GM to use Tiger Woods in OnStar Campaigns – Focusing on Branding Over Celebrity Appeal

General Motors will no longer use Tiger Woods as a primary pitchman for Buick, citing they want to expand upon Woods’ role. Mark LaNeve vice president of North American sales, service and marketing for GM says that Woods is a great assest and stresses why shouldn’t the company use him in ways other than Buick.

According to LaNeve the product strategy of how to best use Woods is to sell cars based on their own attributes, not on their ties to a particular celebrity. They plan to use Woods in corporate level marketing and in particular, with its OnStar marketing campaign.

In 1999 Woods signed a sponsorship agreement with Buick and in 2004 he agreed to a new deal believed to be worth more than $40 million dollars over five years.
"We don't want a celebrity at the core of any brand. We want the message on Buick to be about Buick,” said LaNeve.

Do you feel that Tiger Woods will be a marketing crossover success or failure? Remember, this is the guy that usually lands every ball.