Hellogoodbye, Buick Collaborate on the Open Road

By Bob Marshall 

From Digitas comes the collaboration between indie-rockers Hellogoodbye, the 2012 Buick Regal Turbo and audio equipment company Harmon/Kardon. A two-day road trip through the Nevada desert in the new car culminated in the above short documentary title “One From the Road.” During that time, the band wrote a new track called “Killing Time,” which is now available as an exclusive download on Buick’s Facebook page.

Executive director of Digitas Boston and Detroit Barbara Goose says in a statement, “This is the first time that an auto brand has taken such a big role in the creation and digital debut of a new song. From inspiring the lyrics to partnering with Harman/Kardon on the audio, Buick has uniquely integrated itself into the track in a way that’s both authentic and engaging – everything that an active brand should be. It’s literally brand content that rocks” [eye roll and italics added by me].

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To me, there are two very surprising elements of this campaign. First of which is that many viewers in their mid-20s (like myself) will remember Hellogoodbye as that sweet, ever-optimistic pop-punk band from high school that made Fall Out Boy sound like the Cure. This video served as a re-introduction of sorts to a band that’s ably matured with its fan base, and that”Killing Time” track is far better than most songs we’ve seen being made as part of a commercial. Second, it’s surprising that Buick, of all car brands, is starting to target the youth market. Then again, my first car at age 16 was a 1989 Buick station wagon that I bought for $500. Surprisingly, it came installed with a CD player, and I used to play old Hellogoodbye tracks to girls I’d take on dates. Odd how this is all coming together almost a decade later…

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