Enjoy a Drenching

A gorilla appeared on our screens last year drumming along to a 20 year old Phil Collins track. The full 90 second version ran during prime time and did more to entertain audiences across the country than the programming. And it made us feel good again about the UK's biggest confectioner.

Cadbury's reputation had slumped to a low earlier in the year after a salmonella scare had forced it to recall millions of chocolate bars. It's sponsorship of ITV's Coronation Street had run out of steam; niche and premium competitors were stealing market share; and the planned sale of Schweppes hit the rocks as turbulence swept the debt markets.

So there was substantial impetus to try something bold, an ad that would once again make us feel warm and fuzzy about bars of chocolate. 'Gorilla' was the result, and both Cadbury and Fallon have since been applauded and criticised in equal measure. But it's now clear that other brands (and agencies) have lept on the bandwagon.

The latest is an extension of a campaign launched in 2007 by Britvic to promote its new bottled water brand:



Drench differentiates by exploiting a category truth: staying hydrated keeps you alert. In a saturated market with a plethora of brands built upon equally tenuous or bland claims its refreshing (ahem) to see an ad that cuts through by genuinely entertaining us. And despite a serious lack of media money, more of us are likely to get Drenched as a result of seeing the ad via a shared link, blog or news article.

CHI have no doubt taken a leaf from Fallon's book, but who can blame them when consumers are happy to reward those brands that offer entertainment and engagement.

But what next? Perhaps the Fallon model will have had its time when we see Terrahawks advertising Chicken Tonight.

What gets skewed?

Our beliefs, attitudes and behaviours are deeply entrenched. They define us, they make us who we are. And over time we seem to cling to them all the more; eventually we will all become a caricature of our younger self. Anthropologists and psychologists will argue incessantly over whether it's nature or nurture that has the greater influence over our mental make-up.

But that's all of little interest to me and of no interest to this Blog.

What is of interest - what will get 'Skewed' - are the things that influence our perceptions, attitudes and wants throughout life. Very rarely will these things change us, most often their influence over us will be barely perceptible, but given we're exposed to so many messages and so much communication it strikes me as incredible that we're able to pick out that one colour, sound or voice every once in a while and respond.

Whether it's the build up of these messages, their timely delivery, a throw-away reference or loose endorsement made by a chum or even something more primeval, the purpose of this Blog is to record and invite comment on those messages that move me in some way.

And not just me. For you too. E-mail me when your perceptions have been skewed by a killer piece of advertising, perhaps when you've been suckered into buying something you didn't need after reading about it in a Sunday supplement; or when a golden 30 foot neon 'M' has lured you into the next fast food joint for a super-sized Ronalding.