Buick continued pitching its "Experience Buick" lease -- and its effort to acquire a younger, sexier image -- with the airing this week of an ad (above) with supermodel Marisa Miller (of Victoria's Secret lingerie and Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition fame).  Miller touts the "smart and sexy" 2012 Enclave and its "incredibly smart" features, such as the power liftgate and rear parking assist -- but laments that "all people seem to remember is how good it looks" -- a problem she says she also has.  Besotted males, meanwhile, make fools of themselves in the background while she does a walkaround of the Enclave -- presumably for potential female buyers who are not so distracted.  Ad is the latest in an entertaining celebrity series that also has featured supersized Shaquille O'Neal showing off a roomy LaCrosse mild hybrid ("I have shoes bigger than some hybrids, and more stylish, too") and intimidating Ving Rhames, whose negotiating skills are matched by an 8-year-old.  Beyond pitching sex appeal, Miller's ad also sells the Experience Buick 24-month lease deal that comes with free maintenance and OnStar service.  The deal is an effort to put butts in the seats of what is now a decent and stylish lineup of Buicks (topped by the entertaining Regal GS turbo) -- but which seems to have dropped off many shoppers' radar after a nice run-up last year.  Sales in 2011 were up 14% from 2010 for the brand, and up 5.4% for Miller's smart and sexy Enclave, according to Autodata. This year, however, the brand is down 16.4% through April in a market up 10.3% overall. And the Enclave was down 4.4% in April, 18.9% year-to-date.  So even if all people remember is "how good it looks," that'll be an image and awareness boost for Buick. It's something that certainly has worked out profitably for Miller.  And in case you want to experience more Marisa Miller, we've included below Buick's behind-the-scenes video from the making of her ad.
In ad for lease, Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated model laments some people miss Enclave smarts, only remember "how good it looks."