See Video: http://bizrapport.blogspot.com/2007/09/sa-vs-uk-2007-world-cup-highlights.html
The advertisement was shown just before the start of the England vs. South Africa Rugby World Cup 2007. After South Africa thumped England 36-0, I wondered about this ad...the connections advertisements make in the mind...and the timing of an advertisement's broadcast.
For different viewers, what connections would their minds make when watching this advertisement?
If the advertisement was shown at half-time with score around 20-0 or towards the end, what connections would the mind make then (some players were injured with blood running down their faces)?
The first connection my mind made when I saw this advertisement was "Gorillas in the Mist" - the film that depicts the true-life story of Dian Fossey who fought to protect Gorillas from poaching and extinction in Rwanda: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorillas_in_the_Mist:_The_Story_of_Dian_Fossey
True, there is the "choclate-sex connection" because of Phil Collins's song "Coming in the air tonight..." and enthusiasm with humor, but after the game when the mind still connects - what other connections may be made?
"Cadbury's Drum Up African Spirit"
The English continent isn't the natural "home" to Gorillas, it's the forests of Africa, although through colonization they inhabited English territory. Were Cadbury's supporting S. Africa?
Advertisements carry conscious and sub-conscious messages. Depending on demographics and the likely connections minds may make where those ads are broadcast, combined with the timing of events at the time of broadcast, the impact on the product or service can be quite far-reaching.
If simply downloaded from YouTube or watched on my blog and not in the context of the World Cup, it may send a different message too.
Gorilla DNA is 97-98% identical to that of a human - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorillas
Why do we as humans respond differently to a Gorilla playing a set of drums in this ad than a human?
These are interesting dynamics to consider.
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1 comment:
i work in marketing and cannot see how a gorilla beating a drum kit carry's messages, conscious or otherwise, relating to milk chocolate...
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