News and views on visual communications from the writers of Creative Review

Cadbury’s Gorilla Unmasked

Patrick 04/09/07, 17:13

For one, glorious moment we got it into our heads that the man in the Gorilla suit in Fallon’s new Cadbury’s commercial was none other than Phil Collins himself. It all fitted. The gorilla had uncanny drumming skills. Phil has his acting chops having once been in an episode of Miami Vice and that film about one of the great train robbers. The agency were being cagey. They couldn’t give us stills for print, they said, because they’d had to sign a very strict agreement with the performer and “he had us over a barrel being the ONLY PERSON who could take this role” (our over-excited capitals).

But no. It turns out that the man in the gorilla suit is none other than… Garon Michael (above).

You know, Garon Michael. He was in Congo as, errr, a gorilla. And Instinct. Again, as, yes, a gorilla. Wouldn’t it have been great if it really was Phil? Sigh…

Anyway, here he is in action again, Garon that is, sporting some nifty animatronic facial expressions courtesy of Stan Winston in LA

Posted in Advertising Commercials Film

(49 comments)

I don’t belive you. IT IS PHIL IT IS PHIL IT IS PHIL IT IS PHIL. Na na naaaa naaaaaa….

Posted by Graham Watson on 05/09/07, 9:18 am

Needless. I’m still divided as to the success of this ad. It’s funny, but ultimately it doesn’t make me want to buy bread… sorry, chocolate!

Posted by Rich Smalley on 05/09/07, 12:53 pm

for kids…extremely irrelevant for grown adults

Posted by Maria on 05/09/07, 8:56 pm

Of course he’s the only one that could do it. A suit like that is not going to fit just anybody, and it probably costs upwards of £100k to make with all the animatronics thrown in. My guess is they probably re-used the one from Congo, hence needing to get Garon Michael, the man it was designed around, inside it.

Posted by David on 05/09/07, 9:28 pm

i hate this ad, makes no sense whatsoever. i was in the focus group for it and although the art direction is better than I expected, the overall concept is silly.

Posted by Penelope on 06/09/07, 1:27 pm

I think the concept of the Cadburys advert is fantastic.

Its very engaging, random fun, which gets people talking. It has raised awareness for the brand. Is’nt that the purpose of an advert?

Here’s what Cadburys had to say about it:

“Well it just seemed like the right thing to do. There’s no clever science behind it - it’s just an effort to make you smile, in exactly the same way Cadbury Dairy Milk does. And that’s what we aim to continue to do; simply make you smile. So if a drumming gorilla’s not enough, wait until you see what else we have up our sleeves. ”

Shaun Tollerton

Posted by Shaun Tollerton on 06/09/07, 4:34 pm

“extremely irrelevant for grown adults”- “i hate this ad, makes no sense whatsoever”

seriously lighten up! its a bloody tv advert! didnt hurt anyone, is jus a bit of fun, and if it makes people laugh then wheres the harm in that! go and find something else to moan about! P

Posted by Lindsey Pitman on 06/09/07, 7:00 pm

The whole point of this is it makes people watch the in between times during a TV skint - I find a lot of adverts to be just plain boring - this has style of it’s own making … although this doesn’t show a chocolate bar it is on par with the early 80’s Flake adverts showing a woman and an overflowing bath whilst eating a cadburys flake.

Posted by Zol. on 06/09/07, 8:14 pm

How much do these marketing companies pay Creative Review to whore on about their vacuous ad turds?

Posted by Huzzah For Design on 07/09/07, 12:56 am

Me and my husband were sat in watching the Big Brother final, when we saw this advert for the 1st time. When my husband heard the song playing in the background he said wouldn’t it be hilarious if the gorilla did the drum solo. And it did. He was on the floor crying with laughter. 1st class advert Cadbury’s!

Posted by M & J on 07/09/07, 11:35 pm

even if you don’t like it it did its job, it got you talking about it, fuelled argument and discussion. so the lesson it keep quiet and maybe these things won’t become so popular.

but in my opinion its a great advert, it came on and i sat a little bemused, but as soon as the drumming started it really made me smile, and but a bit of fun into my day.

