Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Buick
Buick demotes Tiger Woods, OnStar picks him up
Man, we really feel for Tiger Woods. Just three days after the birth of his first child, Sam Alexis Woods, the guy basically gets canned by Buick as their numero uno spokesperson. Seriously, how's a guy that swings a club for a living going to support a family without endorsements like Buick's? Sure, he's still got the Nike account, but all babies do are eat, sleep and poop, the latter of which requires diapers, which are hella expensive.
Buick says it wants to focus attention back on its product (really?), so while Woods will still appear in some advertisements, he won't be used solely to divert one's attention from the product anymore. General Motors has a heart though, so they've thrown the kid a bone and offered young Woods a stint endorsing OnStar. We'll likely see him appear in more of those celebrity-laden commercials with Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Kimmel, Kelly Rippa and the gang. We wish Tiger all the luck in the world without the deep pockets of Buick behind him anymore.
[Source: The Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Viv 7:03PM (6/21/2007)
I saw the Jimmy Kimemel and Kelly Ripa onstar ads, but i have never seen the Jeff Gordon one. Is it a new one?
Reply
Darrell 7:22PM (6/21/2007)
Not really. He's in a Silverado doing diognostics via OnStar. You'll eventually see it
F451 7:35PM (6/21/2007)
Doesn't OnStar fall under the 911 law of having to be accessible in case of emergency, like other mobile phone providers, even if you no longer have a subscription?
Reply
Viv 7:43PM (6/21/2007)
I think and i emphasize think you can access onstar during accidents. Since none of my GM cars have onstar i can't vouch for it.
Rick 8:02PM (6/21/2007)
I think it was hilarious in the first place that Tiger Woods represented Buick. You can honeslty think he drives one..... On Star will be great for him, ha.
Rick
http://www.ytbsource.com
Reply
SherbornSean 9:35PM (6/21/2007)
Sorry, did you say that Buick wanted to focus attention on its products?
uh oh. Be careful what you wish for....
Reply
Stratojet 10:10PM (6/21/2007)
It is about time that BS marketing ends:
Who believes that:
-Celine Dion drove a Chrysler Minivan?
-Tiger Woods drive a Lucerne (or drive a car period). He has security and chauffeurs all the time.
- Because a car cie is a sponsor for the Olympic, they will get more customers?
On the same vein:
- Having your name on a board for the National Hockey league sells cars (or whatever?)
- Because a golf pro has a logo of some sort , you will subscribe to Telus or Bell?
- People will smoke Marlboro because of the F1?
This type of ridiculous marketing dates back from the 1960. Endorsement works only for related product-activity.
-Tiger-Nike
-Celine- ................ can't think of something here. Throw me a bone here....
- Paris Hilton- Perfume
- Jimi Hendrix- Fender
- Eric Clapton- Fender
- Jose Theodore- naaaaah
Money is tight nowadays and this kind of exposure is called in advertising: share of voice. The only organizations who benefit from this are the advertising and marketing agencies.
Money will be better spent on the product. Wise wise decision , at last.
I am glad that this nonsesnse stops. Hope another corporation will pick up the slack for Tiger.
Reply
Mike 3:29AM (6/22/2007)
Stratojet & Rene Curry, you have no idea what you're talking about. Read the most basic book about marketing and see if you still think what you said makes sense.
Rene Curry 12:57AM (6/22/2007)
Stratojet is so correct!
I would take it a step further and say that GM should look at everything related to advertising and marketing and just cut it to near ZERO. No celebs, no billboards, no staff, no advertising agencies, no TV commercials, no sport signs, no print ads, no magazines, & on & on. Just have a skunkswork internet team.
The amount of cash freed up should be split to 50% for vehicle price reductions, 25% for product development, & 25% to the bottom line.
All you need is VALUE - QUALITY & a little internet spin. The lower sell price would really kick the competitors rear end.
I have no idea what the total budget marketing & advertising budget is, but from the few examples I have seen in the press the amounts have been staggering! Imagine what that amount is when totaled together.
The dealers can advertise on their own.
Reply
John R 7:34AM (6/22/2007)
Probably a good move.
Every time I see Tiger in front of a Buick I chuckle and ask myself, "If I had Tiger Woods money, would I even CONSIDER a Buick?" The man owns an island! I would drive almost every exotic out there for at least one year in turn. Start slow - Vette, 911, GT-R - and then turn it up towards the end, Ascari, Zonda, Veyron.
Tiger and American Express makes sense though.
Reply
Benmark 7:55AM (6/22/2007)
Buick dropped him as soon as they saw that his daughter's middle name wasn't "Abuick". I think there's another car brand that could jump right in and capitalize on her middle name, and Tiger might just be willing to actually drive their product for real.
Reply
Eleventee 9:06AM (6/22/2007)
And Lucy Liu...don't forget they have Lucy Liu now too...
...mmmmmm...
Reply
Greg 11:30AM (6/22/2007)
Maybe a spokesmen who is seen driving the said vehicles he touts along with his family inside .. would be a nice start for Buick.
Reply
don63011 12:37PM (6/22/2007)
I don't feel at all sorry for him. Now he can be seen in public in something other than a Buick.
Reply
Darien Allen 3:12PM (6/22/2007)
Well here's an interesting twist.... espn's article says:
"Tiger Woods will no longer be the primary pitchman for Buick because General Motors wants a broader role for the golf great, the automaker's top sales executive said."
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=2912639&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines
Demoted indeed?
Reply
Don 4:10PM (6/22/2007)
Kelly Rippa?
Ugh.
Easily the most annoying woman on the planet.
Reply
coolwasabi 12:14PM (6/25/2007)
You guys are clueless.
I'm sure Tiger Woods will be just fine. Diapers *are* expensive, but Woods wins a lot of money on the tour (he is after all the #1-rated golfer on the tour). Not to mention he also makes some side money through deals with Nike, Accenture, TAG, etc. Plus, it's not like GM is dropping him... so he's still gonna get paid, albeit possibly not as much.
what?
Reply
Viv 8:29PM (6/21/2007)
Ever heard of sarcasm?
Tim 8:47PM (6/21/2007)
There was elements of sarcasm in the article.
This is great Buick eliminates any semblance of relevance to the under 50 crowd.
I can't wait until the commercial with Jeff Gordon, Kelly Ripa, Jimmy Kimmel all sing songs about OnStar or car phones or Tow trucks or serenading to the On Star lady blah blah blah. Those musical Chevy Commercials made me want to run out and buy a Cobalt SS.