• by Karl Greenberg , July 23, 2015

If Michael Douglas' character in “Falling Down” shopped for a Buick this week, the story might have wound up a Disney movie “for the whole family.”

The General Motors division is launching a retail-centered campaign called “24 Hours of Happiness Test Drive,” which pairs the “butts in seats” dealer program with a digital campaign around road-rage mitigation, including yoga, something we can assume the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not recommend people practice while driving. 

Buick describes it as a day-long test drive experience complemented by “sounds, smells and even yoga techniques to help encourage well-being and happiness on the road.” 

The campaign comprises videos, podcasts, compressed digital images, and, yes, a recipe for an in-car fragrance. Buick brought in these experts on mental and body equanimity for the effort: Shawn Achor, author, happiness researcher and CEO of GoodThink Inc.; Chad Dennis, yoga instructor to celebs; Israeli supermodel and yoga practitioner Bar Refaeli; Moon Juice founder Amanda Chantal Bacon; actor and meditation coach Jeff Kober; award-winning jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth; and masseuse to the stars, “Dr. Dot.” 

A podcast (and short film), “The Buick Road to Happiness,” is meant to  listened to on the road, with the idea that it can boost a driver’s sense of happiness and well-being. Though New Jersey is probably excluded in the fine print. Then there's “The Buick Body Shop,” a yoga video by Dennis, starring supermodel Bar Refaeli, guaranteed to generate astronomical shares among males, regardless of whether they are interested in buying a car. Buick says Dennis is the yoga instructor to the bands Maroon 5 and One Direction. The idea is to perform the sequences before or after test drives drive. Another podcast and short film by Kober involves a guided meditation to be performed before or after the drive. 

The “The Buick Atmosphere” in-car aroma, which Buick says people can make at home, is by Bacon, with Neuwirth creating the diffuser with wood, crystals and Choccachino Buick leather. And there is a series of GIFs, by Dr. Dot, detailing self-administered pressure-point massage techniques for easing temporomandibular and neck tension. The program is housed on a microsite that features the video content, including behind-the scenes video, and also lets consumers sign up for the test-drive. No, not with Bar.