Say what you will about Buick’s place in the US luxury car market scene, but when it comes to spending for Super Bowl commercials, the General Motors-owned automaker has proven that it could spend with the best of them. The latest example of Buick’s free-wheeling Big Game spending comes in the form of its new commercial for Super Bowl LI.

The ad stars the Buick Cascada and Encore SUV, but it also taps Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in a co-starring role with super model Miranda Kerr appearing in a cameo role. The combination of star power may sound strange on the surface, but Newton and Kerr perfectly encapsulate the “celebrity-focused” advertising strategy Buck has employed in recent years. Remember Peyton Manning and Shaquille O’Neal’s Buick ads in the past?

The story behind this particular ad revolves around some parents who spot the two Buicks while watching their kids’ pee-wee football game. One dad then playfully says that if that car (the Cascada) was, in fact, a Buick, he’d be Cam Newton. Alas, in true Disney fashion, Newton magically appears under center, much to the shock of the children he’s now playing against.

Kerr’s appearance in the advertisement isn’t as prominent as Newton’s, but the “if that SUV (the Encore) is a Buick, then I’m Miranda Kerr” quip magically works again as the dad weirdly turns into one of the most beautiful super models in the world. Yes, it happened, so be warned.

All told, the family-friendly ad hits on a lot of levels. Kids and adults can both appreciate it, especially the latter of whom count themselves as either sports fans or, well, Miranda Kerr fans.

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Well thought-out ad hits a lot of sweet spots

Buick’s director of marketing and advertising, Molly Peck, made a great point when she described the commercial as having the ability to connect to a lot of people who will watch the game, regardless of their reasons for watching it.

“Within our Buick voice, it’s very much like our Buick campaign,” she said, before adding “It’s just done so in a bigger way for the Super Bowl. We’ll connect with people who like sports, who like Cam Newton. We’ll connect with people who just like advertising during the game.”

Can’t argue against that. I know sports fans will immediately recognize Cam Newton (and probably ridicule him for the dramatic decrease in participation in the Super Bowl, going from one of the stars of SB 50 to a star in a Buick commercial for Super Bowl LI.) I also know a lot of people who don’t necessarily watch the game, but are heavily invested in the commercials. In some ways, this ad targets them too, especially with Miranda Kerr being in it.

Above all else, though, the message of the whole advertisement is clear enough for a lot of people to understand. Can’t believe it’s a Buick? Well, it is, and we all better start to recognize.