Posted by Paul on 09/09/07, 9:28 am

For those who doubt the effectiveness of the advert, me and my mates actually sat watching Sky Sports News today for a long time to try and catch the Gorilla advert after seeing it once. This advert is genius, and it is SUPPOSED to be silly.

Posted by Sam Chew on 09/09/07, 7:16 pm

gorillas scare the bejayzus outta me!……but love this advert! would it make me buy more choc?????????????of course…..any excuse to buy choclate mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm x

Posted by me on 11/09/07, 10:12 pm

It’s a testament to the talent of Juan Cabral that he can continually produce work that is both beautifully simple and yet so subversive. He is steadily writing himself into the advertising hall of fame and will surely be celebrated as one of the all time greats in years to come. I think both the client and agency should be applauded for their bravery, they could have easily sent this out as just a viral. Even my mum loves it, and she hates advertising!

Posted by Matt Evans on 12/09/07, 4:44 pm

i love it but it really scares me because it is so realistic. it was so weird one minute i though i was watching hollyoaks then suddenly i was watching a gorrila playing phil collins it was the strangest thing ever but very effective.

Posted by natalia a on 12/09/07, 7:50 pm

What an inspired advert. One of the best I’ve seen. Everyone is talking about it. Totally captivating, you can’t stop watching it. A simple but brilliant concept -so different you certainly don’t forget it or the product its advertising.I find myself hopping channels during the adverts in the hope it’ll be on. I’ve even video’d it.Truly fantastic.

Posted by Heather on 14/09/07, 10:30 pm

I think it’s just amazing. You get drawn in by the music, and then entrapped by the expression on the gorilla’s face - shades of 2001 A Space Odyssey I thought - and I didn’t know whether to laugh or search for some hidden meaning when the solo started.

I’ve posted a link to it on an American forum, in a spirit of sharing. And I confess……. just got back from the weekly Tesco shop….. and yes, I did buy some. I can’t believe I’d be so impressionable. I’ll get me coat….

Posted by passer on 15/09/07, 4:37 pm

I think Garon Michael did a great job and needs to be looked at for other jobs besides a commercial if you haven’t seen him he is hot ppl would like watching him in a movie. HE DID A GREAT JOB

Posted by julie schmeckenbecher on 16/09/07, 3:00 am

if you cant remember what the advert is for with-in seconds of the ad starting then it hasn’t worked….
i think this is a fantastic ad….and yes it works…

Posted by neil hawkins on 18/09/07, 10:16 am

i think this advert is truly amazing, it captivates the aduience and keeps them interested. even if you dont know what the product is by the end of the advert you will know and will not forget it.
it is a unforgetable advert and i congragulate the person who came up with that concept. XXX

Posted by Tamara Francis on 18/09/07, 12:46 pm

F**KIN LOVE IT
I WANT 2 MARRY THE GORILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:)

Posted by carl and t on 19/09/07, 2:15 pm

Penelope and Maria..”silly”, “for kids”..What intelligent remarks.
It makes me utterly depressed that people like you are allowed an opinion

Posted by Dominic Bailey on 19/09/07, 3:53 pm

i’d never bought cocolate before i saw this advert….now i buy it all the time..i spend £10 a day on cadbury’s bars and love them. kevin

Posted by kevin egner on 20/09/07, 1:16 pm

I can hardly believe that anyone who has seen more than 20 minutes British T.V can condemn this advert as “silly” or “for kids”. Compared to which other adverts? The “Picture loans” one, which shows “grown adults” (note the irony part 1) happily getting themselves £25 k in debt, as lightly as one would buy, er, a bar of chocolate. Or perhaps ads for “comparison sites”, which only kids would believe are truly impartial. Advertising, these days, is about inane gimmicks and so on. The drumming gorilla is harmless by comparison, and is well executed.

