1. Mest 4: Critical Investigation By Reena Somal
Drumming gorillas raising eyebrows?!
How have Cadbury’s adapted their marketing
strategies to the 21st
Century?
Chocolate is truly irresistible. A naughty treat we can indulge in from
time to time. This was the approach taken by the now iconic Cadbury’s Flake
adverts of the 1970’s and 80’s which depicted women indulging in this little
weakness in secret. So why in 2007 did Cadbury decide to abandon all
reference to this or even to the product itself and opt instead for a gorilla
drumming along to a Phil Collins track?
In 1897, at its first launch, Cadbury’s was the only English chocolate
brand with milk in its recipe. From this nutritional fact, the brand has built an
identity around the slogan "A glass and a half of full cream milk in every half
pound" and the logo of the two glasses pouring milk into the chocolate. The
classic Cadbury ads have illustrated how the chocolate is made in the
recognisable Bourneville factory setting and other chocolate brands soon
followed in this marketing strategy of advertising how their product is made.
Then the classic convention of Cadbury’s ads including females indulging in
secret arrived. The memorable Cadburys Dairy Milk advert in 1982 consisted
of varied shots of the bar itself along with a close up shot of a female eating
the chocolate. The inclusion of a female indulging links in with Cadbury’s
approach of temptation and sensuality. The classic Cadburys Flake advert in
1982 also illustrates the ideology of chocolate being desired by females. The
Cadburys Twirl ad in 1990 is similar when using personal anecdotal
experiences for the audience to relate to. It portrayed the encounter between
a male and female meeting and instantly falling in love emphasised by the
romantic slow music which is incorporated. This links in with the idea of the
chocolate bar Twirl being a sensual chocolate. However in the media
saturated world of the 21st
Century with ever more companies and brands
trying to influence an ever more sophisticated and media literate public, I will
be exploring the new and innovative approach taken by Cadburys in the
marketing of their traditional and long established products. For my linked
product I intend to create a TV ad inspired by Cadbury’s post-modernist
approach.
The Cadburys Gorilla advert of 2007 provoked a huge response as
Deborah Sherwood from The Sunday Mirror observed:
“The groovy gorilla has inspired more than 70 groups on the social
networking website Facebook and 220 postings on the video sharing site
YouTube. In all, the ad has had six million hits on the internet.”
This advert has proved hugely popular and was no one-hit wonder; the
eyebrow advert swiftly followed ranking up more than four million views in its
first three weeks. On 19th
September 2009, the Cadbury’s Ghana ad was
launched which featured local communities, farmers and Ghanaian dancers;

2. suggesting how Cadburys is a well established company that is respected
worldwide. It reinforces the Fair-trade Cocoa industry in Ghana where
Cadburys celebrates all things Ghanaian: its people, rappers, dancers,
cultural figures and of course, its cocoa beans. Another point to consider is
whether the recent take-over of the quintessentially British brand by U.S food
giants Kraft, has resulted in Cadbury’s having to rethink how they sell their
chocolate to a global market.
The Gorilla advert launched on the 31st August 2007 achieves what is
rather difficult in this multi-platform media savvy world – namely creating a
unique and much talked about advert. The focus of a gorilla playing the drums
really proved to be something different and engaging that got Cadburys to
stand out from the conventional chocolate adverts. It stayed clear of usual
conventions such as how chocolate is made or focusing on people eating the
product. Dr. Julian McDougall, a reader in Media Education observed:
‘It’s deliberately moving away from any sense of an advertisement
having to represent the product in any way, shape and form. It’s purely
symbolic. There is no interest paid by the makers of the advert in
representation of anything tangible around chocolate.’
The bizarreness of the advert is what makes it visually interesting and
entertaining for the audience; in particular the primary audience of children.
The advert thrives on ambiguity; the first shot begins with the close-up
face shots of the gorilla which creates a sense of uniqueness. This is then
carried through with the realness of the gorilla in such a normal environment.
