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Buick drives millennial connections by unveiling new car on theSkimm

General Motors' Buick automotive brand is taking a millennial-first approach to marketing by unveiling a new vehicle on Instagram via a partnership with mobile newsletter theSkimm.

The latest Buick design was shared first with readers and followers of the millennial-geared news source, theSkimm, in yesterday?s newsletter and on its Instagram account. Buick is hoping to appeal to younger consumers with a new generation of vehicle designs and marketing, aimed to appear more trendy. 

"Digital media, specifically mobile, is a very important medium that helps Buick reach new consumers," said Molly Beck, Director of Marketing, Buick. "We are having success in this area as 60 percent of the traffic to Buick.com on the mobile site is from people who have never visited the site before.  

"We are also using geotargeting to produce messages that are most relevant to our target," she said. "For the Buick Encore, mobile helps us reach Millennial females, a target that is constantly on-the-go.  

"They are savvy, progressive and in tune with the latest news and trends. TheSkimm allows us to introduce the 2017 Buick Encore to this consumer."

Millennial mobile views
Readers of theSkimm were given a sneak peak at the latest Buick vehicle through a picture on Instagram, which was also shared in the morning?s newsletter. The new Buick Encore was featured in an image on the publication?s official Instagram page, with a caption saying ?they see me rollin' #SkimmSpotted at the unveiling of Buick Encore, do you want more??

The post included a tag to Buick?s Instagram page as well as the publication?s curated hashtag #SkimmLife. The image showed a woman holding her smartphone while featuring theSkimm?s newsletter in front of the new vehicle. 


Buick officially unveiled the updated Encore design later in the day at the New York Auto Show. It comes with a bevy of new features meant to appeal to younger consumers, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The Instagram unveiling followed a four-day advertising run on the daily newsletter, during which theSkimm icon was transformed everyday to include an illustration version of the new vehicle while reading ?brought to you by Buick Encore.? 


The ad campaign ran from March 14 to March 18. 

Skimming through promotions
Starbucks also targeted millennials who may be looking for a quick pick-me-up during the busy holiday season with brand integrations on Snapchat as well as theSkimm (see more). 

It has become clear that young voters are vital for success, prompting many of this year?s presidential candidates to leverage theSkimm as one strategy for reaching this audience (see more).

"TheSkimm is growing and gaining momentum," Ms. Beck said "It is savvy, approachable, funny and inclusive, all attributes that align very well with the Buick brand.  
 
"When the founders started it from scratch, there was nothing else like it," she said. "This is what Buick did with the Encore, creating a new automotive segment for consumers.
 
"The unveiling of the 2017 Buick Encore exclusively with theSkimm was an extension of an integration we did with the company last week. This is an on-going partnership that we look forward to building upon in the future."