A Gorilla, Phil Collins and Cadbury’s Dairy Milk

Back in September, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk launched a very clever “gorilla marketing” commercial, literally. Their 90 second Dairy Milk bar video doesn’t feature chocolate once, not verbally or visually, but profiles a Gorilla playing the drums along to a certain Phil Collins “classic”.

Guerilla marketing is a low-budget, unconventional spin on marketing that often doesn’t feature the actual product at all. Also known as stealth marketing, this type of campaign tricks the consumer into thinking about a certain product, without them realizing they have been exposed to commercial advertising.

“The film opens with a title, ‘A Glass And A Half Full Productions presents’”, the Independent reported. “Then we hear the opening bars of the Phil Collins hit ‘In the Air Tonight’. The camera pulls back slowly to reveal that the new face of Cadbury Dairy Milk is in fact a gorilla. The effect is spooky and primal. As the big drum break starts, the camera pulls further back to reveal that the gorilla is hammering an enormous drum kit in a karaoke-style bangalong.”

Gorilla Congo Warfare Update

The area of the Congo National Park that has been seized by rebels is now seeing more fighting and warfare, hugely increasing the threat to the endangered Mountain Gorillas.

Wildlife Direct have commented how shells and gunfire could be heard from their headquarters, and the Rangers have been forced to flee for their own safety. Without access to the park and in the absence of Ranger protection, the Gorillas face poaching, kidnapping and being caught in the crossfire.

The situation is now so dire that International Wildlife groups are collaborating and funding a $100,000 crisis management program. However “the appalling security situation is making is virtually impossible to implement anything” said Lucy Fauveau of the Zoological Society London.

Al Jazeera: Endangered Mountain Gorillas

Al Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege reports from Virunga National Park near the Democratic Republic of Congo’s border with Rwanda on the endangered mountain gorillas who live in a vast expanse of forest there. There are only 720 of them left on earth. But nine of them have been killed since the beginning of this year.

7 Ways to Save the Gorillas

Fellow blogger, Gavin Hudson at Green Options, has posted an interesting and relevant article, listing 7 things that can be done by us, and others, to help save the critically endangered Western Gorillas. He lists: