Buick got extra mileage this past holiday weekend by rerunning its “Black Eye” spot that first aired during last year’s holiday event. The spot features a deal-hunting shopper sporting a black eye and his pleased-as-punch neighbor who saves thousands staying at home and buying a Buick Lacrosse. The message is simple – buy big, save bigger – while not being restricted to one specific day.
During the 2013 holiday season, Buick spent an estimated $5.5 million convincing buyers to invest in their new-look cars. But it’s the 2014 Black-Eye Friday rerun that sees a sharp rise in estimated spend approaching $11.5 million. This bought Buick nearly three-times the number of national airings over the previous holiday season – 2,236 national airings in 2014 compared to 2013’s 846.
But, the trend doesn’t stop there. Buick’s year-to-date estimated spend for 2014 has doubled over 2013. The company spent $90 million on their rebranding focused spot titled “Hmm” since debuting in March 2014. This is about the same as what Buick spent on TV advertising for their entire fleet throughout 2013. Other spots this year promote Buick’s new look, that according to them have left their cars completely unrecognizable.
The Detroit automaker is working hard to get its message across with an estimated spend of over $140 million for 2014, up until Black Friday. Buick want us to believe that it’s perfectly normal to buy a Buick even if you are still single or barely in your thirties. Not convinced? According to Autoblog Buick have had their best year ever with global sales increasing 12 percent over 2013.
Buick may have shed its old fogy image, but it’s still getting plenty of mileage from rerunning its old commercials.