Buick turned a PR nightmare into real-time engagement by leveraging their controversial new logo as social currency to generate buzz. Gave away limited-edition collectables created by fan critiques, which sparked conversation across all social platforms in China.

Buick was previously known as the "old people's car." With the rise of electric vehicles and increased competition in the automotive industry, they knew they needed to make changes.

To appeal to younger drivers and transition to an all-electric future, they made bold moves and underwent a much-needed brand makeover. However, things took a turn for the worse when fans pointed out that the new logo looked suspiciously like a set of nail clippers, turning a challenging situation into a full-blown PR nightmare.

Rather than apologizing and explaining the new logo, Buick listened to fans' feedback and introduced Buick Nail Clippers, creating real-time engagement from their critiques.

Encouraged everyone to share their opinions and were quick to acknowledge them. This demonstrated that Buick is becoming a younger, more open brand that genuinely engages with younger audiences.

Ultimately, it is about changing people's perceptions of Buick, and even turning the negative situation into a positive one.

Chinese philosophy tells us that opportunities can arise from crises, and for Buick, there has never been a more fitting time to create social buzz by leveraging the controversy surrounding their new logo.

The strategy aims to resonate with the "True Gen" audience, who values truth and personal expression, is passionate about causes, and believes in dialogue.

Buick's approach encourages open dialogue and consideration of opinions from all perspectives. A light-hearted and honest approach is necessary to connect with younger audiences. Buick embraces criticism as social currency and is unafraid to laugh at themselves. This strategy allows Buick to connect with younger audiences and establish a more authentic relationship with its consumers.

While the debate was heating up, Buick launched a social video promoting Buick nail clippers. The video featured great hands as a metaphor for Buick drivers who achieve great things and take care of their hands with Buick nail clippers. Invite fans to share their thoughts on all social platforms in exchange for nail clippers.

The first batch of nail clippers was given to dealers and KOLs to create unboxing videos and spread the news on Douyin (Chinese TikTok).

The media coverage further fueled the already-buzzing conversation. Soon, people were demanding that Buick make the nail clippers available for sale online. Although it was beyond the original plan, Buick restocked overnight and put them on the shelves. It sold out within seconds.

The internet went crazy. No one believed Buick would take online jokes “seriously” to make the new logo into nail clippers.

The campaign instantly changed perceptions, and fans loved it! 1,000 limited-edition nail clippers given away in minutes. Another 500 restocks sold out online in seconds.

The campaign gathered over 38.9 million views, over 661k social engagement, a 779% increase of followers on the WeChat brand community and free PR, resulting in approximately 1 million earned media. Most importantly, it reflected Buick successfully transformed from a logo or cars, but a brand truly engaged a younger audience.