This commercial features an actor portraying the late, legendary designer Harley Earl, who was responsible for the classic Buick designs of the 1950's and before. He believed that a car was more than basic transportation. A car was an extension of one's personality. My most favorite American car designs are a product of his influence. He brought a distinctive flair to the otherwise stodgy Detroit design studios.

The current Buick commercial portrays the 6'4" Earl saying "I've come back to design a car just for you." To the few people like myself who know of and admire Mr. Earl, it's kind of neat. But 99.9% of the public has no idea who he is. For more on him, visit http://buick.com/harley, where you'll see some of the coolest Buicks that ever roamed the earth. You can also search Amazon for new and used books by Stephen Bayley that feature Earl and his designs.

Most people simply see a tall guy in a porkpie hat saying he's back from the dead and designing for Buick. I understand the creatives who did the spot wish to pay homage to Harley Earl. But to most viewers, this spot has to come across as, well, spooky. What's some dead guy doing designing cars? And why is Buick making up such a story?

They might have reworked the spot to show the proud heritage of Buick's design and how that carries forward to today. But no. We've got dead designers talking to us instead.

Now, I've always loved Buicks. I think they're one of the best American cars on the road. My dad had classic ones as I grew up, which I remember fondly. In fact, I have a model 1955 Buick Roadmaster with doors, trunk, and hood that open. The steering wheel works. The designs and quality really do instill loyalty over generations.

To me, Buick has always been a product that's better than its advertising. Years ago, they had a tag line that asked, "Wouldn't you really rather have a Buick?" I remember the late legendary radio monologist Jean Shepherd having them as an advertiser, and he wryly quipped, "Well, really, you'd rather have a Mercedes, but on your salary, pal, it's going to be a Buick." :)

More often than not, products are better than their marketing. I think this is because the passion of the engineers and designers gets lost when the agency has to translate that into creative that outsiders (namely the target market) consumes. It's a shame. So often, a product succeeds in the marketplace despite its advertising. Imagine how effective advertising could be if it truly reflected the integrity of the brands it portrays...Dream on!