Here’s an original idea: perhaps we should get Cadbury to make an ad which stresses how “women prefer chocolate to sex, (because it’s sooo well known, ALL women love chocolate, don’t they?)”. Now that surely would be original, and not at all inane, would it? (Note the irony part 2).

Posted by Black Dog on 20/09/07, 11:01 pm

brilliant cadbury not forgetting the legend phil

Posted by john on 21/09/07, 10:57 pm

It’s a dreadful advert. There is absolutely no connection between the product and the concept (not even in an amusing “what has that got to do with anything” way) - and the whole thing just leaves me feeling uncomfortable. The “emotional” gorilla reminds me of a dancing bear or other animal that is tortured and forced to do unnatural things for human entertainment. This advert actually puts me off wanting to buy Dairy Milk. I’m going for Galaxy instead.

Posted by Robert on 25/09/07, 5:21 pm

The Ad men deserve an EMMY for this one. There are only two ads that stand out this year. The first being the Sony exploding paint and the Cabury Gorilla. Well done!

Posted by Paul Bayliss-Marten on 26/09/07, 12:36 pm

The thing i dont understand is the fact the some people have came on this sight to criticise this advert. If you dont like it then why have you bothered to find out who the gorilla is inside the suit and also watch the advert?

Posted by tommy on 26/09/07, 5:01 pm

ITS ONLY A FUCKING ADVERT!!!

Posted by John on 26/09/07, 5:03 pm

This advert is the best on the telly - absolutley FANTASTIC !

Posted by Jane on 26/09/07, 8:01 pm

Anything that keeps us thinking about the fantastic Genesis frontman is cool by me !

Posted by Jeff C on 02/10/07, 12:36 pm

Just like to say to all those people that say this ad is “Rubbish”, “Irrelevant” etc… well, you’re talking about it aren’t you!!! And that to me is fantastic marketing, instilling the Cadbury brand in the mind…it’s genious!!!

Posted by Chris Massey on 03/10/07, 9:42 pm

i think that cadburys should have bought out a new chocolate bar called genesis there ya go got it off my chest now ………..the genesis chocolate bar can you feel it ? hahaha fantasticcccccc advert

Posted by andy exall on 05/10/07, 10:30 pm

Thanks!
My dad and I have argued, I said “it’s a man in a gorilla suit” and he said “it’s CGI!”.
Thanks to this, I proved him wrong and the argument is finished!

-Nitrogen

Posted by Nitrogen on 10/10/07, 10:23 pm

Great advert. But it should have been advertising Guinness…

Posted by Chris on 10/10/07, 11:19 pm

I adored this advert! everytime i watch it, it does indeed make me smile, (though i did have to wonder what it had to do with chocolate) though that doesnt matter, its a wonderful advert and leaves me laughing which to me deserves an award! loved it

Posted by Sisqi on 14/10/07, 9:36 am

Absolutely BRILLIANT commercial!
Deserves an award, and definitely better than the programmes that interupt it!

Posted by Graham F Cutler on 22/10/07, 7:52 am

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by liam on 23/10/07, 11:51 am

The Gorilla rocks!!

Posted by Beth on 23/10/07, 2:11 pm

This Advert ROCKS!!
I never get sick of seeing it. Full marks to Cadbury’s! However i dont think it would have such an impact with any other tune. The song itself is an all-time classic which makes this ad stand out.

The concept is genius and like others have said, all those that think its pointless, its done its job, your posting comments about it on the web. What more of an impact could Cadbury’s have asked for?!

This will surely be up there as one of the best ever ads on TV

Posted by someone on 25/10/07, 1:59 am

I have a friend who has a stiff neck, every time he rolls his head on his shoulders to ease it, I get a craving for chocolate! Now that really does prove the power of advertising cos I don’t even like Cadbury’s Dairy Milk! Go figure!

Posted by Guinevere on 26/10/07, 6:31 am

I find this really creepy. It may keep you talking and remember it but it’s got nothing to do with chocolate. My boyfriend thinks the gorilla’s real and been trained specially, I think that’s what creeped me out the most.

