Gorilla in the Air

When this ad by Cadbury came out in Britain in 2007, it won several awards for best TV commercial and film. Fairly speaking, its success is attributed to the combination of great directing, acting, costumes, and animatronics that costs approximately £700,000. However, to me it is the soundtrack that steals the show. The haunting melody of Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight and his signature drum fill were so epic that I remember playing the 90-second-long ad over and over again just to feel the passion “in the air.” This passion alone, without any explanation or plot, matches Cadbury’s slogan: “A glass and a half full of joy.” This was one of the first videos that got me thinking about the power of music in advertising, and it still hasn’t lost its magic on me after all these years. Has it on you?