaCrosse sales were down 44% in June. The entire lineup is down 18% vs. 2014.
I don’t think a Cascada is going to fix that.
Buick needs an ultra luxury car . I read just a few days ago that China is going to get such a car , close in style to the Avenir . Being built on the smae platform as Cadillacs CT6 and built in China because they love them some Buicks .
So I guess my question to GM is , what about America ! ?
Yes but it must be built with quality in mind. Luxury that lasts 3 yrs would give you a spike in sales followed by death
Buick desperately needs to take a page out of Hyundai’s book and start bringing some exciting styling to their showrooms! I personally believe Hyundai/Kia are doing affordable luxury right, and that Buick should be offering the cars they’re offering. Who among us thought we’d see the day Hyundai and Kia would be bringing premium styling and a RWD, V-8 luxury sedan to the market and not Buick? I know, I know; Hyundai designers copy their designs from mainstream luxury brands, but hey! It’s working! People are noticing the brand more.
With all this talk about the demise of Pontiac, the performance gap that brand left, and the desire for more performance oriented cars, I’d love to see Buick step up to the plate and bring on a full-fledged GNX lineup. This brand is in the perfect position to bridge the gap between the Chevy and Cadillac brands. As Caddy focuses on complete luxury and RWD performance, Buick can market some sporty FWD/AWD based performance models and create a stronger identity for the brand. I may get stoned for this, but I’d personally rather see a GNX lineup for Buick instead of an SS division for Chevy. With Buick positioned as a premium brand, this creates room for more unique models to potentially be marketed. And with the brand having most or all of its vehicles developed by Opel, there should definitely be some premium, performance based hot hatches, sport wagons, compact coupes, a potential 4-door mid-sized coupe, and sporty SUVs coming out of Buick! They need to do all they can to erase the geriatric stigma Buick currently has!!!
Buick, it is time to resurrect the “hemi Killer” GSX stage one or stage two. Put Buick back on the top of the power house list where it should be again. The GSX should come out before the Grand National GNX. Just saying.
As a Buick driver of the least “traditional” of all the Buicks currently offered, I do actually like the ads.
Last December at one family holiday gathering, my partner and I were talking with his cousin. She knows that I regularly get cars in from the manufacturers to drive and review. She had pulled in and parked right behind us at the same time we arrived.
Later that evening she asked me which car I had this week. I said, “Oh, that’s not a test car. That’s our car.” She replied “Oh okay, well what is it?”. I said “It’s a Buick Encore”.
She quickly said “That’s not a Buick!….. oh wait… I just did the commercial”
She drives an older Volvo XC90 and usually doesn’t care about cars. So yeah, I’d say the Buick commercials had an impact.
does it have a v6 or v8 option?
I bought a certified 2014 buick lacross after having my 2008 chevy LTZ destroyed. we love the buick. I’m not in favor of the electric emergency brake. I won’t use it because it might not let loose. I am in favor of the handle type and there is TOO much JUNK on the cluster panel.