Most readers of this blog will have missed my exchange last weekend with UK planner Charles Frith. (See the end of the comment section of this post.) Charles asked if Millward Brown would be willing to Link-test the now famous Gorilla ad for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (the leading chocolate bar in the UK) and then “put [the ad] through all the amendments that the process might suggest and see the results.” Correct me if I am wrong, Charles, but I suspect you believe significant changes would result?
Tough to tell given the ad has already been Link-tested. TalkingRetail.com reports:
“In initial testing, the TV ad was ranked in the top fifth of all adverts ever tested by Millward Brown for enjoyment.”
Unfortunately I can neither confirm nor deny whether changes were made as a result of the testing. For those of you who have not seen the ad, now is your chance.
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That the ad was a success is not in doubt. In an article published December 12, 2007, which reported that the Cadbury Schweppes confectionary business would beat its 2007 target, The Times stated, “Todd Stitzer, the group’s chief executive, said that an increase in marketing spend had boosted sales, with the gorilla advert at the centre of the growth story.”
The ad has not just raised sales; it has entered the popular culture. The Times continues: “Although first released as a television commercial, Cadbury’s £6.2 million campaign, centred around the advert directed by Juan Cabral of the advertising agency Fallon London, has become a huge internet hit. It has had seven million viewings on YouTube, and users of the video-sharing website have made about 100 spoofs.”
(You can find some of the spoofs here and here.)
Not only has the ad captured the public’s imagination, it has also become firmly embedded in the UK planning mindset. For instance, when Richard Huntingdon wrote a great post on AdLiterate about the role of planner, titled “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” the ensuing discussion rapidly morphed into a conversation about how Gorilla worked.
One participant in the discussion, Arnold, put it this way:
“Gorilla’s performance = joy = chocolate”
and added, “I’ve not heard so many people talking about an ad in glowingly positive terms since, well, Bravia Balls.”
So how does Gorilla work?
The consensus on AdLiterate appears to be that the ad works through “emotional persuasion.” That is, the ad makes people – lots of people - feel good. Many of those people talk about it and share it with others; the result is an increase in brand saliency that drives sales.
While I agree that this is the mechanism behind the ad’s success, I am not sure l like the term “emotional persuasion.” Yes, it does differentiate the effect from cognitive persuasion – and as many commentators note, the ad surely does not convince anyone to buy Cadbury Dairy Milk - but it still sounds too forceful. In my mind, “persuasion” suggests a change in attitude, but this is not an ad that changes people’s emotional relationship with the brand. Brits know what Dairy Milk stands for. Many of them just needed to be reminded that they love it, And Gorilla delivers that reminder in a new and compelling manner.
Innovative communication may be all that is needed to renew people’s bond with an established brand. Such is the case with Gorilla and Cadbury Dairy Milk. But now let’s turn to another much talked about UK ad, the one for the Skoda Fabia.
In the 70s and 80s the Czech brand Skoda was often derided in the UK for its outdated looks and mechanics. But today the brand’s fortunes have changed. Now a part of the Volkswagen group, Skoda offers a far better range of cars, and with the It’s a Skoda, honest campaign, the brand has re-established itself in the crowded UK market. However Skoda still lacks presence. Bear this in mind as you watch the following ad for the new Fabia.
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Not your everyday car ad, is it? The ad is an intriguing contrast to the car itself, of which Alex Popple said on MSN, “With this new design, Skoda has made a safe choice that’s unlikely to disappoint; buyers are likely to feel the same way.”
The ad, however, is certainly not a safe choice. Like Gorilla, it breaks the mold (mould to the Brits – can you believe the Yanks even drop the “u” when it risks confusion with fungus?) and sets itself apart from other car advertising. If this post is representative, it sounds like some of the UK planning community liked it.
But the big question is, will it move the metal?
So what do you think? Winner or loser? Great ad for Skoda, or great ad for bakers? Millward Brown people based in the UK, please hold off for now. Let’s hear from people in the industry and outside the UK. Will this ad be as effective for the Fabia as Gorilla was for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk? If so, how?
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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March 8th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Hi Nigel.
The answer to your question is no. My suggestion is that Millward Brown should invest in link testing a successful ad that hasn’t been link tested. We can’t tell if Gorilla got the magic treatment or not now can we?