The first time you see the advert, you automatically assume this is for a
wildlife programme. As the camera slowly zooms away from the gorilla we are
given a mid-shot of the gorilla sitting behind a set of drums in a very human
way. This is not a normal situation; it gives a surreal feeling which is very
memorable. By presenting the audience with something that has nothing to do
with chocolate, it reinforces the company’s fresh new image and the moral
value they are trying to portray.
The only relevance to Cadburys in the ad is having the gorilla
surrounded by the traditional colour of purple; which shows the strength of the
brand. This is significant in establishing how powerful Cadburys are in that the
audience are now able to link this trademark colour with the chocolate brand. I
believe Cadburys wants to put across the message of the feeling of
‘sensation’ you get when waiting to eat the chocolate; which the lyrics of the
song ‘Something in the Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins achieves. The fact this
song was first released in 1981 also links in with attracting an older audience
through nostalgia.
The Gorilla ad was broadcast during the ‘Big Brother 8’ final, where it
ran with a sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup. This clever effective idea
could be seen as the Gorilla being a mascot for the team during advert
breaks. It was seen by 84% of the UK’s adult population an average of 10
times.1 The reason behind the most successful and talked about campaigns
of the year and the decision to make such a departure from the more
traditional campaigns could have been promoted by Cadbury’s salmonella
scare. The brand went through a salmonella crisis in August 2006 which
ended up with a 5% decline in sales and a damaged image. However,

3. Cadbury’s regained its popular image a year later with the new post modernist
advertising of the Gorilla advert. This chart below shows Cadburys revenue
growth in 2007 after the Gorilla advert.
Chart 2: Cadbury Confectionery Revenue Growth
Following on from the success of the gorilla advert, the Eyebrow advert
aired in January 2009. The inclusion of children is significant in targeting the
primary audience of children. On the 26th
February 2009, an article from The
Sun by Steve Hawkes claimed:
“Cadbury profits soar in credit crunchie. The revival has been helped
by quirky ads featuring a drumming gorilla and kids with dancing eyebrows.”
The idea of this advert links in with uses and gratifications theory in
keeping the primary audience of children entertained as well as them
attempting to emulate this ‘eyebrow dance.’ It gained millions of fans and a
host of tributes including one featuring singer Lily Allen and comedian Alan
Carr and a comic relief spook. On 29th
July, the success of the eyebrow advert
led Cadburys to an increase in revenue by 13% to £2.8 billion for the first half
of the financial year 2009.
The eyebrow advert links in with the idea of ambiguity and the fact it
portrays the message of expecting the unexpected in a normal, sedate
situation. The iconic slogan ‘Glass and a half full’ and purple backdrop is
established within the first few seconds of the advert. This links in with the
audience preparing themselves to see the company’s latest chocolate. We
see a mid-shot of two siblings waiting to have a family photo taken with the
effect of dull, grey lighting in the background. This is brightened only by the
young girl who is wearing a distinctive purple dress. The effective marketing
strategy of the colour purple represents the brand colour of Cadbury. A
computerised version of ‘Don’t Stop The Rock’ by Freestyle Express plays
through the boys watch which is an 80’s electro pop tune that is completely
out of sync with the rest of the advert. With the help of computer trickery we
then see the eyebrows of the two children perform an impressive if impossible
“dance” in time to the music. Overall, it creates an entertaining advertisement
that people will want to talk about.
From looking at the Gorilla and the Eyebrow advert, I can identify many
similarities in their marketing strategies. The fact that both adverts consist of
shooting in a simple studio reinforces the simplicity of the advert. The camera
angles are limited by only concentrating on one scene, however Cadburys
advert responds to this by consisting of varied low angled shots to high angled
and close up shots. This is effective in keeping the audience interested when

4. filming something engaging yet unusual. These two hugely successful adverts
can clearly be seen as examples of post modernism. In the very early days of
advertising (the first Dairy Milk advert appeared in 1905) Cadbury led the way
in attempting to create an identity for their products and therefore convince
the public to trust in the brand. Throughout the 20th
Century Cadbury are seen
to move with the times to incorporate various trends in advertising be that
humour, celebrity or sexuality. However the Gorilla ad of 2007 could be seen
as breaking away from convention and taking a radical post modernism
approach.
