It gets worse when you consider that it's not actually a piece of digital marketing at all. It's a TV ad.
So what makes Fallon's "gorilla" film for Cadbury's so special? Why, within a week, had it already been viewed over half a million times on YouTube alone?
Yes, it's essentially an entertaining piece of content, not an ad. It ticks all the "viral" boxes of being funny, irreverent and surprising - all the more so because it's from Cadbury's. It's also essentially visual (and therefore international).
But more than that - and this isn't meant to be at all disparaging - it's an idea that feels like it could have been dreamt up by anyone and could have been filmed by anyone. Indeed, it is likely to spawn a host of imitators (and, by the time you read this, it probably will already have done so).
Why is this important? Because, while it's not an inherently interactive idea, it is a fundamentally inclusive one. The sense that it could have come from us - or from one of us - gives it that same quality as a prank you might play on your mates or a joke you might hear down the pub. It's a world away from the glossy, supremacist guff that passes for brand-building TV advertising so much of the time these days. This is no "big idea". It's a great little one.
If that's what makes it immediately engaging, what makes it eminently rewatchable is the attention to detail. The blissed out beginning, the lip-curl that prompts the camera to pan back, the neck stretch and deep breath before he launches himself, the way he bounces on his seat and stares to the heavens as he drums. All delightful touches that give it a vaguely satirical quality and get better with repeat viewing.
So where does this leave digital agencies? With a resounding reminder that single-minded creativity is still the most important ingredient in marketing. I worry that digital agencies can sometimes forget this. They can get lost in a clever-clever world of Facebook apps and Google mash-ups. But nothing can replace a simple, well-executed idea that connects with people on their level and that inspires them to want to join in.
- John Owen, planning partner of digital agency dare and a fellow of the IPA. Email: john.owen@daredigital.com.
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