Shall we find an alternative Nigel because it is after all an investment for Millward Brown?
March 9th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Hi Nigel,
It’s been a long time that I have been on this site and commented on something.
I am not sure that Skoda ad would do as well. There are a number of reasons for that.
1. The Fabia ad is not something that works on a change in attitude so isn’t going to have an effect on persuasion. In the case of Cadbury Dairy Milk consumers know what the brand stands for. So the Gorrila ad acts as a reminder of the emotional associations and your hand reaches out to get one. I am not sure that such equity exits for Skoda and Fabia.
2. The consumer buying behaviour is different when it comes to impulse purchase products and high ticket items. The Skoda ad is highly enjoyable but I am not sure whether it gets the Fabia in the consideration set.
Look forward to your inputs
Cheers
Sandeep
March 10th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I’m generally with Sandeep on this and would also question whether an ad that shows a car made of sponge and icing is suitable when the brand itself may still retain associations with mechanical failure. I’d need to understand better how the brand’s fortunes have changed since the 70s/80s though.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Nigel,
It’s rather disappointing that you won’t say whether any changes were made. Wouldn’t that be a very strong validation (or not) of your method? I can’t help but think that if this ad WAS Link tested before airing, and any recommended changes were made at that stage, that Millward Brown would want us all to know…
March 12th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Hi Robert,
No one is more disappointed than I for exactly the reason you state. However, this was a test paid for by a client and, as always, we are not at liberty to release results without their permission. I had hoped someone from Cadbury might like to comment but in the absence of that I have to rely on what is in the public domain.
The Skoda ad is another matter. We tested that ad as part of an R&D project. What would your bet be on how well the ad performed?
Cheers,
Nigel
March 12th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
If joy=chocolate then I think Skoda are traying to say craftsmanship=cars. Of course this is right but in the UK chocolate=Cadbury (if only that applied in the US as well) but cars do not equal Skoda.
So my guess is that this ad will not have any impact on sales and it will soon be followed by the usual dismal discounting and APR campaigns.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Hello Nigel –
I hadn’t visited the blog in a while.
I have to agree with Nick and Sandeep.
The basic mechanics of the decision making process with regards to purchase have to be different between cars and chocolate. Why should the same type of persuasion gizmo work? I believe Nick’s equation for the UK joy=chocolate=Cardbury is integral to the ad’s success; I doubt in a market where the brand is not as strongly possitioned the ad would work as well as it did.
March 14th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
OK, so those of us not in the UK doubt whether the ad will drive sales. Anyone in the UK want to offer an opinion now?
March 18th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Maybe no one from the UK commented because they know that Fallon was named Agency of the Year at the 32nd British Television Advertising Awards. Their Gorilla spot took Best TV Commercial of the year and Cake won a Gold. More on this to come.
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:59 am
2 quick points:
1) ‘Seduction’ is my favourite term for ‘emotional persuasion’
2) Skoda in UK faces 2 challenges I reckon: emotionally distant (seen as an odd, foreign brand); scepticism regarding build quality. ‘Cake’ does a great job with the first challenge; jourmalists and advocates are starting to address the second (thanks to the cars themsleves).
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:08 am
Hi Dan,
Thanks for this. So, unlike most of our other commentators, you are suggesting that the ad does not need to persuade - I agree. I’ll post why next week.
Cheers,
Nigel
June 21st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
[...] discussão do segundo post, mais especifico sobre “Gorilla”, Nigel destacou que a taxa de Enjoyment (Divertimento) [...]
July 7th, 2008 at 1:30 am
[...] Now it is perhaps too premature to comment on the changes that an industry is undergoing based on two pieces of work. But before you send us hate mail, let’s look at a few other. Ideas like Audi’s Art of the Heist Marco Ecko’s Still Free, Burger Kings Whopper Freakout, HBO Voyeur and India’s own Lead India. I don’t think any amount of theory can help us replicate ideas like these. And in a hyper cluttered world that we are entering, the only thing that could help brands make their communication stand out is by creating ideas that have no precedent, no successful formula to go by. In fact the pundits at the venerable Millward Brown are scurrying around to find new ways to test ideas like the Gorilla. [...]