In today’s media saturated world, advertising is crucial. Advertising has
many unwritten rules and conventions for an industry that prides itself on its
out-of-the-box thinking. On the 14th
May 2007, Alex Benady from The
Independent highlighted what he saw as some of the clichés of TV
advertising;
“Cars must be shown speeding round hairpin bends. Hair care
commercials are apparently obliged to feature a dodgy science sequence and
there seems to be some law which says that banks have to be youthful,
honest and in touch.”
These stereotypical views are presented in the media today that
adverts should be like this for these certain products. However, because
Cadburys are such a well established and respected brand, they felt able to
take the risk to launch a campaign in which the actual product is never seen
or mentioned – and the risk paid off. By ignoring the product, it goes against
the choice of clichés associated with chocolate advertising. Cadbury’s post-
modernist ads stay clear of conventional chocolate ads that make us drool in
anticipation of its ineffable deliciousness or inspire us with the sight of happy
people eating the product to enhance their perfect lives. In fact the new
marketing strategy taken upon Cadburys allows the audience to be
entertained and show the viewers joy. On 14th
May 2007 from The
Independent, Laurence Green, planning director of Fallon, the advertising
agency behind the ad observed that:
“People don’t want advertisers droning on and on about their products
any more; they want to be entertained.”
The Gorilla and Eyebrows advert effectively links in with the
entertainment factor. Cadbury’s identifies its humorous side through unusual
shots and this has been carried through the rest of their post-modernist
adverts. For example the Ghana ad in 2009 shows a close up shot of a middle
aged man roaring like a tiger with the sound effect in the background. It could
be said that Cadburys advertising is similar to a short-form of comedy similar
to those funny clips you find on YouTube. By illustrating an unusual yet
memorable advert, this enables the audience to spread the word through viral
marketing.
Not only do Cadburys allow the audience to be entertained through
their post-modernist approach but Cadburys illustrates the effective marketing
strategy of showing the viewers’ joy. The hidden message of the glass and a
half strap line reinforces how chocolate is all about joy and pleasure.

5. Laurence Green, planning director of Fallon, the advertising agency behind
the ad explains:
“Cadburys has told us that it was generous, through the glass and a
half strap line. We thought, don’t tell us how generous you are; show us.
Don’t tell us about joy; show us joy.”
Therefore in this new approach, almost anything can be inserted into
the Cadburys ad as long as it is entertaining and brings joy.
Previously mentioned in my introduction is the fact that this new
approach could be due to the fact that Cadburys have recently been taken
over by US company Kraft on the 19th
January 2010. This is significant to see
if any differences appear in their marketing strategies. Through my wider
reading, I have come across many articles relating to the Cadbury take-over,
all of which have resulted in several boycotts of all Kraft related products. The
reason behind this take-over is due to Kraft believing that their deal and
increased bid worth up to £11.7 billion would create a "global confectionery
leader". It has offered Cadburys the ‘leading position in developing markets
including Brazil, Russia, India, China and Mexico.’3. This worldwide appeal
attracts everyone in the world due to the image of the advert. The fact there is
no mention of dialogue or even language in the ad reflects the ideology of
Cadburys wanting to appeal to audiences globally. The Gorilla and the
Eyebrow ads are examples which reinforce the limited use of language
included to attract audiences of different nationalities worldwide.
Leading on from the Cadbury-Kraft take-over, Cadbury’s has adapted
its marketing strategies by organizing a national network of games including
Spots v Stripes. With the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games soon
starting, this game will encourage audiences to participate and play together.
