11 Oct 10

Four legs good, two legs bad

by Gail Anderson, Trainee Comms Planner

Cadbury’s used a gorilla, Ikea released cats onto its shop floors, Tennents’ is using ‘unicorns’ and now Costa coffee has unveiled its first TV ad using monkeys to demonstrate that not everyone can make great coffee. But with negative comments already circulating including ‘I was served by someone in a Costa recently and to say they had all the skill and ability of a monkey would be doing a disservice to our simian friends’ it begs the question; is it always a god idea to use animals?

The Ikea add was a stroke of genius for a nation of cat lovers. It not only used a variety of cats (thus allowing all cat owners to associate at least one of the stars with their beloved pet) but it was also coupled with a viral campaign which showed how the ad was made. The viral video has received over 90,000 hits on YouTube and adds a further dimension that feline lovers and haters alike can respond to.

However one could question the sense of coupling your product with primates? The Ikea ad showed understanding of consumers and gave the ad a personal touch. The cleverly selected shots of content cats lounging in Ikea beds would have melted the hearts of even the strongest feline hater. The same may not be true of Costa. Costa claims ‘not everyone can make great coffee’ however if the online responses to this ad are to be believed the ad appears to be somewhat underestimating their consumers perceptions. While the Ikea ad may have left them feeling like the cat that got the cream, the response to the Costa commercial seems to be resulting in, at best, no one 'giving a monkeys'.