Tiger Woods' role in GM ads to change

General Motors says it plans to change the way Tiger Woods appears in its ads, The New York Times reported Friday.

Instead of appearing in commercials trying to convince people that he wants to drive a Buick, Woods will pitch products like communications service OnStar, which is offered by all eight GM brands.

Although his role in Buick commercials has helped the Buick brand gain visibility, GM wants its ads to focus on products and not celebrities, says Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president for vehicle sales and marketing in North America.

"We want the message on Buick to be what Buick's true north is, which is classic, premium American vehicles. Tiger should be on the periphery helping us do that," LaNeve told The New York Times.

At 31, less than half the age of the average Buick owner, "there was just no believability that Tiger was dying to drive a Buick," Laura Ries, president of marketing strategy firm Ries & Ries, told the Times.

"The brand personalities just didn't go together, like oil and water," she said. "Buick is an older person's car. Tiger is very young, very cool and at the top of his game. You imagine him driving a Bentley or a Mercedes or a Lexus."

Buick officials said Woods drives a fully loaded Buick Enclave CXL, Lucerne and other GM vehicles.

The average Buick buyer is 63 years old, according to the Power Information Network.

GM (down $0.15 to $35.81, Charts, Fortune 500) shares were closed 1.8% higher Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.