Humor, once again, provides the kicker.
Shaquille O’Neal in an encore performance returns to TV screens across the country this weekend in a new Buick TV spot titled “More Than I Expected.” The advertisement is the latest in the “You Don’t Know Buick” campaign.
During February, Buick sales led by the Enclave at 5,241 crossovers rose 15%. However, the LaCrosse sedan, which is due to be revised later this year, dropped 30% to 3,700 units.
In his second ad for the LaCrosse, the former basketball star says it offers more than a typical luxury sedan.
“The fuel efficiency, the sleekness of it, the way it feels, I just think it’s a beautiful car.” O’Neill said about the LaCrosse in a behind-the-scenes video released ahead of the real spots. “I don’t like commercials where they force stuff at you. We just want to tell them how the car looks, and we want to let them know we’re trying to save them some of that gas money.”
The 2013 LaCrosse comes standard with eAssist, a technology that uses a lithium-ion battery pack and small electric motor to aid performance of a fuel-efficient 2.4-liter gas engine. It allows the LaCrosse to achieve an EPA-estimated 36 mpg on the highway in what passes for a full-size car these days.
Humor, once again, provides the kicker: O’Neal says at the close of the new commercial, “Like my Mom said the day I was born, ‘Wow, that’s a lot more than I expected.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Why would Shaq’s mom say that when he was born he only weighed a little over 7 lbs? ( It’s a commercial -editor)