Imagine being great at your job, imagine not only enjoying it but also creating something that blows the competition out of the water. About a year ago, that's exactly what an advertising agency did with the aid of a rhythmically aware gorilla; rumor has it, they just stuck the gorilla behind a drum kit, played a bit of Phil Collins and filmed the result.
This 90 second ad really made it big, though it did it's job by spreading the word according to Cadbury, it bought international fame to the gorilla in question. More so, the way the campaign took off bought Phil Collin's 'In the Air Tonight' back into the UK charts despite it never being re-released on CD! It was all down to viral marketing, the theory that if you are creative and make something that people will like and pass on to their friends, you can use your work as a vessel for a company's brand or message.
On a sunny Sunday morning, as I settle down to watch the first night-race of the Formula 1 grand prix. These races are becoming more and more disappointing as the years go by, this one in Singapore (which was the first ever 'night race') rightly followed the trend and was easily the most boring to date. During one of the adverts the famed gorilla came on but I wasn't smiling, I was disgusted!
In a thinly veiled attempt to ride the fame of the original, they re-cut the ad, replacing Phil Collins with Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', good cheese in it's own right but highly inappropriate for a drumming gorilla. What's worse is that they didn't ever re-shoot the commercial, they just slowed bit of it down and 'cut and paste' bit around, it was painful to watch.
It breaks my heart to see a great concept bought down to this level of crap for the sake of a few extra pounds. The lesson to be learned here is that if you do, somehow, achieve perfection, don't mess with it....
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4 comments:
I saw the 'new' version a couple of weeks ago and had the same reaction. They also switched the song in the car racing one (from Queen to Bon Jovi) but that ad wasn't as good as the gorilla one anyway.
As for F1, I don't care who says what, it all went downhill from after Schumacher left.
No no no. That new ad is just wrong. It is sacrilege. Bring back Gorphilla!
The biggest tragedy would be if 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' re-enters the top 40.
Kia, Schumacher had less personality than a, um, formula one driver, they would have got a better sound bite interviewing the car! I think it all went down hill after Mika Hakk-a-nakk-a-nakkinen left.
Ariane, this is what the world is coming to, not even a drumming gorilla is safe!
Graham, it won't happen! There is no way this ad is going to be popular enough to bring back Bonnie Tyler....
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