by The Advertising Hook and Reveal
The Super Bowl season is always about new commercials. The premise of the latest Buick ad sounded perfect: Kendrick Lamar, his Grammy-winning song “tv off,” and a black-and-white aesthetic. On the screen of an old TV, a black Buick Grand National Experimental, the legendary GNX, appears.
It’s one of the most iconic American sports cars of the 1980s, and it appears right at the moment when Lamar delivers the line “all I ever wanted was a black Grand National.” It seems Buick is about to do something grand.
The Unexpected Twist
But then the camera zooms out, the TV turns off, and viewers are shown a red 2026 Envista. This moment elicited a collective sigh of disappointment online, possibly becoming a new peak of anticlimactic advertising.
Heritage Without an Heir
The Envista is not a bad car. It’s competitively priced, fairly attractive for its class, and quite suitable for daily commutes. However, it has absolutely nothing in common with the GNX. No visual references, no hint of sportiness, not even similar emblems. It’s nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia, not for the sake of essence.
This contrasts with how other brands play similar games. For example, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, while expensive, looks like a modern descendant of the original Microbus. The DNA is obvious. Buick, on the other hand, dangled the GNX as bait and then abruptly switched to a car that could have practically any logo.
View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Buick (@buickusa)
Audience Reaction
This shouldn’t be taken as just the author’s opinion. Here are just a few comments from the internet from regular people:
“Very cool. But then they show the new car and… boring.”
“No joke, I thought: ‘Wow, if that’s the car coming out, I might have to get one.’ Then they showed the red car, and I’ve never wanted a Buick less in my life.”
“Couldn’t they even make the car at least black? Kills the vibe.”
“This ad just makes me want a GNX. The new Buicks are boring.”
“They had a chance to bring back the Grand National in a modern design, slightly squared off like Cadillac. They completely missed it.”
View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Buick (@buickusa)
Brand State and Missed Opportunities
The last comment touches on the essence of Buick’s situation. The brand sells only four crossovers. The Envista isn’t even produced in America, rolling off the assembly line in South Korea. The brand’s average selling price is lower than Chevrolet’s. It remains a mystery why the company still hasn’t created a true “halo model” using available components. The new ad starts great, sounds even better, and then takes a step back in the ending, going out of bounds.
View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Buick (@buickusa)
This story well illustrates the challenges traditional automakers face when trying to update their image. Using an iconic past can be a powerful tool, but only if it’s backed by products that match that heritage. Otherwise, it’s perceived as an empty marketing ploy that can disappoint even loyal brand fans. In Buick’s case, the gap between the legendary GNX and modern offerings remains too wide for nostalgia to work fully.
