New Buick "brand anthem" ad breaks during NCAA Final Four

This weekend, Buick is introducing a new ad the company calls its "brand anthem." Car companies do this once in a while. It's almost always a 60-second TV spot meant to illustrate a new idea of what the brand represents.

In Buick's case, its new anthem, to paraphrase, is "luxury for regular folks." The actual message the ad carries is, "Your Kind of Luxury." Buick says this is not a permanent tagline or slogan, but that it is dropping "The New Class of World Class," which it's been using as a tag for more than a year. The brand will go without a consistent slogan in future.

Buick is the brand that, more than any other, is trying to tell the public that times have changed. "Quiet" luxury is in, the marketers say. Buick ad chief Craig Bierley says that Buick is going back to its image roots established in the 1950s and 60s. He describes Buick in those years as the perfect car for the doctor who made house calls. If the doc drove a Cadillac, he would be saying that his rates were to high, Bierley explained. If he drove a Chevy or Dodge, he wasn't successful enough. Buick conveys authority and taste without showing off.

Buick is a big sponsor of the NCAA Men' Basketball Tournament. In many ways, it's the perfect marketing vehicle for Buick, reaching young sports fans as well as the older ones who are watching their alma maters compete in the Final Four. If they have alma maters, they're college educated. If they're college educated, it figures they have money to spend.

Buick buyers' average age is in the low 60s, a nice drop from 70s, which it was in 2009.

Cadillac, the Buick marketers tell us, is for people who like to show off their success. Buick is for the successful person with a more understated lifestyle. In other words, Caddy is the brand for the college hoops stars who are going pro. Buick is for the people who buy the tickets. Check out the new spot after the jump.

[Source: Buick via YouTube]