Gabriel Macht. Picture: REUTERS/FRED PROUSER
Gabriel Macht. Picture: REUTERS/FRED PROUSER

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NO, DSTV, no. Why have you bastardised Harvey Specter? When I think of Gabriel Macht, I think of Harvey Specter and I think "Suits" — the sharp, witty, riveting show about a law firm in New York. I think about nail-biting drama, impeccable dressing, memorable characters, fine acting and a great story line. I don’t think about DStv, our local paid-for channel that seems to tell people that it is more than it is.

I’m impressed with DStv for acquiring the actor to serve as brand ambassador for DStv Premium — good coup! And of course it brings good exposure to our country; it creates talkability and excitement among fans and provides a bit of social media hype. But, strictly creatively speaking, when I saw the DStv advert this week, featuring Harvey, I was left unwowed and unmoved.

The commercial portrays Harvey as a narrator who peeks in unnoticed on people’s lives as they watch TV. His message is that because you choose what you expose your eyes, your ears, and your mind to, you should choose well — you should choose DStv.

The message is not bad but I find the entire advert too lofty and its manifesto style a little trite.

The thing is, if you’re going to use Harvey, you have to give people the Harvey they know. When I hear the words uttered by him in this advert, they don’t sound like the things Harvey would say. Harvey doesn’t speak in prose; he shoots a bullseye from the hip. He wouldn’t say things like: "It’s your pulse, your adrenalin, your clenched jaw." Or, "They’re your emotions and they’re wonderful." Wonderful? Harvey Specter would never use the word "wonderful" unless it was delivered with a dash of acerbity.

Nomsa Mazibuko, DStv’s group head of marketing, aptly describes Gabriel Macht as having an "enigmatic persona". Yes, this is true, and the Harvey we know and love is also sexy, refreshingly forthright and somewhat arrogant, yet noble. But the copy he is made to deliver in the advert is stiff and pedestrian.

A beautiful woman is the only thing that will stop Harvey in his tracks (albeit only for a moment), but in this advert, we only see him mildly run his hand through a bubble bath, while a lady soaks in it and he says something about "stolen moments".

The advert is awkwardly overstyled and hardly reflective of our usual South African homes and lifestyle. Do people really watch TV like that — neatly gathered on a sofa?

Wouldn’t it have been more interesting if Harvey were his dapper self amid the everyday humdrum of our lives?

Isn’t that the whole reason we watch shows such as Suits — to escape the mundane and the banal? And wouldn’t the advert have been a little more memorable if it wasn’t delivered in this passive, dream-like way?

I get it — creatives often brainstorm and say things like, "I think we need a big name in this ad" and their eyes light up at the prospect of featuring a top-notch star.

But the best use of celebrities is when the creative concept and the celebrity are inextricably linked and you can’t imagine that advert with any other star in it. I’m reminded of the successful use of Alec Baldwin by American online channel, Hulu, which took on the idea that TV numbs your brain.

It costs a lot of money to bring on an international ambassador and if you’re going to use one, I deserve to be rewarded for it as a consumer, and I also deserve to know the role the ambassador serves apart from telling me that I should choose DStv.

Sorry DStv, I didn’t feel every moment of this advert. You took one of my favourite TV stars and turned him into an advertising puppet. As Harvey once said, "Unless you’re looking to make me breakfast tomorrow, I think we’re done."

• Gordhan is a creative director in advertising