• Automotive News, Friday, December 22, 2006 12:15 PM

General Motors marketing executives have been talking about using professional golfer Tiger Woods to advertise brands other than Buick, according to John Larson, GM's general manager of Pontiac-Buick-GMC. Such a move would involve changes to Woods' endorsement contract, however. Larson declines to comment on the specifics of Woods' current contract, but confirms that Woods will stump for Buick for at least another year.

Woods broader role could be part of an aggressive marketing effort to revive the Buick, Pontiac and GMC brands in 2007. A new GMC crossover vehicle, the Acadia, is arriving in dealerships. Buick dealers will get a similar vehicle, the Enclave, next year. Pontiac, meanwhile, might receive a new entry-level car similar to the G5.

The new products provide the Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel with opportunities to expand advertising beyond traditional TV and print to grassroots and alternative forms, such as drive events and Web advertising, Larson says, to reach younger buyers.

Read the whole story at Automotive News »