Posted by Laura on 27/10/07, 11:21 am

I think this is the best advert I have seen in ages, even though it is a pity that the gorilla isn’t Phil Collins it is still amazing drummging. This advert has made me crave not only the chocolate but to hear the song about 10 times a day, not to mention that I also have to watch this advert over n over just to smile about it! Basically it is an excellent advert and anyone who thinks otherwise clearly never studied marketing or understands the concept behind it.

Posted by Lexi on 30/10/07, 2:57 pm

Fantastic advert. To those people who have a gripe about it, the answer is very easy - you don’t have to watch it.

Posted by Susie on 01/11/07, 10:36 am

The ad, as well as being fun , has done what it set out to do!It’s got you all talking about it, its memorable, and you know its for Cadbury’s chocolate.Why would we have navigated to this page had we not been interested?
Well done A pint and a Half Productions !!

Posted by A little mouse on 06/11/07, 8:55 pm

I don’t really want to buy chocolate after seeing this ad pretty pointless lol!!

Posted by Jay on 14/11/07, 12:54 pm

Being a drummer and guitarist and a veterinarian, plus a great fan of both dairy and Mr. Collins, they had be from “hello”. To those who don’t ‘get it’, what a shame. It’s a hoot, and I don’t give a petri dish if you object. I adore this advert. My Dad was a marketing professor (and Dean of an accredited Business school), as is my nephew, and I’m better at judging a great advert than both of them. I’ve always bought Cadbury products, and to the marketing agency, cudos, ladies and gents. I love it. Can I borrow your gorilla, in costume, just for a day? We’ll go to the store and buy milk and bananas, just to stir the pot.

Posted by Vicki on 23/11/07, 5:38 am

I found that advert Very funny. I even told Cadbury’s!
I too have watch TV just to see if I could see it in full.

Cadbury replied to my email:

hank you for your e-mail concerning the new Dairy Milk advertising.

The ad has been created to provide a positive and quirky piece of entertainment for consumers. It is aiming to emulate the feeling you get when you eat a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk joy, happiness and a smile. Part of achieving this is by its randomness which is directly linked to the use of an actor in a gorilla suit. There is no other rational reason for the selection of the gorilla. If you were to use a human for this, it would lose the positive quirkiness.

One key objective is to highlight the glass and a half message, which will enable us to distinguish ourselves from our competitors. Part of the appeal of this advert is that it is so different from the norm

The actor inside the gorilla suit, Garon Michael, was an experienced animatronics actor who has appeared in Congo, Instinct and Planet of the Apes. Hes spent a lifetime perfecting his gorilla art with visits to observe the animals in their natural habitat, on film and in zoos.

The gorilla suit was on loan from Stan Winston Studios who have also created suits and monsters for classic action films like The Terminator, Aliens, Edward Scissor Hands and Predator.

The music in the advert is called “In the air tonight” and is performed by Phil Collins.

Gorillas have a dominating visual presence as the largest of the living primates. They exhibit lots of human characteristics which when applied to a human activity like drumming, means movements can look exaggerated. Its movements are also generally slow, meaning that the anticipation of waiting for the moment when the gorilla hits the drums is built up adding additional theatre and drama to the advertisement before the full music kicks in.

Also as part of this campaign launch, we are supporting The Gorilla Organisation with their Great Gorilla Run which is to raise funds for the protection of gorillas in their natural environments.

If you would like to view the ad again please go to www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com

Thanks again for your e-mail.

So the advert is about emotion, LOL! genius.
Every time I see a chocolate bar now, I think of that advert.

Posted by James S on 30/11/07, 2:33 am

The advert is amazing. Whilst appealing to the baby boomers via nostalgic motif of Phil Collins - the music and his ubiquitous earpiece - as well as providing everyone else, primarily younger generations, with a “glass and a half full” of enjoyment.

Posted by Richard on 17/04/08, 10:40 pm

Creative Review

News and views on visual communications from the writers of Creative Review

Cadbury’s Gorilla Unmasked

Patrick 04/09/07, 17:13

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