So Cadbury’s has a new advert out and it involves clothes coming to life and ‘magically’ dancing in a charity shop. It all started with a Gorilla and since then we have had trucks in an airport, eyebrows and fish! Gorilla was part of a major pitch by Fallon London to win the Cadbury contract in 2006 and it formed the started of a series of adverts with big production budgets and lots of spend which were produced to be ‘entertainment pieces’ as opposed to traditional product based advertising. The idea is that they appeal to a mass audience, are talked about a lot and passed on!
There is absolutely no doubt that the gorilla was an outstanding advert and a great success. However, looking back i wonder if it was luck or skill or maybe a bit of both. The music was good, the style of ther advert was new, different and surprising and the word of mouth spread like wildfire. Was it really Phil Collins in the suit? Would he take his mask off? There were also loads of spin offs, including WonderBra which generally means something is working!
But what about the others and the newest one? Any good? I am just not sure. I wonder if the clothes advert had come first whether any other would ever have been made? It is all so random… does it help the brand image? Does it help to sell more Dairy Milk chocolate? Maybe… or are Cadbury on a journey where they have created an expectation and now have to deliver?
In my view, the adverts are getting more and more random, less and less maningful and frankly worse. Whilst many of the previous adverts have looked great with superb music, the latest version looks odd. The music is not as powerful, the clothes look bulky and you can clearly see they have children in them as their feet pop out! It doesnt make me feel good. It doesnt make me want to pass it on to others or talk about it in a positive way. So quite frankly, with me (a massive Cadbury eater and fan!) it has missed the mark!
I am sure many of you may disagree…