It gives the opportunity to help build stronger communities by improving local
areas through physical and social regeneration. This fresh new approach
taken upon Cadburys is an effective marketing strategy to illustrate their
regained image from the Cadbury-Kraft take-over and how they are adapting
to move with the times in the 21st
Century today. It reinforces how Cadburys
are able to continue as a strong company and still apply their post-modernist
marketing strategies to their ads to bring joy and entertain.
To conclude, Cadburys have successfully adapted their marketing
strategies to the 21st
Century. This can be seen through subverting the
traditional conventions of advertising to engage and sustain the interest of the
viewer with the fresh take on the Cadburys brand identity. Although Cadbury
took on a big risk by essentially ignoring the product, this risk paid off in the
long run from the success of the Gorilla and Eyebrows ad. Therefore,
Cadburys have shown over the years that they are not scared of innovating
when it comes to their approach to marketing. Essentially, Cadburys have
demonstrated that their approach to post-modernist ads effectively works.
They no longer need to show chocolate or people eating chocolate or even
mention the C word once in their ads; just as long as it is entertaining and
brings joy. This is why for my linked product, my trailer illustrates the engaging
and entertaining ad of people having fun and enjoying themselves through
dance.

6. Bibliography
Source Title Author Description Date of
Publication
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=vifZ0q7HqrM
Cadburys Flake
Advert
1982
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=pUyln1qpj6E
Cadburys Dairy Milk
Advert
1982
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=WM-WrteuL24
Cadburys Twirl
Advert
1990
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?
v=TVblWq3tDwY&feature=rel
ated
Cadbury Eyebrow
Advert
'Don't Stop the
Rock' by Freestyle
23.01.2009
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=2ktLtvinZBs
Cadbury Fair-Trade
Ghana advert
Zingolo ft.Tinny 19.09.2009
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=_wGbjyrclbs
Cadbury Gorilla
Advert
Phil Collins – ‘In the
air tonight’
10.12.2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/busi
ness/8467007.stm
BBC News BBC business
editor Robert
Peston
“Cadbury agrees
Kraft Takeover bid”
19.01.2010
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/t
op-stories/2010/01/19/kraft-
finalising-takeover-deal-for-
cadbury-115875-21978399/
Mirror News Ann Gripper “Kraft finalising
takeover deal for
Cadbury”
19.01.2010
http://www.cadbury.co.uk/cad
buryandchocolate/ourstory/Pa
ges/ourstoryFlash.aspx#/1981
_present/packaging/2007_pur
ple_goes_green
Cadbury’s story “Purple goes green
initiative”
July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/511
2470.stm
BBC News “Cadbury
Salmonella scare
probed”
24.06.2009
http://www.investis.com/cadb
ury_ir/docs/2007_annual_rep
ort.pdf
Cadbury Schweppes
annual report &
accounts
Chart 2: Cadbury
Confectionery
Revenue Growth
2007
http://www.investis.com/cadb
ury_ir/report/ar_2008.pdf
Cadbury annual
report & accounts
“Focused on
performance”
2008
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sunda
y-mirror/2007/10/21/revealed-
the-gorilla-ad-man-98487-
The Sun Deborah Sherwood “The Gorilla Ad
Man”
21.10.2007

7. 19984483/
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/h
omepage/news/money/city/art
icle2277350.ece
The Sun Steve Hawkes “Cadbury profits
soar in credit
crunchie”
26.02.2009
http://www.spotsvstripes.com/
community.aspx
Cadbury Spots Vs.
Stripes
London 2012 & The
Olympics
October 2010
http://www.independent.co.uk/
news/media/advertising-spot-
the-link-between-a-gorilla-
and-chocolate-448699.html
The Independent Alex Benady “Advertising: Spot
the link between a
gorilla and
chocolate”
14.05.2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/bus
iness/2008/feb/20/cadburysch
weppesbusiness.fooddrinks
The Guardian Simon Bowers “Much aped
chocolate advert
scores with public”
20.02.2008
Media Magazine Dr.Julian
McDougall, Reader
in Media Education
& A Level Examiner
“Postmodernism 2
– The Cadbury Ad”
October 2009